A Boston Glee Party for the Patriots

They came. They saw. They cheered.

One million ebullient football fans packed the city’s streets Tuesday to celebrate the New England Patriots, the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy and the region’s first world championship team since 1986. The spectators displayed all the fervor of religious pilgrims, grateful and amazed that a miracle had transpired.

“The Patriots have been bad for so long,” said Steven Macomber of the 42-year-old football franchise. “And then, out of the blue, we just shocked the world.”

Arriving as early as 6 a.m., when the sky was still black and the temperature in single digits, many supporters said they came because Sunday’s 20-17 Super Bowl victory over the St. Louis Rams represented more than an extraordinary performance by a team oddsmakers were quick to dismiss.

Boston has felt beleaguered since Sept. 11, when two planes that left Logan International Airport plunged into New York’s World Trade Center. The city has struggled with construction and corruption associated with the Big Dig, the decade-long effort to rebuild Boston’s highway system. The painful trial last month of one hockey father who killed another reminded the city of how rage often is linked with children’s sports. And continuing disclosures about what Roman Catholic Church leaders here knew about pedophile priests have shaken the faith of many in Boston.

“This is a day to bring people together, a beautiful day, a day to let people stop and realize all the good things we’ve got,” said Al Smith, riding the subway to Tuesday’s parade and rally. “We needed this.”

Men and women skipped work. College students bagged exams. School kids played hooky, knowing the consequences would be minor. Asked why they cut classes to come to the parade, Geoff Power, 14, and his 11-year-old buddy Billy McQueen answered as one.

“Because the Patriots are the best!” the boys chorused.

Forming a caravan that was as surprising as their season, the conquering heroes arrived on 13 duck boats. The amphibious vehicles usually used to transport tourists are native to Boston, trucks that wade improbably in and out of water.

Their procession inched along a two-mile route made famous by early patriots--past the Boston Common and alongside Fanueil Hall.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” team owner Robert Kraft called out over and over, brandishing the first Super Bowl trophy New England has won.

It was the first national trophy to visit New England since a Celtics’ basketball victory 16 years ago. In hockey, the Boston Bruins last won the Stanley Cup in 1970. The Boston Red Sox have not won a baseball World Series since 1918.

On Tuesday, fans were shoe-horned into City Hall plaza, where the cavalcade ended. Some loyalists climbed trees for better views. Others hung from windows in the city’s financial district. The crowd on the ground was so thick that police had to ask fans not to move for fear of causing domino-style pandemonium.

Officers on rooftops, in helicopters, on horseback and on foot all along the parade route helped avoid any such misfortune.

Although the sky was blue and the sun shone brightly, the 20-degree weather tested the fortitude of some hearty New Englanders.

“We’re numb now,” said Joe Picaro, who arrived at 8:30 a.m. to secure a spot on State Street near Fanueil Hall.

But the cold four-hour wait to see the Patriots was worth it, said his companion, LouAnne Meola.

“I’m 47 years old. I’ve been waiting my whole life for this. I’ll never see this again,” Meola said.

“Being the Patriots, seeing what happened on 9/11,” Picaro chimed in, “a better team could not have won.”

Waving a giant American flag, Jason Marathas said the saga of the Patriots’ season carried a message for America.

“We’re representing the country here today,” Marathas said, dressed like many in full Patriots regalia. “Even though those are football players who had a great season, they’re ordinary Americans. They’re just a bunch of Americans who happen to play football.”