Knock Shrine Autumn Pilgrimage Programme 2026

What to Expect

Knock publishes a pilgrimage list each year, and from mid August to mid October there is a named group in the grounds on nearly every Saturday and Sunday. These are not private events. A diocesan or society pilgrimage takes over the day’s main ceremonies, so anyone arriving at the shrine that day joins the same procession, anointing of the sick, confessions and concelebrated Mass. The scale changes with the group, from a few hundred people to several thousand for the bigger diocesan days.

The autumn 2026 list runs as follows. In August: Saturday 15th, the Raphoe Diocesan Pilgrimage; Sunday 16th, the Elphin and Achonry Diocesan Pilgrimages; Saturday 22nd, the Kerry Diocesan Pilgrimage; and Sunday 30th, the Order of Malta Pilgrimage. In September: Saturday 5th, the Cursillo Movement Pilgrimage and the Latin Mass Pilgrimage; Sunday 6th, the Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Diocesan Pilgrimage; Saturday 12th, the Vincentian Pilgrimage and the Holy Face Pilgrimage; Sunday 13th, the Carmelite Pilgrimage; Saturday 19th, the Padre Pio Seminar, followed on Sunday 20th by the Padre Pio Pilgrimage; and Sunday 27th, the Legion of Mary Pilgrimage. October closes the season with the Thanksgiving for the Gift of Priesthood Pilgrimage and A Day in Honour of Our Lady on Saturday 3rd, the Killala Diocesan Pilgrimage on Sunday 4th, and the Dominican Pilgrimage on Sunday 11th.

Good to Know

• Runs Saturday 15 August to Sunday 11 October 2026, with one or two named pilgrimages most weekends.
• Times vary by group. Most pilgrimage days build towards an afternoon concelebrated Mass, with confessions and anointing of the sick beforehand.
• The Padre Pio weekend of 19 and 20 September is a two-part event, seminar on the Saturday and pilgrimage on the Sunday.
• Knock Museum, the Apparition Chapel and the shrine bookshop stay open on pilgrimage days.
• Coaches should pre-book through the shrine office. Check knockshrine.ie for the ceremony times for a specific group.

Getting There

Knock is on the N17 in east Mayo, about 15km north of Claremorris and a short run from the M17 and N5. Free car and coach parking is signposted from every approach road. Ireland West Airport Knock is 20 minutes north near Charlestown, and Bus Eireann services between Galway and Sligo stop in the village.