This is indeed remarkable when one considers that the population of Ireland is only about twice that figure. It's remarkable too, at a time when we are told that people are not interested in religion.

The team of priests who hear Confessions in the Chapel of Reconciliation in Knock have said that the 2006 Season was outstanding in terms of numbers going to Confession. It was like olden times!

How can this phenomenon be explained? It has been said that the more people are put under pressure in the modern world and the more they are swamped by materialism and all its attendant ills, stresses and problems, the more they tend to turn to God, to Mary and to spirituality to help them on their difficult journeys through life. A shrine like Knock can be and is a place of consolation, comfort, peace and healing when the going gets rough. Its pilgrimage atmosphere of prayer, reconciliation, Eucharist and other sacraments have a powerful therapeutic effect on the whole person. Surely close on 2 million pilgrims are not coming to Knock just for the fresh air. There's much more to it than that. Few realise the awful burdens that many people have to carry today. There is much unhappiness, brokenness, strain and despair in the midst of plenty.

Pilgrims came to Knock from all the Continents in 2006 and among the new pilgrimages were the first pilgrimage of the Deaf from dioceses in Germany and the first pilgrimage of the Polish Community living and working in Ireland. About 30% of all pilgrims coming to Knock are international. A Brazilian can rub shoulders with a Nigerian, a Lithuanian with an Indian and an Australian with a Canadian. Foreign nationals and their languages mingle with our own native Gaelic.

On 8 December Knock parish church was reopened and rededicated to St John the Baptist, after a two month period of complete refurbishment. Built in 1828, it is one of the oldest churches in the Archdiocese of Tuam and is known all over the world as the Church on whose South Gable the Knock Apparition occurred in 1879.

Rt Rev Msgr Joseph Quinn, PP and Rector of the Shrine is to be congratulated on his decision to carry out this work and to see it to a successful conclusion. He is a positive thinker, totally dedicated to progress, an excellent manager and leader; sociable, hard working and a superb liturgist. Knock Shrine is in the best possible hands.

The unique Apocalyptic Apparition which occurred at Knock on 21 August 1879 was of Our Lady, St Joseph and St John the Apostle attired as a bishop with the Book of Scriptures and close by was the Altar, The Lamb, The Cross and the Angels surrounded by a brilliant light.

Its message was given not in words but in images and symbols of the Eucharist.

The Apparition highlights for us the Paschal Mystery . . .

the Mass, the Eucharist and invites us to reconciliation with God. It invites us to contemplate the sacred Scriptures and to do what Mary's Son tells us. It also invites us to prayer, following Mary's example. She is our gracious advocate and intercessor, Our Lady of the Assumption, Mother of the Church and Mother of us all.

St Joseph is in the Apparition as Spouse of Mary, Protector of the Holy Family and Guardian or Patron of the Church. He is a great model for all workers, for fathers in particular.

The Knock that the 15 official witnesses of the Apparition lived in, has changed.

From a tiny rural backwater of a dozen or so thatched cottages, it has grown continuously for the past half century.

The Shrine complex itself consists of 100 acres and employs over 200 people at peak times.

The Parish Church and Apparition Chapel are the vibrant heart of Knock. The Basilica of Our Lady Queen of Ireland can shelter 10,000 pilgrims and covers an acre of ground.

Then there is the Chapel of Reconciliation with its Counselling Service, the Blessed Sacrament Chapel, the Prayer Guidance Centre which also caters for Youth Ministry and the Museum with its new exhibition focusing on The Story of Knock. The Shrine's newly extended Religious Bookshop is among the best in Ireland and is noted for the range and quality of its books.

St John's Rest and Care Centre and St Joseph's at the Shrine are especially for the care of the Sick, elderly and those with disabilities . . . a priority from the beginning.

Knock House Hotel with its numerous en-suite rooms and conference centre is a great asset to the Shrine, providing much needed accommodation at close range. There are also other hotels and many bed and breakfast houses in Knock and also a fine Camping and Caravan Park.

Two thousand people live in the environs of Knock and in recent years, many new housing estates have been developed, including a retirement village. New roads have been built and various Religious Orders have houses in the Parish. The Cenacolo Community for recovering drug addicts is most successful and the newest addition to Knock is Our Lady's School of Evangelisation which took in its first class of students this year.

The Shrine of Knock has received recognition and privileges from all the recent Popes and the late Pope John Paul the Great came as a pilgrim to Knock on 30 September 1979. It was, he said, "The GOAL of his journey to Ireland". He raised the then newly built Church to the status of Basilica and gave as his own personal tribute and gift to the Shrine of Knock, the Golden Rose. Mother Teresa of Calcutta visited in 1993.

Knock is a member of the European Marian Network . . .

Le Reseau Marial Europeen - which consists of the 20 most famous Marian Shrines. This year's annual meeting took place in Knock in early October and was attended by the Rectors and Representatives of the great European Shrines.

Thanks to Ireland West Airport Knock, access to the Shrine is now easier than ever as it is a wonderful gateway to it, to the entire region and beyond. Its success is phenomenal. It contributed 78m to tourism spend in 2006.

When the first flight took off from the airport in October 1985 Monsignor Horan said: " "I hope it will bring great prosperity to the good people of Connaught". His prayers have been answered.

The Shrine's voluntary helpers for over 70 years now are the hundreds of Handmaids and Stewards of the Knock Shrine Society. They are, in the words of the late Pope John Paul II in his tribute to them at Knock in 1979 " the Servants of the Mother of Jesus and Servants of their Brothers and Sisters also, performing not only a work of charity but also a task of evangelisation".

All of us who work at Knock Shrine send Season's greetings and best wishes to our many pilgrims and the Sick, at home and abroad and pray that Our Lady of Knock will obtain for them, unlimited graces and blessings in the New Year.