St. Joseph – the worker.

As we know, the main feast of St. Joseph is March 19. Then St.Joseph  is worshiped. Joseph, above all, as the foster father of the Lord Jesus and the head of the Holy Family. But this chosen man of God is also worshiped as the patron saint of workers, which has been emphasized in recent times by the introduction of his liturgical commemoration of May Day. We know from the Gospel that Saint Joseph was a carpenter (cf. Mt 13:55). That is why, from time immemorial, those who worked with wood, especially carpenters, have worshiped him as their patron saint. In Rome, in the 16th century, the Carpenter Archbishopric dedicated to St. to Joseph. At the beginning of the 17th century, she joined this brotherhood under the patronage of St. Jozef and the so-called Carpentry University (Universitá dei Falegnami). It was a corporation of various useful and artistic crafts, among which woodworking was predominant. There were turners, carvers, coopers, saddlers, manufacturers of furniture, musical instruments, carriages, boats and others.

Similar craft brotherhoods and associations that worshiped St. Jozef as their patron, were established in Spain, France, Belgium and other countries. Pope Pius XII. extended the patronage of St. Joseph to all workers and dedicated to him (in 1955) the first of May, which is celebrated in many countries as a workers’ holiday. The post-conciliar liturgical renewal included this day in the general liturgical calendar as a liturgical commemoration of St. Joseph  – the worker. In this way, the Church not only wants to show respect for the lifelong vocation of St. Jozef, but also wants to highlight the value of work and its importance in the natural and supernatural order. In this sense, for this day, she included among the liturgical readings of the priest’s watch (breviary) a stanza from the council’s constitution Gaudium et spes, where, among other things, it is said:

“Man, created in the image of God, was commanded to subdue the earth with all that it contains, to govern the world in justice and holiness and to focus oneself on God, recognizing him as the Creator of all things, so that everything is subject to man, and thus God’s name is glorified everywhere on earth. This also applies to normal everyday tasks. Because men and women who develop their activities in order to earn a living for themselves and their families, thereby demonstrating adequate service to society, can rightly look at their work as a continuation of the work of the Creator, a useful help to their brothers and as their personal a contribution to the realization of God’s plan in history.” (GS 34).