Celebrating St. Joseph the Worker
“I have never known anyone who was truly devoted to [St. Joseph] and honored him by particular services who did not advance greatly in virtue, for he helps in a special way those souls who recommend themselves to him” (St. Teresa of Ávila).
I’ve had a devotion to St. Joseph since I was in college. He faithfully stayed with me through my tumultuous 20s—most of which I spent not regularly attending Mass or receiving any of the sacraments. When I didn’t even pray much to God, I prayed to two saints: St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Joseph.
It’s hard to describe this particular devotion. For most of the saints I love, from Thérèse to her mother Zélie, from Mother Teresa to St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein), I may or may not have a personal relationship with them, but I do have a deep admiration of their life and spirituality and a desire to imitate them.
But we don’t know much about St. Joseph. We don’t have a memoir. We don’t even have any quotes. We know what Scripture gave us, and we know the insights of the saints who have loved him. All I can say is that St. Joseph found me, and I love him.
With that in mind, there are some things we know about St. Joseph, and there is a rich tradition of devotion to him and of his intercession for all of the children of his “foster Son.”
St. Joseph has two feast days: March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, and May 1, the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. It makes sense that the man who raised the Son of God would have more than one feast day—but what exactly is this second feast day?
The History of the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker
Communists and Socialist parties have celebrated “International Workers’ Day” since 1889, according to the National Catholic Register. In response to this day, which GoodCatholic.com describes as “an anti-religious, secular commemoration of labor,” Pope Pius XXII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1, 1955.
He wanted to highlight the dignity of the worker, given to them by God when He made them in His image; as he said:
The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Savior of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work.
Men of Work
Pope St. John Paul II elaborated on the dignity of work in his 1981 encyclical Laborem Exercens (“through work”). It extended Pope Leo XXIII’s teaching on capital and labor and was released on the 90th anniversary of his 1891 encyclical on the topic, Rerum Novarum (“of revolutionary change”).
In Laborem Exercens, St. John Paul II pointed out that people in Nazareth were surprised at Jesus’ preaching, calling him a “carpenter” (Mark 6:2-3). Jesus learned to work from his earthly father, Joseph, and St. John Paul II wrote that the Gospel was also a “gospel of work,” because “he who proclaimed it was himself a man of work, a craftsman like Joseph of Nazareth” (emphasis his).
Not only did Jesus work, the great pope wrote, but “he has appreciation and respect for human work” and “looks with love upon human work and the different forms that it takes, seeing in each one of these forms a particular facet of man’s likeness with God, the Creator and Father” (emphasis his).
Adam and Eve were told to labor before the fall—to cultivate and care for the Garden. Because God gave them this order before sin entered the world, back when it was paradise, we know that work is good—not a punishment but a call to share God’s work with Him. God works, and so do we.
Quiet Leadership
Perhaps it makes sense, given my professional mission of encouraging and supporting Catholic businesswomen, that I would have a devotion to St. Joseph. I believe that his intercession led to my vocation of marriage and the existence of my family. Maybe his intercession as the patron saint of workers has also played a role in my career.
I know it can do the same for you. St. Joseph is considered a man of few words, although I suppose just because the Bible doesn’t quote him doesn’t mean he wasn’t chatty. What we can see from Scripture is that even in his quiet, he is decisive and obedient. When God tells Joseph to do something, he does it immediately. He cares for his family and he diligently works diligently for them.
What an example for all of us, men and women! We don’t need to be verbose to lead. We don’t need to have an important title or lots of followers or customers to make an impact. The only thing—the absolute only thing—God asks of us is to discern His will … and then do it.
Taryn DeLong is a Catholic wife and mother in North Carolina who serves as co-president and editor-in-chief of Catholic Women in Business. Her first book, Holy Ambition: Thriving as a Catholic Woman at Work and at Home, written with her co-president Elise Crawford Gallagher, is available for preorder from Ave Maria Press. Connect with Taryn: Instagram • Facebook • LinkedIn • Blog • Substack