September 6, 2026
This weekend we celebrate Labor Day. For many of us, it marks the unofficial end of summer. But Labor Day also gives us an opportunity to reflect on something very important to our Catholic faith—the dignity of work and, even more importantly, the dignity of the worker.
Here at St. Joseph the Worker Shrine, that message has special meaning. Our patron, St. Joseph, was a carpenter. He worked with his hands. Through his daily labor, he provided for Mary and Jesus and cared for the Holy Family. His work may have seemed ordinary to others, but Joseph showed us that ordinary work, faithfully and lovingly done, can become something holy.
The same is true for us. Our work takes many different forms. We teach. We build. We care for the sick. We run businesses. We prepare food. We clean. We serve our communities. We care for children and aging parents. Some work is paid and some is not. All honest work has dignity because every person who performs it has dignity.
The Church has long taught that work should serve the human person—not the other way around. Workers deserve respect, fair treatment, safe conditions, adequate rest, and the ability to provide for themselves and their families. We should also remember those who are looking for work, those who cannot work, and those who have retired after a lifetime of labor. Their dignity does not depend upon a job or a paycheck. Our dignity comes from God.
This Labor Day, let us give thanks for the work God has given us and for all those whose labor makes our lives better. And here at the Shrine that bears his name, let us ask St. Joseph the Worker to watch over all who labor and help us do our own work faithfully, humbly, and with love.
I remember you at Mass.
