On the 21st of August 1879 Mary McLoughlin passed the church accompanied by Mary Byrne who noticed that the ‘statues’ were moving. Exclaiming it was the Blessed Virgin she ran to tell others. Soon some twenty people had gathered.
Knock has not escaped the influence of modernism. It has ugly buildings and uninspiring ceremonies. But traditional devotions are making a comeback. The ceremonies and conferences organised by the Society of St. Pius X in September 2019 illustrate this. We can also make individual or group pilgrimages which might include the Way of the Cross, saying Rosaries while circling the old church and various other prayers.