ST JOSEPH THE WORKER; FEAST DAY 1st MAY
ST JOSEPH THE WORKER 1st MAY Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955 in recognition of the long history of the Church of an identification of St Joseph with the ordinary working man, the father and protector of the Holy Family. St Joseph led his family to safety and protected them in their flight to Egypt. St Joseph supported his family with his skilful work, by his hands. However, while St Joseph is recognised as a working man, not nobility, not wealthy, nevertheless, his qualities are not ordinary, but rather, are those that are to be desired to be attained as qualities by the faithful Catholic man. The dignity of human work has always been valued by the Church, from the time of Genesis, in the command to care for the earth (Genesis 2:15) and to labour productively. Christ Himself worked as a carpenter, a working man, before His public ministry. His masculinity too, was one of chivalry – of value and respect for His Mother, the Blessed Virgin, and...