LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the Rockland County Ancient Order
of Hibernians' St. Patrick's Day Parade, to be held March 17, 2013

WHEREAS, Saint Patrick's Day is a time for people of all nationalities
and generations to assemble and celebrate the rich culture and heritage
of the Irish people throughout the United States; and
WHEREAS, A Saint Patrick's Day parade reflects and records the ongoing
history of the United States and Ireland, and provides opportunity for
people of all generations to assemble in ethnic pride and pageantry; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians' St. Patrick's
Day Parade, to be held March 17, 2013, in Pearl River, New York; and
WHEREAS, This parade would not be possible without the support and
dedication of the Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians St.
Patrick's Day Parade Committee, who will celebrate their patron, St.
Patrick, on this most festive day; and
WHEREAS, St. Patrick's Day is not, as many believe, a celebration of
the Patron Saint of Ireland's birth, but of his death; and
WHEREAS, It was Pope Celestine I who named him Patricus, and sent him
to Ireland where he tangled with the Druids over religious beliefs, and
where his efforts to convert the Irish to the Catholic faith were untir-
ing, as seen today in the significant observance of God in Irish life;
and
WHEREAS, In every walk of life, in the arts, in the sciences, in the
political world, in every manifestation of the human spirit, the Irish
people have excelled; and
WHEREAS, No nation on earth has sent to the shores of America a people
more spiritual than the Irish; throughout the ages, they have left their
cares forgotten among the lilies; from the mode and texture of that
endowment, the cathedrals and colleges of our nation were built, a
heritage largely formed, our American character greatly forged; and
WHEREAS, Each year as we honor St. Patrick, whose life mirrored a deep
and abiding example of the challenges of sainthood, we are mindful of
the history of the Irish people and their struggle against oppression,
religious intolerance and political, social and economic barriers; and
WHEREAS, The St. Patrick's Day Parade celebrates the spirit, purity
and strength of the Irish Culture and its fine traditions; now, there-
fore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians' St.
Patrick's Day Parade, to be held March 17, 2013; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Rockland County Ancient Order of Hibernians St.
Patrick's Day Parade Committee.