01 May 2010

Feast of St. Joseph the Worker

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Confessor

Wisdom rendered to the just the wages of their labors and conducted them in a wonderful way; and she was to them for a covert by day and for the light of the stars by night.

Today's feast is of relatively recent origin, dating back only to 1956. Pope Pius XII instituted this feast in order to demonstrate the Catholic vision of labor and the working man in direct opposition to the Communist version of the same, which was (and is) celebrated internationally on May 1st as Labor Day. It was a Double of the First Class when Pius XII instituted it, then became First Class in the simplified rankings of feasts in the 1962 Missal, and survives in the Novus Ordo calendar as an optional memorial.

We observed the solemnity of the day by taking the kids to play in the sandbox (after Divine Liturgy, of course). Since it is also one of Thomas's patronal feast days, we made him some Tiramisu for dessert.




3 comments:

Craig said...

Well, Jen's confirmation name is Josephine, and, given her own hard-working nature, St. Joseph the Worker has always just seemed a natural observance for her. . . And now I find that the feast originated in 1956, the year of her birth. . .

Somebody Calls Me Nana said...

He is the cutest boy! What a blend of Imgrund and Joy. When you cut his hair, will you send me a few of the curls?

Lisa said...

John thinks Thomas is like Samson...and says I can't cut his hair.