St. John’s — New York’s largest Catholic university — has woken up and is no longer calling Monday’s holiday “Christopher Columbus Day,” in honor of the explorer hailed as a devout Christian.

Some Italian-American civic leaders and alumni are now tearing into the Catholic institution for criticizing the famous but controversial Italian explorer.

“Not recognizing Columbus is crazy,” said Angelo Vivolo, president of the Columbus Heritage Coalition. “Of course it’s an insult.”

Former Brooklyn state Assemblyman Peter Abbate, a St. John’s alum who earned a bachelor’s degree in history and political science, agreed.

‘It is shameful not to recognize Columbus. It’s just ridiculous,” Abbate said. “They might as well call St. John’s University John’s University. They get an ‘F’ for trying to be cute about it.”

The St. John’s academic calendar now describes the holiday as a “Fall Mini Break – University Closed. No lessons.”

In doing so, it joins the New York City government, which threw Columbus under the bus during former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tenure amid protests that the explorer enslaved and brutalized indigenous people during his voyages to the New World.

The municipal Sanitation Department issued a notice this year stating: “There will be no waste, compost or recycling collection on Monday, October 14, Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples Day.”

Yet Fordham University, New York’s other major Catholic university, says in its calendar that the “university is closed for Columbus Day.”

Iona College, a Catholic school in Westchester County, also recognizes “Columbus Day” on its calendar, although it does not celebrate the holiday, with “classes in session.”

Vivolo said he has personally complained to St. John’s officials about the removal of “Columbus” from the holiday, adding, “My sister graduated from St. John’s.” My granddaughter has graduated. My niece is studying.”

Vivolo, the former chairman and president of the Columbus Foundation, which organizes the city’s annual parade to celebrate the Italian explorer, noted that the organization awards scholarships to Italian-American high school students to attend colleges, and dozens of them have enrolled at St. John’s over the years.

St. John’s defended removing Columbus from the calendar.

“After federal holidays are taken into account, there are finite days available on the academic calendar for observation,” said St. John’s representative Brian Browne.

“In 2018, St. John’s University chose to celebrate Veterans Day and celebrate Columbus Day with an extended fall mini-vacation in early October. The fall mini-holiday usually coincides with Columbus Day,” Browne said. “St. Members and alumni of the John’s University community regularly volunteer to participate in metropolitan New York City’s Columbus Day festivities and will do so again this year.”

Such controversy is not new for St. John’s, which changed the name of its sports teams from the Redmen to the Red Storm about three decades ago after critics said the image of its Native American mascot was a blemish.

Meanwhile, other Catholic universities have also distanced themselves from Columbus.

Notre Dame University in Indiana does not recognize Columbus Day at all, and the calendar indicates that classes are taking place.

Manhattan University and Niagara University in New York and Seton Hall University in New Jersey mention that they are on “fall break” without mentioning Columbus.

St. Francis College in Brooklyn has tried to appease both sides of the divide by naming the Oct. 14 holiday “Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day.”

The City University of New York calendar simply reads “college closed.”

The calendars for the main campuses of the State University of New York make no mention of “Columbus Day.”

Democratic Queens Assemblyman Robert Holden denounced the censorship of Columbus.

“We should not impose 21st century standards on 15th century explorers; that’s what the woke fanatics are doing through presentism,” Holden said.

“Federal and state law designates this Monday as Columbus Day, and the fact that we still have an active executive order from the worst mayor of all time, Bill de Blasio, Eric Adams continues, is a shame.”

The Sanitation Department said it was following the city edict banning Columbus from its own vacation.

“Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous People’s Day is the name of the holiday in New York, and has been for a number of years,” said DSNY spokesman Joshua Goodman.

“The DSNY Columbia Association will proudly march in the Columbus Day Parade on Monday. That is the name of the parade, and you can bet we will be posting about it on social media,” he said.