Our Lady of Knock Shrine at St. Malachy Church - Mayo, Quebec
The hamlet and area of Mayo was first settled in the mid-1820's by an influx of Irish emigrants, who named it for the county of Mayo in their homeland.
Some fifty years later, the village of Knoc(k) in that county became famous when over a dozen people there saw a vision of the Virgin Mary on the church wall. It quickly became a major draw for Irish and other pilgrims (and has remained so ever since - both Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis have visited).
Fr. Clement Braceland, who took over as parish priest of St. Malachy in 1949, was among those to visit that shrine in Ireland. Upon his return to Quebec, he determined to establish a local version of it, which he saw completed in 1955. It's since become a destination itself, with an annual pilgrimage organized each August that draws many hundreds of the faithful.
Our Lady of Knock Shrine at St. Malachy Church - Mayo, Quebec
The hamlet and area of Mayo was first settled in the mid-1820's by an influx of Irish emigrants, who named it for the county of Mayo in their homeland.
Some fifty years later, the village of Knoc(k) in that county became famous when over a dozen people there saw a vision of the Virgin Mary on the church wall. It quickly became a major draw for Irish and other pilgrims (and has remained so ever since - both Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis have visited).
Fr. Clement Braceland, who took over as parish priest of St. Malachy in 1949, was among those to visit that shrine in Ireland. Upon his return to Quebec, he determined to establish a local version of it, which he saw completed in 1955. It's since become a destination itself, with an annual pilgrimage organized each August that draws many hundreds of the faithful.