03 23 18 Vol. 39 No. 31

THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 39, NO. 31 | MARCH 23, 2018

LEAVEN PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE

Rod and Susan Bray of Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph Parish in Leavenworth were the grand marshals of the Leavenworth St. Patrick’s Day parade March 17.

IRISH STRONG

Pastor reminds revelers of real cause for celebration By Katie Peterson Special to the Leaven

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EAVENWORTH — If you were to pass someone on the street and ask them what they associate with St. Patrick’s Day, what response would you probably get? Beer. Party. “Kiss Me, I’m Irish.” If you were to pass a Catholic on the street and ask the same question, would the response be different? It should be. That’s because for Catholics, the day is meant to be a celebration of the life of one of the greatest missionaries of the church: St. Patrick is credited with converting the whole of Ireland. The Catholic community in Leavenworth continues to celebrate the life of St. Patrick with the 35th annual St. Patrick’s Day Mass at Immaculate Conception Church there, followed by a parade through downtown on March 17. “The linkage between the Mass and

LEAVEN PHOTO BY DOUG HESSE

Bagpipers — from left, John Bauer, Dale Cleland and Terry Bair — make their way down the parade route of the Leavenworth St. Patrick’s Day parade. the parade is a beautiful one because it reminds everyone of the real cause for our celebration,” said Father David

McEvoy, O.Carm., pastor of Immaculate Conception-St. Joseph Church. “The parade is a lot of fun for the Irish

families of Leavenworth and for the entire community, as well.” Though not Irish himself, St. Patrick is beloved by the Irish people because he was the first to bring the Catholic faith to Ireland and convert the people, Father David said. “Saint Patrick is always a symbol of Irish pride,” he said. “He is a great model of evangelization for us today.” Though Immaculate Conception was not designated a “national” Irish parish, it was the cathedral parish from 1855-1947 and has been home to many Irish immigrants and their descendants, he said. “Many of us owe the faith that was passed down through our families to ourselves to the church in Ireland, and ultimately to St. Patrick himself,” he said. “Catholicism was not always so accepted in the United States, despite our freedom to profess our faith here. “So, the St. Patrick’s parade is a way for us to publicly celebrate our Catholic roots.” >> See “PARADE” on page 5