Holy Card of Our Lady of Knock Plus a 1" Silver Oxide Medal of O.L. of Knock

Description

Laminated Holy Card of Our Lady of Knock (5" X 3.75") Plus a 1" Silver Oxide Medal of Our Lady of Knock.
This exceptionally detailed die-cast medal, with Our Lady of Knock on the front and PRAY FOR US on the back, is made in the region of Italy that produces the finest quality medals in the world. The silver oxidized finish is has been perfected for hundreds of years by the local Italian craftsmen, and remains unmatched in quality, beauty, and longevity throughout the world -a genuine silver plating with a 3-dimensional depth, and long-lasting brilliance. Measures approximately 1 inch in height - attached jump ring is included. The feast of Our Lady of Knock is celebrated on August 21 and honors the day on which Mary appeared at the Church in Knock, County Cork, Ireland in 1879.
In the village of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland, observers stated that there was an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saint John the Evangelist, angels, and Jesus Christ (the Lamb of God) in 1879. The evening of Thursday, 21 August 1879, was a very wet night. At about 8 o'clock the rain beat down in driving sheets when Mary Byrne, a girl of the village, accompanying the priest's housekeeper, Mary McLoughlin, home, stopped suddenly as she came in sight of the gable of the little church. There she saw standing a little out from the gable, were three life-size figures. She ran home to tell her parents and soon others from the village had gathered. The witnesses stated they saw an apparition of Our Lady, Saint Joseph and Saint John the Evangelist at the south gable end of the local small parish church, the Church of Saint John the Baptist. Behind them and a little to the left of Saint John was a plain altar. On the altar was a cross and a lamb (a traditional image of Jesus), with adoring angels. A farmer, about half a mile away from the scene, later described what he saw as a large globe of golden light above and around, the gable, circular in appearance. For nearly two hours a group that fluctuated between two and perhaps as many as twenty-five stood or knelt gazing at the figures as rain lashed them in the gathering darkness.
The vision of Mary was described as being beautiful, standing a few feet above the ground. She wore a white cloak, hanging in full folds and fastened at the neck. She was described as "deep in prayer", with her eyes raised to heaven, her hands raised to the shoulders or a little higher, the palms inclined slightly to the shoulders.
Saint Joseph, also wearing white robes, stood at the Virgin's right hand. His head was bent forward from the shoulders towards the Blessed Virgin. Saint John the Evangelist stood to the left of the Blessed Virgin. He was dressed in a long robe and wore a miter. He was partly turned away from the other figures. Some witnesses reported that St. John appeared to be preaching and that he held open a large book in his left hand. To the left of St. John was an altar with a lamb on it with a cross standing on the altar behind the lamb.
Those who witnessed the apparition stood in the pouring rain for up to two hours reciting the Rosary. When the apparition began there was good light, but although it then became very dark, witnesses could still see the figures very clearly – they appeared to be the color of a bright white light. The apparitions did not flicker or move in any way. The witnesses reported that the ground around the figures remained completely dry during the apparition although the wind was blowing from the south. Soon the entire apparition wall was torn apart by pilgrims chipping out the cement, mortar, and stones for souvenirs and to use for cures.
A number of cures and favors are associated with visitors to Our Lady of Knock's Shrine and those who claim to have been cured here still leave crutches and sticks at the spot where the apparition is believed to have occurred. Each Irish diocese makes an annual pilgrimage to the Marian Shrine and the nine-day Knock novena attracts ten thousand pilgrims every August. The miracle is also known as Our Lady of Knock by the church.