OUR LADY AND THE VISIONARIES
OF KNOCK - NEW FILM
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| Recreating the visionaries of Knock © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Several of the visionaries with Archdeacon Cavanagh © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
We have been busy editing our new film about 'Our Lady and the visionaries of Knock' this week, which we decided to produce back in March when we had a filming day booked. It has been very inspiring to work on the editing, drawing all the elements of film production into a final presentation which has been exciting and very interesting.
Our film opens in 1879 at the beginning of the Land War, and after 300 years of persecutions of Catholics throughout Ireland, in the village of Knock, County Mayo, Ireland.
After a small presentation of the social and spiritual, economical, political and historical setting that was the situation in which the apparition at Knock occurred, we go back 300 years to 1536 and King Henry VIII of England, who declared himself the King of Ireland and decided to conquer the country to bring it under crown control and introduce the Protestant Reformation.
The journey through the history of Ireland is fascinating, tragic and powerful; to see clearly Satan's attack upon the country once described as the land of Saints and scholars.
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| Silken Thomas © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
We look at 'Silken Thomas' and his role in unwittingly drawing his cousin, King Henry VIII's eyes with full force upon Ireland. We journey through the 16th and 17th centuries to see the rebellions, persecutions and terrible attacks upon the Irish faithful by the English government, including plantations, evictions and wars, as they tried to suppress and destroy the Catholic Faith in Ireland.
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| Punishments for Irish Rebels © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
We look briefly at the life and martyrdom of Saint Oliver Plunkett and the terrible Test Act which required all persons filling any office that was military or civil, the obligation of taking the oaths of supremacy and allegiance and pledging to a testimony against transubstantiation and also of receiving the Catholic Sacrament within three months after admittance to office!
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| Saint Oliver Plunkett © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| The Test Act of 1673 © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
Next, we look at the cruel and neglectful English landowners, the potato famines and social and political unrest in Ireland as the continued attacks against the faithful Catholic Irish people continues, twhich takes us to the setting of the apparition of Knock in 1879.
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| Recreating Ireland © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Mary McLoughlin © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| The Apparition chapel at Knock © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
We really enjoyed presenting the events that took place in Knock, Ireland. Having visited the Shrine several times ourselves, it was really nice to immerse ourselves in the beautiful and profound events.
We spent some time carefully aging the footage of our recreation of the visionaries and Archdeacon Cavanagh which draws the viewer back into the moments of August 21st 1879. Archdeacon Cavanagh was the parish priest at Knock at the time of the apparition. Although he did not witness the apparition himself, his love for Our Lady and the Holy Souls in Purgatory was already renowned. He was self-sacrificing, devoted, never took a holiday and lived a life of service to his flock as well as having a life of deep prayer and contemplation. After the apparition he spent his time hearing confessions, preaching to the pilgrims, responding to letters and keeping a detailed journal of the miracles and healing that took place.
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| Archdeacon Cavanagh © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Archdeacon Cavanagh and several visionaries © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Archdeacon Cavanagh's journal © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
It was especially enjoyable to work with the recreations we filmed of the witnesses to the apparition. Alongside the main narration we recorded testimonies of four of the witnesses. This gives us a good look at the details of what they saw, the atmosphere of prayer, and also the significance of the vision which took place over 2-3 hours.
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| Mary Byrne urges her brother to come and see © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| The visionaries are drawn to the gable © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
The film concludes with a look at Knock after the apparition to the present day, including a short focus upon Monsignor Horan who is known today as the builder of Knock. For this recreation we invited our current parish priest to portray Monsignor Horan. He himself is from Ireland and had a good few stories to tell about Monsignor Horan.
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| 'Monsignor Horan' © 2018 Mary's Dowry Productions |
We also included some photographs of a 1994 pilgrimage we took to Knock with our late parish priest. He was very devout and spent his retirement hearing confessions at Knock until his death three years ago. It was very special to us to be able to include him in our film.
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| Fr Enda Naughton at Knock © 1994 Mary's Dowry Productions |
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| Pilrimage to Knock © 1994 Mary's Dowry Productions |
Our film 'Our Lady and the visionaries of Knock' will be available soon on DVD from
Mary's Dowry Productions
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