Knock Novena to conclude on Thursday night

THE Knock Novena enters the concluding stages today (Tuesday) and will draw to a close on Thursday night. Several thousand people have attended the twice daily sessions that got underway on August 14.

The guest speaker at the Tuesday sessions is Fr Michael McCullagh CM who is a priest of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians). He is currently based at Knock Shrine with his Vincentian colleague, Fr Aidan Galvin, CM.

One of the special days at Knock Shrine all down the years is August 21, the anniversary of the Apparition of 1879. Dr Gráinne Doherty is the guest speaker at the afternoon session that gets underway at 3pm. She works in pastoral ministry, retreat leadership, adult faith formation and facilitation. Her talk on Wednesday afternoon will explore how prayer helps us to discover the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Fr Richard Gibbons, PP and Rector of Knock Shrine will lead the celebration of the anniversary at the evening session at 8pm. The theme of his address is ‘Prayer is where the impossible happens.’ Fr Richard will also refer to the special place Knock Shrine holds in the hearts of so many people and its long established place as the national Marian Shrine of Ireland.

The Novena will conclude on Thursday, 22 August with Fr Jos Moons sj, author and lecturer at KU Leuven (Belgium).

Novena Workshops with guest speakers are held daily at 12.45pm in St John’s Welcome Centre. Themed guided prayer sessions take place daily in Knock Prayer Centre at 11.15am and 5.15pm. Historical guided tours by the Knock Museum team will focus on the Knock Apparition witnesses. These tours are available each day at 11am.