Dear Parishioners:
This weekend we celebrate Labor Day. Historically, Labor Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievement of workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.
Labor Day has its origins in the labor union movement, specifically the 8-hour day movement which advocated 8 hours for work, 8 hours for recreation and 8 hours for rest. Labor Day became a national holiday in 1894. The first Labor Day celebration was on September 5, 1882 in New York City with the plans of the Central Labor Union. In 1884 the first Monday in September was chosen. The Central Labor Union encouraged other cities to celebrate the holiday. While a number of individual states began to celebrate the holiday, in 1894 Congress passed an act making the first Monday of September a legal holiday.
Pope Francis had said: “Work is fundamental to the dignity of the person…It gives one the ability to maintain oneself, one’s family and to contribute to the growth of one’s own nation.” In addition, Pope Francis has said, “Through work the family is cared for, and children are provided with a dignified life…where there is no work, there is no dignity.” However, Pope Francis has also cautioned against too much work: “Together with a culture of work, there must be a culture of leisure. To put it another way: people who work must take time to relax, to be with their families, to enjoy themselves, read, listen to music, play a sport.”
Of course, this week we also began the start of school. Let us pray for all our students that they will not only learn their academic subjects but that, above all, they will grow in wisdom and grace in the year ahead. Let us all pray for our teachers as well. May our teachers strive to share their knowledge with gentle patience and endeavor to always bring the truth to eager minds.
Remember: Together, we can do something beautiful for God.
In Christ,
Fr. Brian
PS: Don’t forget our PARISH CLEAN-UP PARTY on this Monday, Labor Day, September 7th, from 9:00 to 10:30 AM. Celebrate Labor Day by doing some labor for the Church. Bring gloves, rakes, hand-clippers, loppers, etc.