| Our Lady of Knock Shrine – The geographical location and panoramic setting of Mayo, Quebec is very close to the landscape of the original shrine in Knoc , Ireland . The people of this municipality are descendants of the early Irish settlers from County Mayo . Father Braceland, who was appointed pastor in 1949, was inspired to erect a replica of Our Lady of Knock Shrine in Canada . The planning, building and equipping of the Shrine took five years. It was designed by an Ottawa artist, Bruno Duceshi. On July 16, 1955, the new shrine was blessed and formally opened by His Excellency, Most Rev. J.J. Lemieux, D.D., Archbishop of Ottawa.
The story of the apparition and a devotion to Our Lady of Knock was brought to Eastern Canada as early as 1882. This is how the pastor’s housekeeper related the event as it happened: “On the evening of the 21 of August 1879, Our Lady, St. Joseph and St. John the Evangelist appeared at the south gable of the church of Knoc . The vision also included an altar on which there stood a lamb and a Cross. The apparition lasted approximately two hours. Not a word was spoken. No particular message was given to the fifteen people who beheld the vision”. The devotion to Our Lady of Knock continues in Ireland and also here, in Mayo, Quebec. Our Lady of Knock Shrine, St. Malachy Church, is open year round and each year we invite you to join us in our annual Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Knock (August 23rd, 2026).
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