By Tablet Staff

WINDSOR TERRACE — Pope Francis will officially announce Ireland’s Knock Shrine as an international Marian and Eucharistic shrine on the feast of St. Joseph during an evening Mass on March 19.

The Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference announced on March 11 that the Holy Father will give the official recognition to the Knock Shrine in County Mayo, Ireland through a video message. The pontiff’s video will be used as a homily during a Mass in the Shrine Chapel the night of March 19. Archbishop Michael Neary, the Archbishop of Tuam, will be celebrating Mass.

[Related: Irish Church Confirms 1989 Miraculous Cure of Woman at Knock Shrine]

“Acknowledging the thousands of pilgrims who come here each year and recognizing that Our Lady’s Shrine at Knock had never been officially designated as a National Shrine, I requested the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference to rectify the situation and designate it as a National Shrine,” Archbishop Neary said in a statement. 

The archbishop said that the feast of St. Joseph is an appropriate time to establish Knock Shrine as an international Marian and Eucharistic shrine. He explained that St. Joseph appeared along with the Virgin Mary and St. John the Evangelist in the apparition at Knock Shrine in 1879.

A large contingent of Catholics from the Brooklyn Diocese went on a pilgrimage to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families in 2018. One of the stops on their trip was to Our Lady of Knock Shrine. Pope Francis also visited the shrine as part of the celebration.

“I was truly, truly impressed with the spirituality and the presence and respect,” said Brooklyn pilgrim Mary Macchiaroli. “It was just a very moving experience.”

The shrine remains a popular place for pilgrims devoted to the Blessed Mother.

“We go to her to ask for guidance just like we do with our moms,” Macchiaroli said. “So, she’s the ultimate mother.”