Mass precedes New Haven parade

Archbishop Henry J. Mansell stands next to Walter J. Nester Jr., grand marshal of the 2011 New Haven St. Patrick’s Day Parade; along with parade queen Kristina Conroy and her honor attendant, Carolyn Shea, as well as former grand marshals, organizers and other dignitaries on the steps of St. Mary Church in New Haven on March 13, when the Archbishop celebrated a Mass with them hours before the 55th annual event. The Mass was also celebrated in memory of Joan Moynihan, who died on March 13, 2009, and who was very active in the Greater New Haven Irish Community as a writer and researcher on the parade and Irish history in New Haven. (Photo by Mary Chalupsky)