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The feast of St Joseph the Worker falls on May 1, this Saturday (also a First Saturday), following the Solemnity of St. Joseph, which we celebrated on March 19. This is a relatively modern feast day since it was only instituted in 1955, during the pontificate of Pope Pius XII. The intention was that it should be a Christian alternative to the celebration of what was known as International Worker’s Day. This was originally promoted by the International Labor movement as a celebration of the working classes, and the date was chosen in 1889, in Paris, by the Second or...

COMMENTARY: For the best model for workers, look not to a man named Marx but to a carpenter named Joseph.The Childhood of Jesus. (photo: Gerard van Honthorst / Web Gallery of Art) May Day has all sorts of historically varied meanings and traditions among various groups, including Catholics. Since the late 19th century, however, May 1 has been particularly known for its association with workers — particularly, its appropriation if not exploitation by socialists and communists. That began in earnest on May 1, 1889, when socialists launched International Workers’ Day. “May 1st is May Day, the International Workers’ Holiday,” explains...

Each year on May 1, the Catholic faithful celebrate the feast day of Saint Joseph the Worker. This feast day, instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955, was meant to provide downtrodden laborers with a spiritual patron, as well as an alternative to the communist labor agitation that was prevalent at the time. The Catholic faith has a great heritage of honoring and celebrating labor and laborers. Because of that, this feast day offers us an opportunity, and a great responsibility, to build a robust and life-giving culture through laborers and their work. We must continue to take up that...

St. Joseph and Manhood Msgr. Charles Pope • March 19, 2017 • I remember once being amused to hear that a 19th century Franciscan theologian (whose name I cannot recall) wrote a six-volume set called “The Life of St. Joseph.” How could one possibly get enough material to fill six volumes? We know so little about Joseph from Scripture. He seems to have been the strong, silent type. Not a word of his is recorded, but his actions have much to say, especially to men.On this feast of St. Joseph, we do well to ponder him as a model...

"I am not sympathetic to the white voters who make over $50,000 a year and said that, 'We are going to vote for Trump.' Those people I am not sympathetic to, and I do not believe that you have to open your heart to them," he said. "If you are a person of color in this room, if you are a woman in this room, you do not have to open your heart to them."

For centuries Christians have turned to St. Joseph as a powerful patron and faithful guardian, father and friend. Invoked as the Glory of home life, Patron of the Dying and Terror of Demons, Christians call upon St. Joseph for healing and conversion, help with their children, a new job or home, and for all their needs of body and soul.Honored as the Patron of the Universal Church, St. Joseph’s paternal protection of the Lord Jesus continues even from heaven, as he watches over Christ’s Mystical Body on earth. The foster-father of the Son of God is also a father to those who have...

St. Joseph Teaches Us How to Live Out AdventFr. Ed Broom, OMV Saint Joseph can help us to live a most fruitful Advent, and for many reasons. Let us quietly meditate upon five extraordinary virtues of this greatest of all saints so that we can live a most fervent Advent season and allow Jesus to be born in the depths of our hearts this Christmas!1. Silence. Not once in the Bible do we hear a word from the great Saint Joseph. This silence of Saint Joseph is very eloquent. It teaches us a fundamental attitude to enter into deep prayer:...

The life of St. Joseph is largely veiled to us by history. While there are some writings from the early centuries of the Church about St. Joseph, they are part of the apocryphal literature. Writings in this category are largely viewed with suspicion, as they were written more to convey hidden, secret knowledge that was believed to be needed to attain salvation, rather than to give an account of events that took place. We also have the writings of mystics such as Anne Catherine Emmerich and the Venerable Mother Mary of Jesus of Agreda, which pass along vivid details of...

When we think of Saint Joseph we normally think of a grey - bearded old man as depicted in many medieval paintings. The Gospels say very little about Saint Joseph, only that he was a "Just Man". Joseph himself never speaks in the Gospel stories and so our knowledge of Saint Joseph is somewhat shrouded in silence. Yet, it is this silence that gives the greatest witness to the type of man that Saint Joseph was. He was a humble carpenter who didn't draw attention to himself but fulfilled his daily duties to the best of his ability with tremendous...

In the first decree of a liturgical nature of this pontificate, Pope Francis has decided that name of St. Joseph should be added to the Eucharistic Prayers II, II and IV, as they appear in the third typical edition of the Roman Missal, after the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Below please find the text of the decree issued Wednesday by the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments: DECREE Exercising his paternal care over Jesus, Saint Joseph of Nazareth, set over the Lord’s family, marvelously fulfilled the office he received by grace. Adhering firmly to the...

(Vatican Radio) Homily of the Holy Father at the Inauguration of his Papal Ministry 19 March 2013: Dear Brothers and Sisters, I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude. I offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the priests, deacons,...

Lest anyone's tempted to think otherwise, be forewarned: your monitor isn't edible. As always, the Green Beer, Irish potatoes -- and, of course, Corned Beef -- of St Paddy's Day might be taking the dominant line as feast-day food goes this time of year... but for the Northeastern Italians among us (and those elsewhere lucky enough to have the goods shipped their way by friends), these mid-March days are all about (Spring Training and) the Zeppoli, the cream-filled cakes shown above that traditionally herald St Joseph's Day, observed annually on the 19th. While the lines outside the South Pharaohtown...

Monday March 19, 2001 Reading I (2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16) Reading II (Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22) Gospel (St. Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a) What a glorious feast we celebrate today in the middle of Lent. We take this time to celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph, a man whose holiness is so exceeding that God chose him to be the guardian of Our Lady and of His own Son. Think about the holiness and manliness of the one man in human history that Jesus Christ learned to be a man from. Joseph gave Him the example; not only of the...

Saint Joseph: A Model for Fathers Tuesday May 1, 2001 Feast of St. Joseph the Worker Reading (Genesis 1:26-2:3) Gospel (St. Matthew 13:54-58) We celebrate, today, the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. Once again, we are reminded of the dignity of work and the example Saint Joseph gave to his Son; the example, then, which God puts before all of us to be able to see that we need to work. There are, of course, different types of work. There are those who will do physical labor; there are those who are involved in intellectual work; and, of course,...