Knock and the Heraldic Arms of the Archdiocese of Tuam

In a prevIous edItIon of thIs journal, I examined the apparition alleged to have occurred on the night of August 21, 1879, in the remote County Mayo village of Knock. Unlike other nineteenth-century Marian apparitions, at Knock the Virgin did not appear alone. Facing inward toward Mary’s right was her husband, St. Joseph. Much like his portrayal in devotional artwork, Joseph was observed to have been bearded and wearing long robes. On Mary’s left was St. John the Evangelist, who was dressed as a bishop and holding a book of gospels in his left hand. Curiously, although nearly all the witnesses testified to seeing the Virgin Mary, their accounts varied on certain details. Some witnesses claimed to have seen an altar upon which stood a lamb in front of a cross. Others mentioned that they saw either some or none of these liturgical symbols. Considering the profound spatial/sensory experiences described by the witnesses, coupled with their use of photographic-like references when relating what they had seen, I suggested that the contention about a magic lantern being present at Knock was essentially true. However, my article contended that