PADRE PIO: "YOU'RE IRISH, AREN'T YOU? LOVE OUR LADY OF KNOCK, MAKE HER LOVED!"

I was warmed by the news that Pope Francis has elevated the Marian Shrine of Knock in County Mayo, Ireland to the higher status of International Marian and Eucharistic Shrine.  This has extraordinary significance for the millions upon millions of people of Irish blood all over the world. 

Knock was the site of an especially important Marian apparition. At 8 O'Clock in the evening of August 21, 1879, Our Lady appeared in the village of Knock to 15 ordinary Irish people who recited the Rosary for two hours. Rain gushed down the whole time.  St Joseph and St John the Evangelist accompanied Our Lady who was in a baby-blue mantle. The witnesses saw that St John the Evangelist was dressed as a bishop, and in their solemn statements, they referred to him as "the bishop". There was also a dazzling apparition of the Lamb of God on an altar. One of the 15, Mary McLoughlin gave a detailed account of, "an altar further on to the left of the figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to the left of the bishop and above the altar a lamb about the size of that which is five weeks old. Behind the lamb appeared the cross...Around the lamb a number of gold stars appeared in the form of a halo."

Knock's elevated status reminded me of the interview that I did with Donal Enright who was a disciple of Padre Pio's.  Donal, an intrepid Irishman from County Cork, used go as often as humanly possible to San Giovanni Rotondo to help the penitents who came in and out of Padre Pio's confessional. Previously I wrote a story about how Donal befriended the post-abortion woman who was at first refused absolution because she lacked true sorrow for her sin. But Donal also knew quite a few women who had been about to have abortions, but who did not go through with it because Padre Pio appeared to them in bi-location and commanded them not to abort. These cases form a chapter of my forthcoming book, Padre Pio and You. 

But aside from being a friend to the penitents, Donal also had a most insightful conversation with Pio about Knock and Padre Pio's devotion to Our Lady of Knock. It happened when one of Donal's trips to San Giovanni was coming to an end. Donal had just worked extremely hard, he had obeyed every command given him by Pio, some orders given telepathically and some given verbally and he had put in 14 hour days, but Donal always said that his times of being a zealous servant to Pio were the best vacations he ever had. 

Just before Donal was to go back to Ireland, Padre Pio took him aside and instructed him, "Go to Knock!" Donal was caught off guard, he had not thought of going often to the place of earth in West Ireland where Our Lady, St Joseph and St John the Evangelist had appeared. Donal had been to Knock before, but Our Lady of Knock was not often in his thoughts, which is something Padre Pio sought to correct. When Donal looked baffled, Padre Pio asked in his rhetorical way, "You're Irish aren't you?" Then he repeated, "Go to Knock! Love Our Lady of Knock, make her loved!" 

Padre Pio then entrusted Donal with a side mission - this was not to take the place of Donal's official duties as a disciple who came to San Giovanni often to help distressed penitents - but Pio asked Donal to make trips to Knock and take Irish people there who otherwise would not go. The most crucial task, however, given Donal was that he was to spread love of Our Lady of Knock among his fellow Irish. 

Pio himself expressed a love of Our Lady of Knock to Donal and he spoke as someone who had been a pilgrim to Knock, which indeed he had been. Padre Pio made known he had gone to Knock by means of bilocation. On another occasion, Pio admitted that he often visited Lourdes in bilocation. 

Padre Pio's insight that Our Lady of Knock ought be loved by the Irish needs to resound in the ears of everyone of Irish blood, no matter where they find themselves in the world. This is not to say that devotion to Our Lady of Knock is solely for the Irish, I mean, Padre Pio was full-blooded Italian and he certainly ensured that Donal instilled in others a love of Our Lady of Knock.

But if us Irish do not honor the apparition of Our Lady, St Joseph and St John the Evengelist that took place on our land and the land of our forefathers, how do we expect people of other races to honor it?  Especially in this Year of St Joseph, the Irish have a good opening to mention that St Joseph appeared in Ireland. Perhaps we would do well to make a priority of praying to Our Lady of Knock, because we may be recipients of extraordinary graces, favors and miracles if we do as Padre Pio instructed all Irish to do, "Love Our Lady of Knock, make her loved!"