To Directors and Attendants of the Shrine of Knock (September 30, 1979)
ShareOn Sunday, 30 September 1979, the Holy Father addressed the Directors and Attendants of the Shrine of Knock, expressing his appreciation for their services to pilgrims to the Shrine.
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
As a pastor I feel in my heart a special joy in addressing a few words also to the handmaids and stewards of the Knock Shrine Society and to the Directors of Pilgrimages of Cnoc Mhuire, the Mountain of Mary.
The Eucharistic celebration of this afternoon brings back happy memories of the many pilgrimages in which I took part in my homeland at the Shrine of Jasna Góra, the Bright Mountain, in Częstochowa and at the other sites throughout Poland; it also recalls my visit to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.
I know from firsthand experience the value of the services you render to make every pilgrim feel at home at this Shrine, and to help them to make every visit a loving and prayerful encounter with Mary, the Mother of Divine Grace. In a special way, you are the servants of the Mother of Jesus. You help people to approach her, to receive her message of love and dedication, and to entrust to her their whole life so that they may be true witnesses to the love of her Son.
You are also servants of your brothers and sisters. In helping and guiding the many pilgrims and especially the sick and handicapped, you perform not only a work of charity but also a task of evangelization. May this insight be your inspiration and your strength in order that all the tasks that you so generously accept to perform may become a living witness for the Word of God and for the good tidings of salvation.
I pray for you, I thank you, and I invoke upon you abundant graces of goodness and holiness of life. Receive the blessing which I cordially extend to you and all your loved ones.
Copyright © 1979 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana
