Liz O’Brien of Rockland Right to Life Committee and Fr. Jim McKenna of the Marian Shrine lead the “Respect Life” group in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2012.

March 23 is the date of the Pearl River St. Patrick’s Day parade. And again all  prolifers have been invited by the Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians to march. We walk together under the “Respect Life” banner.

St. Patrick’s Day celebrates the contributions of the Irish people through their rich culture and music, their indomitable courage and spirit, and their legendary warmth and humor.

But as they say, you don’t have to be Irish . . . So please come, and bring your family and wear some green. It’s fun, it’s celebratory. We carry Choose Life and other signs appropriate to the spirit of the day. Everyone will get a genuine March for Life “famous green scarf” (we have plenty left over).

If you were disappointed about the snow cancellation of the buses for the trip to Washington, here’s your chance to March for Life and show your prolife spirit and commitment. We get a great response from the crowd.

Below are some links to photos from St. Patrick’s Day parades past.

Watch this site for more specific information about where to assemble on the day. The staging ground is the Pfizer parking lot on Middletown Rd. in Pearl River. The parade kicks off at 1:30 p.m. The parade route leaves the parking lot, turns south down Middletown to Central Avenue, and proceeds down the hill to the train station.

2013  Prolifers Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
2012  St. Patrick is Prolife! 
2011  St. Patrick’s Day — On the March

Marching under the ‘Respect Life’ banner, 25 prolife supporters carried their message to the thousands of spectators, lining the streets of Pearl River for the annual St. Patrick’s Day parade Sunday.

The Marchers represented various Rockland prolife organizations including the 40 Days for Life campaign, Divine Mercy, and the Rockland Right to Life Committee.

Joe O’Brien, Arlette and Howie Phillips, Haverstraw Supervisor

Howie Phillips, Haverstraw Supervisor, and his wife, Arlette, marched with the Respect Life again this year.

The grand marshal of the parade was Msgr. Ed Weber, former Vicar of Rockland and pastor of St. Francis of Assisi in W. Nyack, a strong supporter of prolife efforts in the county.

Click on photos below to enlarge.

The photos below are courtesy of photojournalist Bob Reers of Pearl River.

http://bobreers.zenfolio.com/

Sunday, March 18, was an absolutely perfect day for celebrating life at the AOH’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Pearl River. Among the marchers in the Respect Life unit were Rev. Jim McKenna, SDB, director of the Marian Shrine, Haverstraw Supervisor Howie Phillips and his wife, Arlette, and Peter Skae, who led the group as our piper. More photos follow. (Click on one to enlarge and then use the arrow to the right to advance thru the slide show.)

The parade is also being rebroadcast on Cablevision, channel 118. You can see it on March 19, 21, & 23 at 10 am, 2 pm, and 8 pm, and on March 24 at 2 pm and 8 pm. The Respect Life unit passes by about 46 minutes into the parade. Continue reading →

NEWS:  We’ll be marching in the First Battalion — that will be up near the front of the parade. So when you arrive at the parking lot, ask a parade organizer where the First Battalion is.

Also, we have heard that Timothy Cardinal Dolan has been invited to the parade by the AOH and he is expected to attend. More info here.

If you have your green scarf from the March for Life in Washington, please wear it. We have a few left over that we’ll distribute on Sunday.

At the 49th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, sponsored by the men and women of the Rockland County Ancient Order of Hiberians, on March 20, about 20 pro-lifers joined to form a unit under the banner of the “Respect Life” organization. The AOH,  known for its pro-life activities, awarded the group its “Good Citizen” trophy, donated by the Luigi O’Grady Deli in Pearl River. Continue reading →