From Ireland Central:
Thousands of Irish people claim to have witnessed apparitions of the Virgin Mary in the skies over Knock shrine in Co Mayo.
About 5,000 people gathered at the holy Catholic shrine earlier this month amid a Dublin-based clairvoyant’s predictions that an apparition would appear on October 11.
…Another apparition has been predicted by the same clairvoyant, Joe Coleman, for this weekend and several thousand people are expected to make the pilgrimage to Knock.
The clairvoyant is a certain Joe Coleman, who tells us that
“I have seen her twice in recent months in the Gable chapel at Knock. The statue comes alive, she opens her arms, a lovely pink cloak comes around her, there are stars above her head, she turned into Jesus, then to Padre Pio and then back to herself. While the vision is happening, I can see nothing else in the chapel.
“She has told me she wants to make the biggest statement she has ever made on this earth. Knock is the spiritual heart of Ireland.”
Apparently Mary is “angry”, and plans to issue a warning.
Archbishop Michael Neary is unimpressed, and a piece in the Irish Times has excellent input from Eugene Hynes, an US-based Irish sociologist who has studied Knock:
He is unsurprised to hear that Archbishop Neary is sceptical of the current claims of an apparition at Knock. “This type of conflict between clergy and the devout is typical all over the world. The hierarchy want to promote devotion within tradition and an orthodoxy. Apparitions kind of bypass that,” Hynes remarks drily. “That man in Dublin is implying he knows something, and that’s very threatening to the clergy. He’s implying he’s a mouthpiece to something special.”
…As a sociologist, what interests Hynes most about the claims Coleman is making is the fact that people are paying so much attention to them. “He has to have some credibility or people wouldn’t be paying attention to him. You could have someone stand up in O’Connell Street and say they’d seen the Virgin Mary and people would ignore them. But he is not being ignored. Why is that?”
That’s a particularly interesting question, given that Coleman seems more New Age than traditional Catholic. Previously, he has declared that
The lost city of Atlantis will rise in 2012
However, Coleman does have a local public profile through presenting a radio programme. According to documentation created by West Dublin Access Radio:
Joe Coleman began his career on radio by co-presenting the Rad Mag with Marian Butler over six years ago. He enjoyed the experience so much that he looked for his own programme. He now produces and presents Joe’s Journey every Tuesday afternoon between 12.30 and 1.30pm, where he invites people in to the programme to talk about any aspect of life’s journey and he has a huge interest in local musicians and historians. Married Joe and his family live in the heart of Ballyfermot. Joe is very involved in the Community through the Heritage Group. Joe is also a Spiritual Medium an Spiritual Healer and his main objective is to bring light and love to all. He believes the radio has given him a new lease of life and he loves the interactive service radio has to offer.
A 2007 profile explains that he had an out-of-body experience some years ago during emergency surgery, during which his dead father told him to return to earth to heal people:
Following the surgery Joe says “I realised that two people came back with me and they are working with me every day since.”… Joe has raised his status over the years – some of the many skills Joe has claimed to have acquired are clairvoyance, healing abilities and rescue work (releasing trapped spirits), through word of mouth Joe has been sought out from people all over world for readings and healing.
People from “all walks of life” seek Joe for spiritual council and he even claims to have read for people of great stature, “I’ve read for members of the clergy and many top people in this town, they all come back to me.”
He also claims a previous encounter with the Virgin Mary, at Kerrytown:
During the first 10 minutes I noticed the face of Mary change to her Son Jesus, it then changed to Padre Pio, then back to Jesus, and then back to Mary. I has seen Mary before some months earlier in the summer. She was very beautiful when she appeared to this time at the rock. She was crying tears of great sadness for the children of Ireland. She asked me to me tell all the people that had come to the rock, that everbody would receive a cure on this day at the rock… she was crying she said she was very sad that our young people are not saying the rosary. She wants all our people to pray and go back to her beloved son Jesus and come to him at mass. She said that there are great changes coming to the earth and we must pray and ask for guidance and help on our earthly journey. I asked Mary what prayers must we pray. She said Pray “OUR FATHER, HAIL MARY, O ANGEL OF GOD.” You must pray every day. Pray to Padre Pio. He will help you with your prayers” She said she is the mother of Jesus and she loves all of us very much. She told me I am very special to her, and that she hears my prayers every day. Mother Mary looked very young and pretty, about 35 years. She had a crown of roses on her head. She wore a white gown-dress no sleeves. She was barefoot, flowers on her feet were golden daisies.
Discussions on various forums include the following testimonies:
he is very hard to get an appoinment,but come highly recommeded.just over downeys pub,the phone number is on the door
…Joe has been working with Spirit all his life and is a very honest and genuine man. Readings involve information on past present and future, this work he channels through Spirit Guides and Angels.
He communicates with people who have passed from this life into the Spirit World…His healing room is based on Ballyfermot Road, over Jackie’s Florist.…I have been to Joe myself several times , and have always been very impressed. He is one of the best , as far as I know.
…yes I have got messages through joe coleman that were very accurate. I was in lot of trouble at the time , and he was the first to show me light at the end of the tunnell. Eveything worked out ,exactly as Joe told it would.
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