By EmmaLee Italia | Correspondent
Showcasing one of the Catholic Church’s most well-known and celebrated saints, parades in honor of St. Patrick kicked off the first March weekend in the Diocese of Trenton, in spite of near-freezing temperatures, drawing participants and parade-goers from neighboring towns to take in the festivities. Catholic community members, some marching for the first time, joined others in upholding a time-honored tradition.
To see photos from the Mount Holly St. Patrick’s Day Parade, click here.
Community Pride
Burlington County’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade gave students of St. Paul School, Burlington, an opportunity to showcase their school spirit March 4.
This was the 13th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade for the area, held every year on the first weekend of March. Though not as robust a turnout for the event this year, St. Paul School principal, Bill Robbins, said that “the die-hards were still there, having a good time.”
Robbins and his wife joined the St. Paul School students and parents, and other marchers at 1 p.m. for their route along High Street. Included in their contingent was the school’s bell choir, led by director Mary Haney, and the school mascot – a lion – portrayed by alumna Brooke Richards, who currently attends Nazareth Academy, Philadelphia.
He allowed that the cold temperatures made marching while playing the delicate instruments all the more challenging, but that didn’t seem to lessen the students’ enthusiasm.
A party followed for parade marchers in a large tent at the end of the route. “It was just a beautiful Mount Holly day,” Robbins said. More people turned out than he expected with the cold. “I was amazed at the people on the sidelines all bundled up. One family had a fire pit and were all gathered around it, cheering us on.”
Sacred Heart School, Mount Holly, also made an enthusiastic appearance in the Burlington County parade. Principal Kathryn Besheer marched with a contingent of students and 18 school families, which included maintenance director and parent Jason D’Entremont dressed as St. Patrick, and director of religious education Jessica Donohue, also a school parent.
“Families have been emailing back and forth, they all had such a great time,” Besheer said. “I’m always really proud to walk by our families – it’s a very special moment for me as principal.”
Besheer, who marched in the parade for the first time this year, described the group as “a spirited bunch … They came of their own volition, with different hats and beads and glasses.” Though the cold weather necessitated the wearing of heavy coats, beneath them the marchers wore Kelly-green t-shirts from the school’s T-shirt campaign for the event, stating “Lucky to Be at Sacred Heart School.”
“Parents have said this was the best
turnout we’ve had,” Besheer noted. “It’s nice to see so much Catholic school representation.” Another Catholic school present was Holy Cross Academy, Delran.
“I think it’s the classic, ‘everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!’” she said.
Shore-Town Fixture
Marching in the Belmar-Lake Como St. Patrick’s Day Parade has been a longstanding tradition for St. Rose Grammar School, Belmar, possibly since the event’s 1973 inception.
“It was a lot of fun,” said St. Rose principal Gregory Guito, who participated March 5 with school students and the St. Rose High School cheerleading squad, accompanied by Msgr. Edward Arnister, pastor of St. Rose Parish, Belmar. “We had special sweatshirts made up with ‘St. Rose Pride’ on them, and the students wore green hats. The cheerleaders did school pride cheers, and it was nice to hear people on the sidelines echoing back,” Guito said cheerfully.
The parade, which follows a painted green line along the North Boulevard blacktop beginning at Lake Como, and goes for 19 blocks down the middle of Belmar, regularly draws crowds of 100,000 or more from the surrounding area. This year’s event had 6,000 marchers signed up to participate, including other Catholic schools and organizations like Knights of Columbus, bands and bagpipers.
“It’s always a big tradition here in Belmar,” Guito said. “Celebrating their heritage means a lot to people around here.” Of the many St. Patrick’s Day parades available, he said, the Catholic representation at this parade “adds to the whole culture of the town … St. Rose has been deeply embedded in the history of Belmar for 94 years.”
St. Rose High School had a tent for SRHS alumni and their families to celebrate at the parade end.
“It’s a nice place for people to catch up – we get all ages, and a lot of legacy families, including grandparents and young children,” explained Erin O’Brien, SRHS director of alumni. “The tent has a heater, and we have a food truck where people can purchase food. It’s very informal and casual, a chance for people to come by and say hello.”