Catholicos Baselios Joseph to Celebrate Holy Qurbana at Knock Shrine

Ireland, September 20 — His Holiness Catholicos Baselios Joseph will preside over the Holy Qurbana at the historic Knock Shrine, one of Europe’s most esteemed Marian pilgrimage centers. The liturgy, organized under the auspices of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church’s Ireland Diocese, will take place at 4:00 p.m. on September 20.

Faithful from Jacobite parishes across Ireland are expected to gather in large numbers to welcome the Catholicos. His Holiness will serve as the chief celebrant, with Metropolitan Thomas Mar Alexandrios, head of the Ireland Diocese, assisting in the service.

The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Knock—internationally known as Knock Shrine—occupies a central place in global Christian devotion. Situated in the village of Knock, County Mayo, it is revered as a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site of international renown, often compared with Lourdes and Fatima. Each year, approximately one million pilgrims visit Knock in search of prayer, healing, and spiritual renewal.

The shrine traces its origins to the August 21, 1879 apparition, when villagers reported seeing the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint John the Evangelist, a host of angels, and Christ depicted as the Lamb of God upon an altar before a cross. The apparition occurred on the south gable of the parish church and remains central to the shrine’s identity.

While the original shrine endures, the site has expanded to include an Apparition Chapel housing statues of the holy figures and the Basilica of Our Lady, Queen of Ireland, which features a striking tapestry of the apparition. The basilica was constructed under the leadership of Monsignor James Horan, parish priest of Knock from 1967 to 1986, who is also remembered for his determined campaign to establish Ireland West Airport Knock, completed in 1985.

Knock has welcomed visits from some of the most prominent figures of the Catholic Church. Pope John Paul II visited in 1979 to mark the centenary of the apparition, followed by Mother Teresa of Calcutta in 1993 and Pope Francis in 2018.

The shrine remains open year-round, with the main pilgrimage season running from the last Sunday in April to the second Sunday in October. Each August, a nine-day Novena in honor of Our Lady draws thousands of pilgrims.

For those unable to travel, visitors can also experience the sacred site through a virtual tour of Knock Shrine, offering a digital window into one of Christianity’s most treasured places of worship.