We already celebrate the feast of St Joseph, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, on March 19 each year. However, to foster a more profound devotion to Saint Joseph amongst the Catholic faithful, and in response to the May 1st celebrations for workers established by Russia and other Communist countries, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955. This feast not only emphasizes our relationship with St Joseph, but also the cause of the worker that has been supported by the Catholic Church. The Book of Genesis sees dignity in human work as it is a participation in the creative work of God. Through our work, we human beings can fulfill the command found in Genesis to care for the earth and we can be productive in our labors. St Joseph, a humble carpenter, gives us a great example of the holiness of human labor. Jesus also worked as a carpenter, learning the carpentry trade from Joseph and spending his early adult years working in Joseph’s carpentry shop. In his encyclical Laborem Exercens, Pope John Paul II states that “the Church considers it her task always to call attention to the dignity and rights of those who work, to condemn situations in which that dignity and those rights are violated, and to help to guide [social] changes so as to ensure authentic progress by man and society.” Pope Pius XII emphasized the dignity of human work exemplified in Joseph when he stated: “The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Savior of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work.” As we celebrate St Joseph the worker today, we pray for that the dignity and respect for all human work be upheld.
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