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.
Labor Day also has a spiritual component. Labor Day is an opportunity to take stock of the ways workers are honored and respected. The Church has spoken out about the dignity of work and the rights of workers. The Church’s “social teaching” really began with Pope Leo XIII, more than 140 years ago. Such Papal encyclicals include: Rerum Novarum (1881, Pope Leo XIII), Quadragesimo Anno (1931, Pope Pius XI), Gaudium and Spes (1965, Vatican II), Laborem Exercens (1981, Pope John Paul II), and Caritas in Veritate (2009, Pope Benedict XVI).
The three principles of Catholic Social Teaching are: Human Dignity (We are all made in the image and likeness of God), Solidarity (We are all interdependent and interconnected which should compel people to strive for the common good) and Subsidiarity (Fosters personal responsibility and focuses on an individual’s need to balance individual needs versus the common good).
Pope Francis has 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.”
Remember: Together, we can do something beautiful for God. In Christ,
Fr. Brian
PS: Don’t forget to “celebrate” Labor Day by laboring around the Parish. Our “Parish Clean-up” Day will take place on Monday, Labor Day, from 9:30 – 11:00 AM. Bring rakes, clippers, loppers, weed pullers,