Gray skies cast a pall over Eastern Parkway early in the day on Labor Day, but vibrant colors and music soon enlivened the landscape.
Labor Day, normally a time for rest and relaxation, is also the celebration of Brooklyn’s annual West Indian American Day Parade.
Millions of spectators and participants trekked west on the two-mile stretch of the parkway from Schenectady Avenue to Grand Army Plaza on Sept. 2. The parade is New York City’s largest Labor Day celebration and the largest celebration of Carnival outside of the Caribbean.
For the 46th year, the parade route began at St. Matthew’s parish, Crown Heights. The cultural celebration originated in Harlem but came to Brooklyn in 1969.
Father Frank A. Black, pastor of St. Matthew’s and a native of Jamaica, said that the Catholic population in the area is now almost entirely Caribbean.
“(The parade is) our way of continuing the history of faith that gave us the strength to survive in this great land,” he said. “The Diocese of Brooklyn is the diocese of immigrants. In the Diocese of Brooklyn, each immigrant group brings its own flavor and its own sense of their reflection of Jesus Christ.”
Before the parade, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was the main celebrant at the morning Mass for Justice and Peace. Concelebrants included Haitian-born retired Auxiliary Bishop Guy Sansaricq and priests who serve in the Diocese of Brooklyn’s Caribbean Apostolate.
“It (the parade) gives us an opportunity to emphasize the contribution of the Caribbean community to New York, especially Brooklyn and Queens,” Bishop DiMarzio said.
Right from the opening hymn, the congregation’s enthusiasm – which is a staple of Caribbean Catholic worship – resonated throughout St. Matthew’s. The singing and praise could be heard clearly outside the church as spectators began to line up for the parade.
“In the Diocese of Brooklyn, every part of the Caribbean is represented in one way or another, similar to the Caribbean Labor Day Parade, which is a beautiful gift,” said Father Dwayne Davis, parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas, Flatlands, who was born in Jamaica. “The Caribbean brings a spice of life in a real sense. The people tend to have a different flavor at Mass when it comes to singing, dancing and praising God.”
Jamaican Father Michael Davidson, S.J., a campus minister at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass., preached the homily in which he gave a powerful interactive talk that called all Christians to labor fervently for Jesus Christ using actions and not words.
“My brothers and sisters, if we do not have a relationship with Jesus, we are empty,” Father Davidson said. “By walking on Eastern Parkway, we are saying that we have a relationship with God. Let us be mindful that when we finish the parade, our journey is not over.”
Bishop DiMarzio processed down Eastern Parkway alongside Msgr. Joseph Grimaldi, episcopal vicar for Brooklyn, and a large group of diocesan representatives – all wearing matching red T-shirts.
“This day is really a celebration of culture, a celebration of our heritage and of who we are as Caribbeans,” Father Davis said. “But I think it’s so important that the Catholic Church is here because a part of our culture and a part of our heritage is being Catholic. And so we celebrate that, not only here at Mass but on the Parkway.”
More than 40 costumed bands and an array of marchers dressed in their native garb and body paint traversed the parade route. Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz served as this year’s grand marshal, and he shared the honor with Trinidadian D.J. Christopher Bowen, also known as “MC Wassy.”
The island nations of Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Barbados, St. Lucia, Jamaica, St. Vincent and Grenada were all represented with floats, as well as the South American countries of Guyana and Suriname.
While many attendees exhibited their individual national pride, the celebration marked the unity among the entirety of the Caribbean islands.
“As a Caribbean people, it’s important for us to come together and to celebrate who we are as a people and to put our differences aside,” Father Davidson said. “The family that prays together stays together.”
“Every individual loves their country, and they celebrate their country from their heart,” said St. Matthew’s parishioner Noble Alexander, a native of Trinidad and Tobago. “But they become one. All the individual nations become a body now, and everybody’s celebrating Christ.”
Once again, the West Indian American Day Parade gave Catholics in Brooklyn a chance to further strengthen their faith and culture. Though it was Labor Day, Caribbean Catholics took no rest from glorifying God through song and praise.
“We should always continue to labor to have God present all the times,” said Agnes Scanisles, a parishioner from St. Matthew’s originally from St. Lucia. “Without Him, we cannot do what we want to do – Him first and the rest will follow.”
