FILMING FOR OUR LADY OF KNOCK
New film on DVD coming soon from Mary's Dowry Productions
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| Opening scenes - three visionaries at Knock © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
On Saturday March 24th 2018, Mary's Dowry Productions organised a filming day with our group of friends/parishioner actors to recreate images from the lives of three Saints and the events surrounding the apparitions of Our Lady of Knock in 1879.
We wanted to be able to make available a film about Our Lady of Knock and realized that our usual filming location at the 18th century barn attached to our local parish church would be perfect. We also had a set inside that would double up for our film about Saint Gemma Galgani and a location for Archdeacon Cavanagh, who was parish priest of Knock at the time of the Apparition.
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| A growing group of visionaries at Knock in 1879 © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
For our film, we asked our parish priest to portray Monsignor Horan, known as 'the builder of knock', who was parish priest of Knock from 1967 to his death in 1986. We also asked a friend and three Irish parishioners to record witness testimonies of specific visionaries of Knock for use in the film.
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| Our parish priest portray Monsignor Horton © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| A parishioner who actually lived in Knock records narration © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| One of our Irish parishioners records witness testimony © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
The story of the apparitions at Knock is very straight-forward and was simple for us to film. The witnesses to this silent apparition gradually arrived in a specific sequence of events that we were able to recreate. Our location was the side of the barn located next to our parish church of The English Martyrs which was similar to where the apparition in Knock took place at the side of the parish church of Knock in 1879.
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| A prayer card of the apparition at Knock Showing the parish church of Knock and apparition location in 1879 |
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| A photograph of Archdeacon Cavanagh who was parish priest of Knock at the time of the apparition |
For our filming recreation we directed our actors who were portraying the witness in sequence as to how the vision took place. The first witness was Mary McLoughlin, housekeeper to Archdeacon Cavanagh, who was walking home and noticed what she thought to be a new devotional display of life-sized statues in front of the parish church. She stared but continued on to Mary Byrne's house not too far away.
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| Mary McLoughlin passes the parish church of Knock © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
Mary McLoughlin and Mary Byrne walked back past the parish church of Knock and Mary Byrne stopped in astonishment, noticing the 'statues' too except that she realized they were in fact displaying signs that they were vivid, alive and real. She and Mary McLoughlin drew closer and gazed at the scene which would last three hours.
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| Mary Byrne hurries to fetch her brother Dominick to come and see the apparition © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
Mary Byrne tells us in part of her detailed witness account:
"I beheld, all at once, standing out
from the gable, and rather to the west of it, three figures which, on more
attentive inspection, appeared to be that of the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph and
St. John. That of the Blessed Virgin was life-size, the others apparently either
not so big or not so high as her figure."
Mary Byrne hurried away to fetch her brother Dominick who answered the door to his sister and tells us: "She exclaimed: ‘Come Dominick, and see the image of the Blessed Virgin, as she had appeared to us down at the chapel.’ Dominick hurried to the apparition site and joined Mary and his sister, astonished and moved by what he saw.
Dominick hurried to fetch his cousin, also named Dominick Byrne (senior) and gradually other people were informed and hurried to witness. The 15 witnesses to the apparition ranged in ages from 5 years old to 74 years of age.
Eleven year old Patrick Hill told the official Commission of Inquiry:
"St. John was dressed like a bishop preaching; he wore a small mitre on his head; he held a Mass Book, or a Book of Gospels, in his left hand; the right hand was raised to the elevation of the head; while he kept the index finger and the middle finger of the right hand raised; the other three fingers of the same hand were shut; he appeared as if he were preaching, but I heard no voice; I came so near that I looked into the book. I saw the lines and the letters. St. John did not wear any sandals.
His left hand was turned towards the altar that was behind him; the altar was a plain one, like any ordinary altar, without any ornaments. On the altar stood a lamb, the size of a lamb eight weeks old – the face of the lamb was fronting the west, and looking in the direction of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph. Behind the lamb a large cross was placed erect or perpendicular on the altar. Around the Lamb I saw angels hovering during the whole time, for the space of one hour and a half or longer; I saw their wings fluttering, but I did not perceive their heads or faces, which were not turned to me."
Mary McLoughlin tells us that she hurried to fetch the Very Reverend Bartholomew Aloysius Cavanagh also known as Archdeacon Cavanagh to come and see the apparition and told him it would be worth his while to go and witness the beautiful things at the gable of the church. The Archdeacon appeared to make nothing of what Mary McLoughlin said and did not go, but the following morning, when he heard from the others who had seen the apparition, the Archdeacon recalled what his housekeeper had said. The Archdeacon would come to keep diaries of the events and cures that followed the apparition and was part of the commission of inquiry to interview the witnesses. He worked tirelessly to serve the growing number of pilgrims and offered many daily Masses, confessions and kept a large correspondence.
Mary Byrne hurried away to fetch her brother Dominick who answered the door to his sister and tells us: "She exclaimed: ‘Come Dominick, and see the image of the Blessed Virgin, as she had appeared to us down at the chapel.’ Dominick hurried to the apparition site and joined Mary and his sister, astonished and moved by what he saw.
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| Mary Byrne hurries to fetch her brother Dominick Byrne © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Dominick arrives to witness the apparition at Knock © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| 15 witness gathered in total at Knock © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Witness - 11 year old Patrick Hill © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
"St. John was dressed like a bishop preaching; he wore a small mitre on his head; he held a Mass Book, or a Book of Gospels, in his left hand; the right hand was raised to the elevation of the head; while he kept the index finger and the middle finger of the right hand raised; the other three fingers of the same hand were shut; he appeared as if he were preaching, but I heard no voice; I came so near that I looked into the book. I saw the lines and the letters. St. John did not wear any sandals.
His left hand was turned towards the altar that was behind him; the altar was a plain one, like any ordinary altar, without any ornaments. On the altar stood a lamb, the size of a lamb eight weeks old – the face of the lamb was fronting the west, and looking in the direction of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph. Behind the lamb a large cross was placed erect or perpendicular on the altar. Around the Lamb I saw angels hovering during the whole time, for the space of one hour and a half or longer; I saw their wings fluttering, but I did not perceive their heads or faces, which were not turned to me."
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| Visionaries at Knock ©2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Witnesses to the apparition at Knock © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Visionaries at Knock © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| A Knock visionary © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Mary McLoughlin tells Archdeacon about the apparition before the gable © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Archdeacon Cavanagh listens to the witnesses the following morning © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| The witnesses tell Archdeacon Cavanagh about the apparition at Knock © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Recreating Archdeacon Cavanagh © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
The 15 witnesses recited the rosary and gazed at the silent, profound apparition of Our Lady, St Joseph, St John the Evangelist, the Altar, Lamb and Cross at Knock for three hours until it disappeared. The apparition at Knock was one of silence yet it had a very important meaning. Approved by the Catholic Church and now a major place of pilgrimage, graces and cures of all kinds are obtained at the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock.
The vision has been called a 'Eucharistic vision' of Knock. The Irish people had remained courageous and steadfast to the Mass during the Penal years and, like the recusant Catholics of England, had suffered much for their faithfulness from the time of the Reformation and during those long harsh Penal years.
A Benedictine monk from Buckfast Abbey wrote after visiting the Knock Shrine, “It would seem that Knock is meant to be not only a Shrine of Our Lady, but also that its mission is to increase still further the wonderful love for the Mass which has been so marked a feature of Irish piety throughout the centuries.” The apparition was given for the world and is an important part of the Catholic Church today.
www.marysdowryproductions.org
The films of Mary's Dowry Productions have been internationally praised for not only presenting facts, information and historical details but also a n authentically Catholic, prayerful and spiritual film experience.
Our Lady of Knock - coming soon from Mary's Dowry Productions
The vision has been called a 'Eucharistic vision' of Knock. The Irish people had remained courageous and steadfast to the Mass during the Penal years and, like the recusant Catholics of England, had suffered much for their faithfulness from the time of the Reformation and during those long harsh Penal years.
A Benedictine monk from Buckfast Abbey wrote after visiting the Knock Shrine, “It would seem that Knock is meant to be not only a Shrine of Our Lady, but also that its mission is to increase still further the wonderful love for the Mass which has been so marked a feature of Irish piety throughout the centuries.” The apparition was given for the world and is an important part of the Catholic Church today.
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| Visionaries at Knock 1879 © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Witnessing the apparitions of Knock 1879 © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Patrick Walsh witnessed a scene of light from a distance in his fields © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Witnesses at Knock 1879 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Witness at Knock 1879 Mary's Dowry Productions |
We look forward to producing our film about Our Lady of Knock over the coming year which will be available worldwide on DVD from:
www.marysdowryproductions.org
The films of Mary's Dowry Productions have been internationally praised for not only presenting facts, information and historical details but also a n authentically Catholic, prayerful and spiritual film experience.
Our Lady of Knock - coming soon from Mary's Dowry Productions
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