Faith will be front and center once again during the celebration of St. Patrick?s Day on Saturday.
Bishop Nelson Perez will start the day by celebrating the traditional pre-parade Mass at 10 a.m. at St. Colman Church in Cleveland. The church will be filled to capacity with hundreds of members of parade marching units and honorees of various Irish organizations, as well as family, friends and others.
The 176th annual St. Patrick?s Day Parade will step off at 1:04 p.m. from in front of the Bishop Cosgrove Center at East 18th Street and Superior Avenue in downtown Cleveland. The bishop will bless the parade before it begins to move west along Superior to West Roadway and onto Rockwell Avenue, where it will disband.
This year?s parade theme is ?Prominent Irish Pioneers of the 20th Century.? Once again, the United Irish Societies of Greater Cleveland, a nonprofit group consisting of representatives of more than two dozen Irish organizations, is organizing the parade. Executive director is Shannon Corcoran, a member of St. Patrick Parish in Cleveland?s West Park neighborhood.
Leading the parade will be grand marshal Sheila Murphy Crawford, a graduate of Regina High School and the University of Dayton who is active at St. John Vianney Parish and is involved with numerous Irish organizations.
Irish Mother of the Year is Joan Hartnett Reali, a former West Park resident who with her husband, Raymond Reali and three daughters, was a longtime member of St. Mark Parish. Reali emigrated from Ireland as a teenager. She and her family recently moved to Westlake and they have been members of Holy Trinity (Avon), St. Bernadette (Westlake) and St. Raphael (Bay Village) parishes. Reali has been involved with many Irish organizations, including the Our Lady of the Rosary Division of the Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Irish Palatine Father?s Mission, Father O?Donnell?s Little Brothers and Sisters of the Eucharist, St. Augustine Hunger Center and she is a friend of Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland?s Matt Talbot Inn.
Inside co-chair of the parade is Noreen Halley, who along with her husband, Chris, is a longtime member of Our Lady of Angels Parish in West Park.
Outside co-chair of the parade is Linda Burke, who is active in the Irish community and taught at Christ the King School before it closed.
Hibernian of the Year is longtime Lakewood resident James Kilbane Jr., a graduate of St. James School and St. Edward High School. His life has been dedicated to his Catholic faith and Irish heritage. A former parade deputy director and executive director of the UIS, he now is a director emeritus and continues to work on the parade, including serving as parade announcer when it passes the reviewing stand.
Many parishes, Catholic schools and other religious organizations will be participating in the parade this year, including the Cleveland diocesan Holy Name societies, Saint Mary Seminary, Cathedral Latin School alumni; St. Edward High School Trash Talkers; Knights of St. John; Knights of Columbus; St. Bridget of Kildare, St. Malachi, St. Patrick (West Park), St. Brendan and Our Lady of Angels parishes; St. Paschal Helping Hands and Clown Ministry; St. Helen Parish unicyclists; Magnificat High School; and marching bands from St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, Holy Name High School and St. Martin de Porres High School.
The day will be even more special for two parishes which are celebrating significant anniversaries that day: St. Vincent De Paul in Akron and St. Patrick in West Park. Bishop Perez will visit St. Vincent De Paul, which is marking its 180th anniversary and the 151st anniversary of the church, on March 17 to celebrate the vigil Mass at 5 p.m. St. Patrick will celebrate its 170th anniversary with Mass at 9:30 a.m. on St. Patrick?s Day.
For detailed information about the parade, road closures, this year?s honorees and awards, click HERE.
