John Trodden to be Grand Marshal for 2014 St. Patrick's Day Parade

This year's St. Patrick's Day parade will feature a tribute to a Kings Park man many know and worship with on a weekly basis. 

John Trodden, a deacon at St. Joseph's Church, has been selected as the grand marshal of King Park's fourth annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, Times of Smithtown reports. 

Trodden was selected as grand marshal by a vote of the Kings Park St. Patrick's Day committee. 

"John Trodden is a beautiful person," said Kevin Denis, president of the Kings Park St. Patrick's Day Parade and owner of Professors Diner, to Times of Smithtown. 

Trodden moved with his family from  Kings Park when he was only a month old. He left briefly to begin his career, but brought his family back to Kings Park raising 5 children with his wife, Ellen, while serving in various administrative positions at Kings Park Psychiatric Center and St. John’s Hospital. 

It wasn't until he retired from the state that Trodden pursued his religious vocation, becoming ordained in 1994 as a deacon. He started in Brentwood before coming to St. Joseph's Church, where he has served the Kings Park community for more than a decade. 

Trodden is the chaplain for the Kings Park Fire Department and Suffolk County Police Department, responding 24/7 as needed. 

Previous grand marshals of King Park's parade have included: Charles "Buster" Toner in 2013, Gerry Creighton in 2012 and Mattie O`Reilly in 2011.