The grand marshal of this year's St. Patrick's Day Parade won't have to travel far to march up Fifth Avenue.

Timothy Cardinal Dolan will lead the festivities on March 17.

He met with parade organizers during a reception Sunday.

Dolan says the St. Patrick's Day Parade was one of the things that excited him about being appointed to the Archdiocese of New York.

"The parade is so legendary, you don't have to be a New Yorker to love and appreciate the St. Patrick's Day parade. And when I thought, my oh my, I'll be there on the steps of the cathedral to review the parade and have the holy sacrifice of the mass in the morning, never did I think I'd be grand marshal," Dolan said.

"Everybody loves to be with cardinal. He's a very outgoing individual, he's funny and talks to people. And that's what he's all about," said St. Patrick's Day Parade Chairman John Dunleavy.

Dolan is the first cardinal to serve as Grand Marshal of the parade since Cardinal Egan back in 2002.