Friday was the big day for the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick.

Their parade Friday morning was cancelled but, that did not stop members from rolling down Dauphin Street in downtown Mobile after attending mass at the Cathedral.

A sea of green, full of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick filled the Cathedral. It’s an annual tradition as they celebrate the Irish culture.

Folks gathered outside to wait for the Friendly Sons to walk down the steps of the Cathedral, greeted with joy and cuteness.

“Happy St. Patrick’s Day!” a little girl said.

While it’s all about celebrating the luck of the Irish, it’s also a time to continue a years-long tradition.

“Just being Irish you know. Carry on our family tradition. My grandfather was a charter member of the organization, been in it since I was 19,” Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Member Sean Patrick O’Hara said. “We still celebrate being Irish, Irish ancestry and Irish history. The leprechauns, we go to the nursing homes and hospitals and visit people and cheer them up. We did that last Friday.”

Even though the Friendly Sons’ parade was cancelled, they still marched down Dauphin Street in style.

“This is 17 years of accumulation of just different buttons and things and what not,” Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Member “Big Joe” Duke said.

“I had some help from my wife. So she was able to make this beautiful thing. It’s basically a pool noodle and a walking cane, but fancied up,” Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Member Joe Bernardo said.

After the parade and the banquet, the Friendly Sons met at Callaghan’s, an Irish social club.

Because the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick throw a huge celebration every year, Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson signed a proclamation declaring Mar. 17, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Day in Mobile.