They came from Wexford, Manchester and even India, driven on by the hope that in this rain-soaked corner of western Ireland the mother of God would appear to them this weekend.

All along Knock’s main street the pilgrims slept in vans and motor homes, all hoping to book a space near the site where a Dublin-based spiritual healer predicted the Virgin Mary would materialise.

Joe Coleman’s visions of a Marian apparition on the exact spot where villagers claimed they saw the Virgin Mary in 1879 have created a fervour across the Catholic world.

Coleman complained that the Catholic church had not made a priest available to recite the Rosary with him and the thousands gathered in waiting. Describing himself as “a visionary of our Blessed Mother”, he said the visitation would only be visible “to people who come with an open heart”.

Read more:

Guardian: Thousands await Knock’s new Virgin Mary vision

Recommended Books:

GCSE Religious Studies for AQA B: Religion and Life Issues Revision Guide (ASBR)

OCR Religious Ethics for AS and A2

GCSE Religious Studies: Philosophy and Applied Ethics Revision Guide for OCR B

Religious Education (Fulton Interdisciplinary Studies)

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