Over 1,000 young people attended the celebration
Update: Knock 2017
Monday, 10th April 2017.
We are delighted to say that just over 1,000 Award participants past and present, Award leaders and coordinators from around the country made their way to Knock Shrine to celebrate 10 years of the Pope John Paul II Award.
The full story with photos from the day can be seen by clicking here.
This year, the Pope John Paul II Award is celebrating its 10th anniversary. To celebrate these 10 years and the achievements of so many participating in and who have achieved the Award, a day of celebration will take place in April at Knock Shrine.
Date: Wednesday, 5th April 2017
Time: 11:00am – 4:00pm. Mass at 3:00pm
Location: Knock Shrine, Co. Mayo, Ireland
Map: View location on Google
About the event
We are delighted to be celebrating the Award at Knock which Pope Saint John Paul II visited in 1979 and where over 1.5 million pilgrims visit this special place each year.
KNOCK CELEBRATION PROGRAMME:
10:30am Assemble at the Papal Cross
11:00am Welcome
11:30am Song, prayer, discussion and guest speaker
12:45pm Lunch break
2:00pm Prayers of thanksgiving at the Apparition Chapel
2:20pm Song, prayer, discussion and guest speaker
3:00pm Celebration of the Eucharist, lead by Award Patron, Bishop Donal McKeown.
Music: Elation Ministries
Speakers: Elma Walsh. Niamh McGlinchey
Attend & celebrate
All participants past and present in Ireland and the UK are invited to the event along with their parish leaders, school principals and Award leaders. There are some exciting plans and special guests arranged for the day, and participants will be encouraged to get involved in the activities and celebrations.
Guest Speakers
We’re delighted to welcome Elma Walsh, mother of the late Donal Walsh as one of our guest speakers. Donal touched so many lives when he came to prominence through his writings and subsequent appearance on Brendan O’Connor’s ‘The Saturday Night Show’.
We also welcome singer/song writer Niamh McGlinchey. Niamh achieved her Pope John Paul II Award in 2009 and has a very inspiring story to tell on how the Award influenced her at that time.
Transport, what time should you arrive and when does the day start and end?
Pope John Paul II Award participants should contact their Award Leader in their school or parish for details on transport arrangements. The event programme will begin promptly at 11:00am and finish after 3:00pm Mass. Allow plenty of time of get to the event. It would be best to time your arrival for about 10:15am – 10:45am.
There is an good road network to Knock Shrine with excellent parking and access. View Knock Shrine, Co. Mayo, Ireland on Google
Buses and cars are asked to park in the North Car Park. It is sign posted but it’s easier to follow the signs to Knock House Hotel. Stewards will be on hand to guide attendees to the Basilica. A map of Knock grounds can be downloaded here.
More information on this event
We you require any more information on this event, please contact the Award office:
Telephone: 0044 (0)28 7126 4087
Email: admin@thepopejohnpauliiaward.com
Help us promote this unique event
We have produced a poster to promote this celebration at Knock Shrine. Download it here and print it out, display it in your school, local hall, parish church, libraries or where ever you think is suitable. Why not take a photo of it and tweet it to @JP2Award or publish it on instagram @JP2Award
Show everyone you’re going to Knock
Let everyone know you’re going to Knock.
Simply ‘right-click’ the badge and choose ‘save as’ to download the image. Then you can use the badge on your Facebook pages and profiles, Instagram, a pinned Tweet – anywhere you feel appropriate.
Pope John Paul II’s visit to Knock Shrine
It is fitting that we celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Award at Knock Shrine where Pope Saint John Paul II visited in 1979. His visit to Ireland from Saturday, 29th September to Monday, 1st October was the first visit by a pope to Ireland.
On Sunday morning, 30th September he celebrated a Youth Mass for 300,000 at Ballybrit racecourse in Galway. It was here that the Pope uttered perhaps the most memorable line of his visit: “Young people of Ireland, I love you”. That afternoon, he travelled to Knock Shrine which he described as “the goal of my journey to Ireland”. The outdoor Mass at the Shrine was attended by 450,000. [source: wikipedia.org]
History of Knock
The Story of Knock began on the 21st August 1879, when, at approximately 8 o’clock in the evening, fifteen people from the village of Knock in Co. Mayo, witnessed an Apparition of Our Lady, St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist, a Lamb and a cross on an altar at the gable wall of the Parish Church. The witnesses watched the Apparition in the pouring rain for 2 hours, reciting the Rosary. Although they themselves were saturated, not a single drop of rain fell on the gable or vision. There were fifteen official witnesses to the Apparition, most of whom were from the village of Knock and surrounding areas and ranged in age from just 5 years old to 74 years old.
