(Update 2:57 p.m.) – The St. Patrick’s Day Parade in St. Joseph has been postponed until next weekend.

Sgt. Chris McBane with the St. Joseph Police Department said officials decided in the interest of everybody’s safety with the snow in the forecast to postpone the parade until Saturday, March 18th at the same noon start time.

“In talking to police they said if the streets are covered with snow on the morning you might run the risk of having the permit pulled,” said Bob Fitzpatrick, one of the parade organizers. “Reluctantly we went ahead and decided to postpone.”

Norty’s has also postponed its shamrock run until the 18th.
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(11 a.m.) The 31st annual St. Patrick’s Day parade this weekend in St. Joseph will also celebrate an anniversary. 

The 20th anniversary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians being established in St. Joseph and sponsoring the parade will also be celebrated this weekend. 

Shane McDonald with the Ancient Order of Hibernians said the Irish-Catholic fraternal organization has roots tracing back to Ireland around the 1600s.

“(It was) established in the United States at about the time of the Civil War to protect and defend the Church and Irish immigrants in the New York area,” McDonald said. “Irish immigrants were a very persecuted minority when they began to come over in the 1800s and so the Hibernians formed to protect the churches and the clergy that served the Irish population.” 

McDonald said registration for participating in the parade is appreciated but not required. The entry fee is $50 and part of the proceeds will benefit various causes the Ancient Order of the Hibernians supports including Catholic education and the Second Harvest Food Bank.

“If anyone knows much about the history of the Irish, what drove a lot of the migration of the Irish to the United States was the Great Famine of the mid-1800s,” McDonald said. “So hunger is something that is important and dear to our Irish hearts.” 

McDonald said Second Harvest is partnering with them again this year and people are welcome to bring canned goods and nonperishable items to the parade and volunteers with the Second Harvest van can pick up donations along the parade route. 

The St. Patrick’s Day parade begins at noon Saturday at Noyes and Frederick and will travel downtown. 

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