St. Patrick's Parade: good weather, good crowd, and a special blessing

Intermountain Catholic

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SALT LAKE CITY —This year, the St. Patrick Parade had a different and unique touch – the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, blessed it before it started.

People began gathering at 8 a.m., participants and non-participants alike wearing green hats, green shirts and even green hair.

Under a gray sky that held off the rain until the afternoon, Bishop Wester blessed everybody.

"We ask God’s blessings on us," he said. "I talked to a friend in Wisconsin earlier today and they are having their St. Patrick’s parade right now with snow, so God is blessing us in the parade.

"We give thanks to almighty God for the Irish, for the gift of St. Patrick, who is interceding for us from heaven, and we thank God that so many people from so many cultures, walks of life, different religions – different people from all over Utah are gathering today, when we are all Irish."

The Knights of Columbus, Fourth Degree followed the horse-drawn carriage in which the bishop rode. Among the other parade entries were various Catholic schools, the diocese’s Hispanic Ministry, and several Catholic parishes.