HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

Kathleen McGinnis-DiChiara Named Grand Marshal of 2006 Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Jim Lowney Photo

Union County, NJ--The 2006 Union County Saint Patrick’s Day Parade Committee proudly announces Kathleen McGinnis-DiChiara of Summit has been named Grand Marshal of the 10th Annual Union County Saint Patrick’s Day Parade.

McGinnis-DiChiara is known throughout the state and beyond for her 30 years of work helping the needy as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Community FoodBank of New Jersey located in Hillside.

“Kathleen displays all the qualities of a selfless and dedicated Irish Catholic who absolutely conveys the true significance of our culture, heritage and honor to the patron saint of Ireland,” said Peter Tierney, the 2006 Parade General Chairman.

McGinnis-DiChiara, a Summit resident for more than 30 years, traces her Irish roots back through three grandparents to Counties Cork, Limerick and Waterford.

“My parents would be thrilled,” said McGinnis-DiChiara after learning she was named Grand Marshal, noting she grew up in a home very aware of her Irish heritage.

“My mother taught us to bless ourselves in Irish Gaelic.”

A hands-on manager at the FoodBank, McGinnis-DiChiara can be seen on the loading dock with her sleeves rolled up one minute and meeting with business executives and bankers the next in order to continue a constant flow of food to the needy.

The recipient of a multitude of awards and honors, McGinnis-DiChiara has been recognized by three U.S. presidents, three governors and Pope John Paul II for her efforts in collecting and disturbing food to those in need. Also, she counts New Jersey rocker Bruce Springsteen as a friend and supporter for 20 years.

The Union County Emerald Society nominated McGinnis-DiChiara for Grand Marshal and she was elected unanimously by representatives of the 17 parade committee member organizations and parade officers.

“I think this is fantastic,” McGinnis-DiChiara said. “I am honored and humbled.”

Between the four trips she has made to Ireland, McGinnis-DiChiara enjoys keeping up with Irish news and events on both sides of the Atlantic. She hopes to travel to Eire again soon where every trip includes visiting cousins in Shannongolden, Co. Limerick.

The 2006 Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade will be a family day for McGinnis-DiChiara as well as a celebration of her Irish heritage. She is looking forward to sharing the day with her husband Anthony, her children Erin and Anthony and grandchildren Alexandra and Anthony. Her brother Dr. James McGinnis and his wife Tina from Oklahoma City and her sister, Sr. Sheila McGinnis from Philadelphia, will also be joining her for the march down Morris Avenue.

“We enthusiastically look forward to parade day when Kathleen will lead us in our yearly tribute to St. Patrick,” said General Chairman Tierney.

Kathleen McGinnis-DiChiara will be installed as the Grand Marshal of the 2006 Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade during an Investiture Mass at St. Teresa of Avila Church located at 306 Morris Avenue, Summit on Saturday, January 21, 2006 at 3:00 p.m. All are invited to attend the Mass and Investiture. The formal installation will be conducted by Peg Cullen formerly of Mountainside, the 2005 Grand Marshal.

The Grand Marshal’s Reception will be held at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall, 300 Central Avenue in Mountainside, after the Investiture Mass, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. For more information or tickets for the reception, which are $30 per person, please contact Dennis Cogan at 732-382-7515 or David Thornton at 201-638-0324.

The 10th Annual Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade will step off at 1:00 p.m. sharp on Saturday, March 11, 2006 on Morris Avenue in Union, NJ.

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New Orleans: When The Levees Broke by Mario Tama

Old pal Mario Tama will be opening his exhibit of photographs from New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina at The Half King with a talk Tuesday night. Please come over to this fine pub on Manhattan's West Side for a pint, a look at Tama's amazing pictures and a chat with this truly talented photographer.

R.I.P. Staff Sgt. Edward Karolasz

Saturday morning family, friends and many people who never met U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Edward Karolasz turned out in Kearny, NJ, to say farewell to the young soldier who died in Iraq.

Sgt. Karolasz and three other American soldiers were killed when a roadside bomb blew up their Humvee on November 19 in a place called Beiji, about 155 miles north of Baghdad.

Outside St. Stephen’s Roman Catholic Church the grisly details of his death were overshadowed by the loss and a sober mood of respect. Cops, firemen, bikers and families stood silently and watched six soldiers carry the 25-year-old’s coffin into the old stone church.

Jim Lowney Photo

Jim Lowney Photo

Jim Lowney Photo

As a funeral Mass was said for Sgt. Karolasz, more and more people appeared outside the church on Kearny Avenue. It seemed as everyone of them had at least one American flag.

Jim Lowney Photo

The only area empty in the blocks closest to the church was a bit of sidewalk marked off with sawhorses.

“See that? The protest area is empty,” said a biker who looked more like an accountant dressed for a casual Friday.

“Isn’t that the press area?” he was asked.

There were plenty of reporters and photographers wandering around at a respectable distance but none of them like being boxed in “their” little piece of land across the street from the church. The press were behaving and the cops were cool so it wasn’t an issue.

“No. The protest area is up where those police cars are,” the biker said pointing up the street.

“Who the hell would protest this poor kid’s funeral?”

“These religious nuts from Kansas.”

“Who?”

“The Westboro Baptist Church from Topeka.”

“Why?”

“They hate fags.”

“What?”

“That’s their website, www.godhatesfags.com.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, that’s why we are here,” he said pointing proudly to the two dozen motorcycles parked on the street opposite the church.

Jim Lowney Photo

He pulled a flier out of his pocket. It said “Patriot Guard Riders” across the top.

“They are protesting gays in the military.”

Down the page was a bit about the biker group.

“We don’t care what you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a "hawk" or a "dove". It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn't matter where you’re from or what your income is. You don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.

“Our mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American military heroes.”

“That’s a good thing you guys are doing.”

“We are only two weeks old and have 1,100 members already.”

A cop quietly gave the word that the Mass would end soon and people began moving to their places. The bikers mounted their rides and started the engines with a roar. The news photographers lined up shots directly across from the church doors. And young parents hoisted small children up on shoulders for a better view.

The church doors slowly opened and soon Sgt. Karolasz’s flag-draped coffin was carried down the steps to the hearse. Crying mourners in black followed.

Jim Lowney Photo

By the time the family was sitting in the back of the black limo, hundreds of people had lined both sides of Kearny Avenue for at least ten blocks. Not far from the church, a massive American flag hung over the funeral path from the buckets of two Kearny Fire department ladder trucks.

Jim Lowney Photo

Lead by the bikers, the funeral precession slowly rolled past the crowds and under the flag and off to the cemetery to lay Staff Sgt. Edward Karolasz to rest.

Szia Rudas

The amazing Rudas bath in Budapest has reopened and sounds like it is better than ever.