Today we celebrate the feast of St.Joseph the Worker. St. Joseph has two feast days on the liturgical calendar. The first is March 19 ~Joseph, the Husband of Mary. The second is May 1~Joseph, the Worker.We know very little about the life of Joseph and very little is written in Scripture about him but still, we know that he was the chaste husband of Mary, the foster father of Jesus, a carpenter and a man who was not wealthy. We also know that he came from the royal lineage of King David.
From his actions recorded in scripture we see that Joseph was a compassionate man, and obedient to the will of God. He also loved Mary and Jesus and wanted to protect and provide for them.
Being a carpenter he must have been patient, very creative as well as diligent. Can you imagine how St. Joseph must have worked from early morning till late at night in his carpenter shop repairing dinner couches, building tables and shelves for the people of Nazareth? He also taught his trade to Jesus who must have worked alongside him until the time He started His public life.
Because St. Joseph was a humble carpenter, he is regarded as the patron saint of workers everywhere. The feast of St. Joseph the Worker was established by Pope Pius XII in 1955 in order to Christianize the concept of labor and give to all workmen a model and a protector.
Pope Pius XII expressed the hope that this feast would accentuate the dignity of labor and would bring a spiritual dimension to labor unions.
Here is an interesting link to a site about the Feast of St. Joseph which includes prayers, recipes and other interesting information.
Pictures used in this post are from the above link.
Here's also a link to my other blog where you can read a prayer/poem to St.Joseph which I wrote in 2011.
The first of May is also May Day which is a traditional spring holiday in many cultures. There are many traditions associated with May Day among them is the dancing the maypole dance and crowning of the Queen of the May. In the Roman Catholic tradition, May is observed as Mary's month, and in these circles it is customary to have Mary crowned as The Queen of The May. I remember this Crowning as a special celebration at my school which is still celebrated to this day. Fading in popularity since the late 20th century is the giving of "May baskets," small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, usually left anonymously on neighbours' doorsteps.
