With Archbishop Ronald Hicks on pilgrimage in Spain, Cardinal Timothy Dolan returned as the principal celebrant of the annual Columbus Day Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Monday, Oct. 12. 

The Mass was concelebrated by Archbishop Christophe-Zakhia El-Kassis, the Holy See’s new Permanent Observer to the United Nations; Archbishop Charles D. Balvo, recently retired as the apostolic nuncio to Australia; Bishop of Brooklyn Robert Brennan; Bishop Emeritus of Brooklyn Nicholas DiMarzio; Archdiocese of New York Auxiliary Bishops Edmund J. Whalen, vicar general; Gerardo Colacicco, vicar for clergy; and Joseph Espaillat; Msgr. Thomas Sandi of Holy Trinity Church in Manhattan; Msgr. Hilary Franco, adviser to the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations; and many other clergy of Italian heritage. 

In his homily, Archbishop Balvo, a former seminary classmate and longtime friend of Cardinal Dolan, referred to the immigrant experience that Columbus Day in part commemorates. 

He began with his own family’s story. “Like most of you, I imagine, my forebears, grandparents, and great-grandparents came to this land looking to make a new life, to build a better life for themselves, to live in freedom and to serve God as sons and daughters in the communion of the Church,” he said. His father’s grandfather, Giuseppe Giambalvo, arrived in 1885 from the Sicilian province of Agrigento. “His son was baptized Calogero, a very good Sicilian name.” 

The Holy Family and today’s refugees 

Turning to the Gospel account of the flight into Egypt, the archbishop said the Holy Family’s story “is symbolic of so many situations in our world, of people who are forced to flee their homeland because their lives are in great danger.” Fearing Herod, he said, they left “probably in all haste, bringing only what they might have needed for the journey.” Archbishop Balvo, who was named the first apostolic nuncio to South Sudan in December 2013, a week after civil war broke out there, said he has visited displaced people in camps in South Sudan and in Kakuma, Kenya. 

Finally, Archbishop Balvo referred to Pope Leo XIV’s message for the 250th anniversary of the United States: “Defending human life also includes protecting and assisting immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifices, and contributions have formed part of the history of this country from the very beginning… To receive them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person.” 

Cardinal Dolan talks about parade day, prayers for the Pope 

After Mass, just before the 82nd annual Columbus Day Parade marched past, Cardinal Dolan expressed his joy over returning as the principal celebrant. “I’m very happy. I love these parades. They’re a great part of being archbishop of New York. So to be back on the horse and to take the place, as much as I can, of my beloved successor, who’s on pilgrimage to Compostela. I like it,” he told The Good Newsroom.  

He also encouraged the faithful of the archdiocese to pray for Pope Leo XIV, who was set to undergo surgery for a lung nodule. “[The Pope] is so good at putting himself in the hands of the Lord and the medical professionals. So we’ll keep up our prayers,” Cardinal Dolan said. 

In front of the cathedral, the archbishop emeritus greeted numerous parade participants, including Gov. Kathy Hochul, State Attorney General Letitia James, and Knights of Columbus Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly. 

The Columbus Day Parade is organized by the Columbus Citizens Foundation, an Italian-American heritage group. Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, was the 2026 parade’s grand marshal.