Message of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
on the occasion of the
Feast of St. Joseph the Worker
1 May 2021
The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to celebrate Joseph, the patron saint of workers on 1 May each year. We learn from the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 13:55-56) that St. Joseph was a carpenter. As a worker, St. Joseph would have been gifted in his craft but dependent on others for work that would help him meet the basic needs of his family.
Since 1891, when Pope Leo XIII issued the Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum in response to injustices to workers that arose during the industrial revolution, the Church has stated that the right to work, and the rights of workers, must be maintained and strengthened no matter the nature of the work or the stature of the worker.