May 1 -- Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker

St. Joseph the Worker, Auriesville NY

May Day (May 1) is officially a holiday celebrating workers in over eighty countries.  It is unofficially celebrated in many more.  Back in the days when the Iron Curtain was still drawn across Europe, it became a day for celebrating military force rather than laborers, as Eastern Bloc countries staged massive parades of infantry, artillery, and cavalry.  Oddly enough, the holiday was inspired by an event in the USA, even though Americans celebrate labor (i.e. workers) on the first Monday in September.  In 1886, a bomb was detonated at a workers' rally in Haymarket Square (Chicago).  Police responded by firing guns into the crowd, as if the bomb had not been bad enough.  The anniversary of the event was marked by the Second Internationale and eventually became International Labor Day. 

St. Joseph, road-weary provider

In 1955, Pope Pius XII declared May 1 to be the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, celebrating his role as both a carpenter and a provider for the Holy Family.  Let's think for a moment about the Holy Family's flight to Egypt.  Taking the Gospels as they are translated, we have the family crossing the border with very few resources; surely, what was left of the gold, frankincense, and myrrh after paying for the sacrifice at the Temple would not have covered much more than travel expenses.  Thus, Joseph would have had to offer his carpentry skills, probably at a reduced price, competing with skilled laborers who already lived there.  Although the Gospel writers don't mention it, the immigrant issue was probably no less contentious then than it is now.

We don't hear much about Jesus until he is around thirty years old and begins his ministry with a baptism in the Jordan River.  Many readers assume he worked as a carpenter during this time, as it was the family business.   Jesus' views on the distribution of wealth are less ambiguous than his views on wages.  The parable of the vineyard workers (Matthew 20:1-16) is not a favorite among union organizers, nor are his thoughts about the economic security of birds and lilies (Matthew 6:25-34, Luke 12:22-32).  With less written about Joseph, we are free to make him the icon of laborers, to overwrite him with our own notions of the Noble Worker. 

Over the weekend, I was fortunate to be able to take a break from driving at the Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs in Auriesville, New York.  While this is mainly dedicated to St. Kateri Tekakwitha, St. Isaac Jogues, et al, there is a great monument to Saint Joseph the Worker (pictured above).  Behind him is the Coliseum Church (capacity 6,500 seated, 10,000 total).  While the sculpture of Joseph in the National Basilica remains my favorite, this one captures much of the Noble Worker spirit that Labor Day seeks to honor.