The Bayonne St. Patrick’s Day Parade has named Gabrielle Figueroa, the vice chair of the parade committee, as this year’s grand marshal.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
Figueroa has been a part of the parade committee since 2013 and has served as the parade coordinator since 2019. She is a past contingent coordinator for the Donegal Association, and was recognized as the aide for the Donegal Association in 2017.
Additionally, she is also the secretary for the Bayonne Irish Festival, and works closely with her sister on the Bayonne Mary from Dungloe.
A school counselor at Roosevelt Elementary School in Kearny, Figueroa also serves as the president of the Hudson County School Counselor Association, and was named the New Jersey School Counselors Association’s Counselor of the County in 2020.
She works on the scholarship committee of the Dan Finn Foundation, and is also an active member of her parish community of St. Michael’s in Jersey City.
The 2023 aides to the Grand Marshal are Alison Conway, of the County Cork Association, Melanie McBride, of the County Donegal Association, Patrick Donovan, of the Irish American League, and Mary Ellen Calverley Page, of the Shamrock Society.
They will be honored at the Irish flag-raising ceremony at Bayonne City Hall on Friday, March 3rd, at 5:00 p.m.
The annual parade Mass will take place at St. Mary Star of the Sea Church in Bayonne on Sunday, February 26th, at 10:30 a.m.
Immediately following that Mass, Figueroa will be honored at the Grand Marshal’s Brunch, which will take place at the Chandelier Restaurant at 54th St. and Broadway.
Tickets are available for purchase prior to February 19 for $40/adult and $20/children. Please reach out to bhantczak@gmail.com. Tickets are available at the door day-of for $50/adult.
