The 80th Annual Columbus Day Parade took place on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue on Monday, Oct. 14, but the Diocese of Brooklyn put its stamp on the event in a big way. The grand marshal, Michael T. Strianese, is a graduate of two schools in the diocese — Xaverian High School in Bay Ridge and St. John’s University in Jamaica.

“It’s a great day for Italians in New York and a great day for Brooklyn!” said Strianese, the retired chairman and CEO of L3 Technologies Inc., a global aerospace company. He rode the parade route in a white Maserati. The grandest of Columbus Day parades, the big event featured 25,000 marchers, including dancers, twirlers, marching bands.