MIDTOWN — New York City’s 82nd Annual Columbus Day Parade was filled with faith and fun, as the faithful gathered at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Oct. 12 for morning Mass and then joined large crowds of spectators lining Fifth Avenue to enjoy the marching bands, colorfully costumed dancers, and floats that bounced up and down as the people aboard them danced to traditional Italian tunes.
Last year’s parade was canceled because of a heavy rainstorm that brought fierce winds to New York on Columbus Day. But it didn’t rain on this year’s parade.
Spectators like Rose Ann Pusateri-Rowe, who came in from Lindenhurst, Long Island, waved Italian flags as the marching bands, cops on horseback, and banner-carrying Italian groups passed by.
“I came to the parade years ago, but it’s been a while. I’m glad I was able to come this year,” she said as she stood on Fifth Avenue across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, eagerly awaiting the start of the big march. “I love to see the grand marshal and what the people marching in the parade are wearing.”
View this post on Instagram
The grand marshal was Ray Dalio, the philanthropist and founder of the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates. He was represented at the festivities by his son Matt Dalio. The 2025 parade grand marshal, Joe Moglia, who couldn’t march in last year’s canceled parade, got his chance this year by riding the route in an open convertible.
The Columbus Citizens Foundation, founded in 1944 by the grown children of Italian immigrants, sponsors the parade to celebrate their parents’ contributions to the fabric of American society.
The parade organizers decided to honor America’s 250th anniversary and Italian Americans by declaring this year’s march theme “Two Flags, One Home: Celebrating 250 Years of Italian Contribution to America.”
RELATED: Mother Cabrini to be Honored on Float at Columbus Day Parade
Honoring immigrants and respecting their rights recurred throughout the day.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the main celebrant at the Mass, said it was appropriate that the day began by gathering in church, given that Italians, like other immigrant groups, came to the U.S. without “much of earthly value,” yet built churches in the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn.
“When you go to all these neighborhoods where the immigrants settled, the first thing they said was, ‘We’ve got to build a church because, darn it, the church is important to us.’ And they’re here to stay. And that speaks volumes, doesn’t it?” he told The Tablet.
Archbishop Charles D. Balvo, the retired apostolic nuncio of Australia, delivered the homily and spoke about the importance of “protecting and assisting immigrants whose hopes, sacrifices, and contributions have formed part of the history of this country from the very beginning.”
Bishop Emeritus Nicholas DiMarzio noted that Scripture instructs the faithful not to oppress newcomers.
“We were all aliens at one time here,” he told The Tablet. “If you’re at the top of the ladder, don’t be pushing people down at the bottom of the ladder.”
Bishop DiMarzio and Bishop Robert Brennan represented the Diocese of Brooklyn at Mass. The diocese also had a presence in the parade, with the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Williamsburg sponsoring a parade float. Bishop DiMarzio and Msgr. Jamie Gigantiello, pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, climbed aboard and rode along a portion of the parade route.
“This Columbus Day is a day when all things come together — Italian culture, New York pride. We recognize that somebody did discover America, that we wouldn’t be here unless somebody had the courage to get out on the ships,” Bishop DiMarzio said. “So, we have to recognize that we stand on the shoulders of giants.”