The 47th St. Patrick’s Parade will get underway at 1:00 p.m. on Sun., Mar. 16 in Boardman. The parade will begin at the Boardman Township Government Center and then travel along Market St. north to Southwoods Dr.
      Theme of this year’s parade is “All Hail St. Patrick.”
      The Mahoning Valley St. Patrick’s Parade is one of the largest parades in the state of Ohio. Each year 25,000 to 30,000 spectators line Market St. to view the spectacle.
      Officers of the parade committee are Casey Malone, president; Mark Smith, vice president; Robb Kale, treasurer; Sharon Sabatka, secretary and Joe Illencik, head marshal.
      Special honorees of this year’s parade are Sister Mary McCormick and the Ursuline Sisters who are head marshals; Michael McCarthy, recipient of the Ockerman Award; and the Quench Bar, 8414 Market St., Boardman, recognized this year as Lord Mayor of Kilkenny.
      Sister Mary McCormick
      Sister Mary McCormick was elected General Superior of the Ursuline Sisters of Youngstown first in 2014 and again in 2020.
      Sister Mary ministers as a professor specializing in systematic theology and as an academic dean at St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Cleveland. She has served on St. Mary’s faculty since 1997.
      She also was an instructor at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Louisville and Ursuline High School in Youngstown.
      Before being named General Superior, Sister Mary served as finance director for the Ursuline Sisters, on the leadership team, and as formation and vocations director.
      Sister Mary has a doctorate in systematic theology from Fordham University, Bronx, N.Y.; a master of religious education from Loyola University in New Orleans; a master of arts in theology from Duquesne University; and a bachelor’s in education Youngstown State University. She also holds several professional certifications.
      She graduated from Ursuline High and became a nun in 1975. Congratulations Sister, thank you so much for your service and devotion to the Mahoning Valley!
      Other Sisters honored are Mary Ann Coz, Marilyn Hoover, Nancy Dawson, Helen Nordick, Diane Toth, Jan Gier, Marlene LoGrasso and Charlotte Italiano. Eileen Kernan, Marie Maravola, Bridget Nolan, Kathleen Minchin, Martha Reed, Kathleen McCarragher, Regina Rogers, Elizabeth Anne Friedhoff, Nancy Pawlen, Darla Jean Vogelsang, Pauline Dalpe, Janice Kusick, Nancy DiCola, Dorothy Kundracik, Patricia McNicholas, Norma Raupple, Mary Ann Diersing, Carole Suhar and Mary Alyce Koval.
      Michael ‘Mac’ McCarthy
      McCarthy, known as ‘Mac’ by his closest friends is the son of the late Margaret ‘Peggy’ Nemeth and past Ockerman Award winner, D. Michael McCarthy, and has lived in the Mahoning Valley his entire life.
      He is a 1986 graduate of Ursuline High School and a graduate of Mercyhurst College with a degree in Education. Married to Cynthia M. Kenneally since 1996 they are the parents of Liam (27) and Padraig (22).
      The McCarthy’s are members of St. Christine Church where he attended elementary school.
      Through the Argus Lodge 545, Mac has been involved in the Special Olympics. He served as Past Master at the Shriners Hospitals for Children through the Youngstown Shrine Club and the Al Koran Shrine Center, which he is a Past Potentate. He also served as financial secretary for the Ancient Order of Hibernians.
      Currently he is president of Industrial Mill Maintenance, Inc. and has been a sponsor of the Mahoning Valley St. Patrick’s Parade for many years.
      His involvement with the St. Patrick Parade began when he was in high school, and his father had him set up the post parade party. He was a marshal for many years and became “Chairman of the Board” making sure the parade ended in an orderly fashion.
      The Quench Bar
      The Quench Bar and Grill, owned by John Christopher and John Petruzzi, is a long-time supporter of the St. Pat’s Parade. It is located where the parade begins each year, at the intersection of Market St. and McClurg Rd. The Quench celebrates the parade and St. Patrick’s Day with great parties each year. The owners named the bar Quench in honor of one of their beloved watering holes – Quench – which was located down on South Ave. in Youngstown, Oh.
      Parade Marshals
      Tapped as parade marshals for the 47th St. Pats Parade are Jason Calinger, Anthony Sabatka, Terry Coyle, Brian Kelly, Doug Sherl, Mike Timlin, Lenny Sefcik, Ray Kelly IV, Tom Eich, Tim Kelly, Anthony Wanio, Rob Pappas, Lee Arent, Rich Perrine, Kent Hildebrand, Kelsey Warmley, Nick Mozingo, Alex Mangie, Rob Tamburro, Dante Lewis, Dennis Murphy, Anthony Magrini, David Manion, Bob Hankey, Adam Hankey, Kurt Hildebrand, Buzz Kelty, Larry Kacenga and Larry Harwell.