New Grand Marshal Announced for 2015 St. Pat's Parade

Just one week after announcing the resignation by John Hyland as the 2015 St. Patrick’s Day Parade Grand Marshal, the parade’s committee has named a new leader for the countywide event.

Al DeBenedictis, who has spent decades helping with the parade and contributing to the community, will lead the event in March.

DeBenedictis is an active member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick of Morris County and has been since 1986, and has spent the last 24 years helping organize the parade.

In that time, he has served as finance chair for the parade, co-chaired the parade journal, was a trustee for parade organization, and is an active member of the parade and finance committees.

DeBenedictis and his wife, Margaret, moved to Madison in 1978 where they raised four daughters and are now the proud grandparents of 10. In addition, the DeBenedectis family fostered more than 70 children from the Newark Archdiocese Catholic Community Services between 1978 and 2006.

DeBenedictis also served in the United States Army Signal Corps from 1963 to 1965 and was stationed in Korea from 1964 to 1965. He is replacing John Hyland, who was forced to resign last week due to a recurrence of leukemia, which he fought in 2010.

Because of Hyland’s treatment over the next half year, he decided to resign as the Grand Marshal to focus on his health. The parade is scheduled for noon on Saturday, March 14, 2015.