Saints, Feast, Family
- Traditions passed down with Cooking, Crafting, & Caring -
August 21
Saint of the day:
Our Lady Of Knock
The Story of Our Lady Of Knock
August 21: Our Lady of Knock, Ireland (1879)
The apparition in County Mayo in Ireland of Our Lady of Knock is reported to have occurred on the evening of August 21, 1879, the vigil of the octave of the feast of the Assumption. Those who witnessed the miracle ranged in age from five years old to seventy-five.
The apparition was described as follows: “Our Lady was wearing a large, brilliant crown and clothed in white garments. On her right was Saint Joseph, his head inclined toward her and on her left Saint John the Evangelist. To the left of Saint John was an altar on which stood a cross and a lamb.” Standing only a few feet off the ground, the Blessed Virgin wore a white cloak and was described by witnesses as being incredibly beautiful. She wore a bright golden crown, and appeared to be praying with her eyes looking toward heaven with her arms bend in front of her with her palms facing inward.
Fifteen parishioners stood to witness the apparition for two hours as they recited the rosary. Although it was daylight when the apparition began, the weather turned for the worse and it began to rain heavily. The area around the apparition appeared unaffected, however, as the ground remained dry as long as the vision lasted. She did not speak, but the gable of the church where the manifestation was made was covered with a cloud of light.
Saint Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus, also wore white robes and stood on the Virgin’s right. He inclined his head respectfully toward the Blessed Virgin. Saint John the Evangelist wore a mitre, and appeared to be preaching as he held a book in his left hand.
Since then thousands of people have gone to Knock to pray to Our Lady. Their prayerful, penitential and reverential spirit has been commended again and again by visitors from other lands. No sign of commercialism detracts from the purely religious atmosphere of that hallowed spot. People from all walks of life kneel in humble supplication before the shrine of Our Lady, fully confident that she has sanctified that spot by her apparition.
Organized pilgrimages from various dioceses are conducted frequently to the shrine of Our Lady of Knock. The rosary comprises the main portion of the devotion; the shrine is therefore appropriately called the Rosary Shrine. The “Knock Shrine Annual” relates many interesting stories of cures and conversions effected at the shrine.
*from The Woman in Orbit
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knock_Shrine
https://www.catholiccompany.com/getfed/apparition-our-lady-knock-ireland/
https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/our-lady-of-knock.html
http://www.knockshrine.ie/witnesstohope/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjZeR0YG33AIViFuGCh0v8Q_qEAAYASAAEgJhnfD_BwE
Prayer:
Recipe
We are celebrating with Irish recipes because the vision was in Ireland.
Dublin Coddle with Pearl Barley
Ingredients:
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1 large onion, chopped
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6 slices of thick streaky bacon rashers, roughly chopped
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(800g) 2-3 large waxy potatoes, peeled and cut in 1cm slices
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8 butchers sausages
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500ml chicken stock
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1 bay leaf
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100g pearl barley
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A good handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
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Sea salt and ground black pepper
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A generous knob of butter
Direction:
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Preheat the oven to 220˚C/425°/Gas Mark 7.
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Place a large frying pan over a medium high heat and add a drop of oil.
Fry the bacon and sausages until golden brown on all sides.
Remove to a plate lined with kitchen paper. -
Place the onions across the base of a casserole dish, layer up with the bay leaf,
bacon and sausages, pearl barley and finish with a layer of potatoes.
Pour over the stock and place the pot, covered,
over a high heat and bring to the boil.
Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. -
Remove the lid and dot the potatoes with butter.
Season with sea salt and ground black pepper and transfer to the
oven and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes turn golden brown. -
Serve generous ladleful’s of the stew in deep bowls with parsley and
crusty bread to mop up the juices.
Irish Oaty Apple Crumble
Ingredients:
For the crumble:
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150g plain flour
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150g jumbo oat flakes
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175g light brown Sugar
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200g cold butter, cut into pieces
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Single Cream, to serve
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For the filling:
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600g apple, cut into chunks
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1 tbsp plain flour
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60g brown sugar
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Juice of 1/2 lemon
Direction:
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Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/Gas Mark 5. Place the flour, oat flakes, brown sugar and butter in a large bowl. Using your fingertips, rub all the ingredients together until it resembles chunky breadcrumbs.
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In a large baking tin, toss the apples with the flour, sugar and lemon juice until combined. Add the crumble mix on top of the filling and spread over the top until everything is evenly covered.
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Bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes or until the crumble topping is golden brown and the fruit is soft and bubbling beneath. Serve in generous portions with a drizzle of fresh cream.
