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Local woman speaks of "apparition"
14.10.09
by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent
AN Inishowen woman, who was among the thousands of
pilgrims that gathered at Knock shrine on Sunday
afternoon, has described the sight of the sun
shimmering and bouncing in the sky as “out of this
world”.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, said that
shortly after 3.15pm on Sunday afternoon she saw the
cloudy sky clear and a very clear sun emerge. “I
wear glasses and usually can’t even look at the sky
without squinting, but I was able to look at it on
Sunday without any problem,” she said. “The sun
turned deep blue, and for a brief moment I saw an
image of the late Pope John Paul II at the top the
sun.
“It was out of the world, something divine,” she
continued. “It was round all right, but it didn’t
seem to be the normal sun. It was spinning and
bouncing in the sky and rays seemed to be coming out
of it. It felt as though the rays were shining
straight down on me, but it was obviously bathing
lots of people in light. And it was so unusually
warm, at hot as in a foreign country not like what
you’d expect in Ireland in October. My coat was
roasting. |
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“I looked at my watch
at 3.20pm when it had started and it was still going
after 3.30pm. The sun cleared to a blue and then a
gold colour. I had heard about this happening at
Medjugorje and I had tears in my eyes because I
couldn’t believe that I was seeing it for myself.
“I thought everyone had seen it, but when I met my
husband afterwards he said he hadn’t seen anything,”
she said. “At first I thought he was codding me,
because he would often do |
that, but he was
telling the truth. A woman who was just behind me in
a wheelchair hadn’t seen anything either, but her
daughter who was accompanying her had.”
The woman, who described herself as having a great
devotion to the Virgin Mary and usually travels to
Knock at least once a year, said that she had gone
there on Sunday because the Dublin-based clairvoyant
Joe Coleman had predicted Our Lady would appear
there at 3pm.
Having attended Confession and Mass at the Basilica
at noon, she positioned herself close to the gable
of the old parish church, scene of the 1879
apparition.
“I could see into the church, and while I couldn’t
see any change in the statues of Our Lady or St
Joseph, I could see Joe Coleman inside and saw him
approach the altar,” the woman said. “The people
inside were saying the Rosary and singing Ave Maria
and those of us outside were responding. But the
people inside started pointing up at the sky and we
turned around to look at it.
“I have been filled with a great sense of peace from
seeing it,” the woman concluded. “I’m grateful to
have witnessed it. I have been on cloud nine all day
and have got a deep feeling of peace.” |
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