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Today, Catholic Christians celebrate the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. Pope Pius XII instituted this feast in 1955 to let people know that the “May Day” celebrations of the Communist world were not the only people concerned about workers and their welfare. On the contrary, Catholic social teaching has a long and rich history of valuing work and the dignity of workers.
As a result of the Industrial Revolution that began in the late 18th century and into the early 19th century, machines replaced home-based crafts. Men, who have always been expected to provide money for their families, were forced to leave the comfort and security of their homes and enter impersonal factories. Though this led to an increase of money for millions of people, it also led to harsh working conditions. For the first time, many children never did see what their fathers did “for a living,” for their fathers left their homes in the morning and didn’t return until the evening. Abuse of workers led to decades of fighting for laws to protect workers and their work, and this fight continues to this day.
Pope Leo XIII noted that workers need to be treated with respect and dignity by virtue of their humanity. He noted that workers have the right to form labor unions, received a fair wage, and share in the abundance of their work. Other popes, such as John XXIII, John Paul II and Francis, have continued this teaching.
So, on this feast of St. Joseph the Worker, we honor all people who work, and this includes homemakers, and the dignity of work itself.
The photo of today, St. Joseph holding the child Jesus, is from the church of San Francisco de Asís in Reitoca, F.M., Honduras – mother church of our parish.
