By Ray O’Hanlon
For the first time anyone can remember, the New York St. Patrick’s Day Parade will face south this year.
Everyone marching in the parade and watching the event will be asked to turn and face the World Trade Center site at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 16.
At that precise moment, if all goes to plan, parade grand marshal Cardinal Edward Egan will lead tens of thousands of marchers and spectators in prayers from the main Central Park reviewing stand.
The moment of silence and prayer is expected to last for up to two minutes, according to parade committee chairman John Dunleavy.
The turnaround and prayers will mark the high moment of the event, which is being dedicated to the heroes of Sept. 11.
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Parade organizers are hoping to have former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani march at the head of a special “heroes” contingent.
The parade will take place a little more than six months after the destruction of the the two World Trade Center towers in lower Manhattan and the loss of thousands of lives.
After the turnaround, the parade will continue to proceed north up Fifth Avenue.
As was the case last year, the parade will formally end at 86th Street.
In previous years, marchers continued along 86th Street to Third Avenue, where they dispersed.
Committee chairman Dunleavy said that the police had asked the committee to end this practice because of disruption to traffic on avenues east of Fifth.
“This year there will be a sealed-off dispersal area between 86th and 96th streets. We will have people along this stretch directing marchers and bands to their parked buses,” Dunleavy said.