By Pastor Kenneth Lawson

Background

Ireland is one of the most thoroughly Roman Catholic countries in the world. Although recent moral scandals have lessened the influence of the Roman clergy, the prestige of the Church of Rome still dominates Irish culture. Historically, Christianity entered Ireland through such missionaries as the famous Patrick (c.384-461). The isolation of the island caused a unique Celtic Christianity to blossom throughout Ireland. Irish Christianity was highly monastic, as the Irish people were originally nomadic farmers not prone to village or urban life. Monasteries were Irish centers of evangelism, learning and influence far outside Ireland itself When Roman Catholic style Christianity infiltrated Ireland a few centuries after Patrick, the traditions and superstitions of Roman theology overtook the still undeveloped Celtic Christianity and was easily transplanted into society. As rival local clans waged war against each other, the Roman Church solidified and gained preeminence. By the early 900's, Ireland was a thoroughly Roman Catholic country, and remains so today.

Roadside Mariolatry

It is truly a pleasurable experience to explore the lovely back roads and picturesque rolling hills of western Ireland. This rural area is dotted with simple farmhouses and huge parcels of land on which sheep or cattle graze. Beginning generally around Limerick and heading north, there are numerous examples of the Irish people's almost fanatical devotion to the Virgin Mary. Near Limerick is the village of Newport, at which there is the somewhat modern looking Roman church called Church of the Holy Redeemer. The outside front courtyard has two Mary centered scenes depicted in large statues. One scene focuses on Mary weeping at the feet of Jesus as he hangs on the cross. The other scene depicts an unidentified apparition scene at which statues of schoolgirls are shown to bow before the large white marble image of Mary.

Halfway along the main road from Limerick to Galway is the village of Ennis. At a bend in the road in downtown Ennis is a typical Irish mariolatry site. There sits on the sidewalk a six foot tall fieldstone grotto which encloses a white marble idol depicting the virgin Mary. Her hands are outspread in a manner to disperse blessings, as she has an unusual halo shaped into a peace symbol around her head. Continuing north near the Cliffs of Moher overlooking the Galway Bay and the Atlantic Ocean is another roadside mariolatry shrine, this one representing Mary in a blue and white fieldstone shrine by the sea. This is the spot where Irish wives pray to Mary as their husbands are at sea, as well as the place Irish mariners stop to pray to Mary as patroness and protector.

Proceeding north from Galway is the village of Tuam. While the largest building in the town is the dark gray Roman Catholic church named St. Mary's, a very popular spot is the large fieldstone Mary fetish devoted to the "Mother of God" along the roadway. This white marble idol to Mary, with a blue painted background inside the grotto, shows the wear resulting from thousands of visitors each year rubbing the image or kissing the feet of the statue. Continuing north is the village of Ballindine, a quaint Irish village in the rural rolling hills. Here is located an abbey dedicated to Mary, and an interesting glass encased ten foot tall Mary shrine on the roadside, surrounded by yellow flowers, with the grass well-worn in front of the statue by those bowing before Mary's image.

The Shrine at Knock

The town of Knock can claim to be the home of one of the most popular Mary shrines in the whole world. The somewhat simplistic roadside mariolatry throughout Ireland is culminated in this enormous, twenty-plus building complex located in downtown Knock. After the 1879 apparition of the virgin Mary, the village of Knock took on an international status in Mary veneration. On the evening of August 21, 1879, Mary McLoughlin, housekeeper to the parish priest at Knock, and her friend Mary Byrne saw near the village church three illuminated figures, one of which was a life size woman, standing erect with her eyes towards heaven, elevated above the ground. On the head of this female apparition figure was a large spectacular crown. Soon a crowd gathered and also saw the illuminated figures. Others out in the nearby fields saw this strange light around the church building. The apparition persisted for under three hours then faded. Pilgrimages to this site began in 1880 and have never creased.

What exactly happened that evening at Knock in 1879 may never really be clear. What is obvious is that the results from this Marion apparition are still a vital part of contemporary Roman Catholicism in Ireland. Visitors from all over the world come to this site to seek Mary's help for healing, forgiveness, inner peace, and salvation. The pilgrims do not come to read the Bible, or to seek salvation through Christ alone, but to venerate icons and scapulars and to kiss the feet of man-made idols. The apparition at Knock thrust the hearts of Ireland's Roman Catholics to the feet of idols and images made to Mary. Mariolatry is the obsession of the people. This Irish devotion to the apparition at Knock was confirmed by a visit from Pope John 11 in 1979 and from Mother Teresa of India in 1993.

Devotion to Mary is big business in Knock. The enormous campus which now houses the shrine has over twenty buildings enclosed by a fence in downtown Knock. The village lives off the revenue generated from tourists. The modern apparition shrine is a modest building dominated by three huge statues within the main hall. The image of Mary is central to the other two, as she is represented with an elegant golden crown. The small crowd I observed that morning sang joyfully to Mary as a mother-redeemer to whom sinners can come for acceptance. A few stones from the original 1879 apparition church are built into the main wall near the front door. It was disturbing to see how these rough granite rocks were worn smooth by the hands and lips of people showing affection to the stones. Those who I observed kissing the stones were the fanatically faithful Irish Roman Catholics, infatuated and obsessed with worship of the virgin Mary.

Scattered around the campus of the Knock site are several smaller spots for devotion to Mary and various other saints. For example, located behind the basilica is a fifteen foot tall white marble image of Mary. The idol presents a rosary in its right hand, encouraging prayer to Mary. The left hand of the image clutches roses and a small cross close to its heart, implying that we can get to Jesus only through the immaculate heart of Mary. This campus is a celebration of idolatry, superstition, and pseudo-Christianity. Only doctrinal perversion and distortion of the highest caliber would allow such paganism to be equated with Christianity.

The Mary Chapel on Achill Sound

Achill Sound is located in the extreme northwestern section of Ireland. This is a very rural region, with minimal population and severe weather. The peninsula itself is swept by ferocious winds, so much so that nothing of any height can grow in the region. On a panoramic hilltop overlooking Clew Bay is a temple of Mary worship known as "Our Lady, Queen of Peace, House of Prayer." This is not a large facility nor especially historic. Instead, this location is a center of prayer to Mary as intercessor and mediator for all the world. Upon entering the property a visitor is met by a idol to Mary depicting her as a white robed virgin Queen, with her feet above the earth, hands open to receive all people to herself. Upon approaching the rear door, there stands a five foot tall statue of Mary in simple garments, with her feet crushing a serpent's head, an obvious perversion of the Messianic promise recorded in Genesis 3:15.

The elaborate thirty foot by sixty foot chapel is a museum of mariolatry. The huge vaulted ceiling and elaborate stained glass windows all point to the worship of Mary. Any objective person who accidentally came upon this building could only assume that this building was a temple to worship a female goddess. Hundreds of candles were lit at the feet of numerous Mary statues. Central to the room on the altar table was a head and shoulders icon of Mary weeping tears of blood. Dozens of small angelic statues were situated in positions of worship towards the Mary idols.

The details of the various Mary images in this chapel were quite interesting. For example, one of the fetishes displayed Mary as having a crown of twelve stars upon her head, a misinterpretation of Revelation 12:1-6. Each idol had fresh cut flowers placed at their feet every day, as a token of devotion and respect to the image. Some statues had red robes, others had royal colored garments of silver and gold. Sometimes the Mary statue holds rosary beads, another holds flowers, another clutches its chest, and another holds out a palm branch. One idol showed Mary grasping a ship's anchor, revealing her role as patroness to mariners. Behind the altar, mounted high upon the wall was a small glass encased crown. This valuable crown is placed on the head of various Mary idols as they are paraded through the local village on certain Marian feast days.

The Mariolatry of County Mayo

While Roman Catholicism dominates Ireland, worship of Mary dominates County Mayo. It is a fact that a person in the villages of County Mayo is never more than a few minutes away from a shrine or altar dedicated to Mary. This is the crudest and most base aspect of Roman Catholic theology, in that an entire person's life in everyday activities are monitored by idols to the virgin Mary. Tiny shrines to Mary are everywhere. For example, between the villages of Bohola and Castlemere is a small, three foot tall glass encased shrine to Mary, at which villagers pass by and bow to daily. A few minutes down the road is another shrine to Mary, this time a larger image on the roadside at Castlemere Lake. At this site Mary is represented as the one who watches over the farmers and their pastures. In the village of Mulray is an elevated multi-figure shrine of devotion to Mary in the context of an apparition.

Each town in County Mayo has a large stone Roman Catholic church, always the largest building in town. Within each church building devotion to Mary is encouraged and nurtured. In the rural villages, local people have created their own shrines, either in a prominent place in the village, or in their own homes, or both. In the midst of sheep wandering along the roads, cows feeding in their pastures, and the smell of peat burning in fireplaces in this wind swept County Mayo, it is difficult to imagine any place on earth where devotion to Mary is exceeded by these misguided Irish people.

Conclusion

The western region of Ireland remains today an area largely unevangelized. Biblical Christianity is virtually absent. Those few mission works attempting to maintain a Bible centered, Christ focused ministry are few in numbers and scattered in locations. Here, the Church of Rome is king and Mary is queen. The common people equate being Irish with being a Roman Catholic, and somehow not being Roman Catholic means the person has become a traitor to the nation of Ireland. Here is a case study of a Roman Catholic region allowed to grow and develop with minimal Biblical influence. Rome had dominated the people for centuries. Superstition and idolatry control the population. Roman Catholic authority is unquestioned. People silently accept the moral indiscretions of their clergy simply because it has always been that way, and they know no other alternatives

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