The feast of St Joseph the Worker, kept on May 1, was established not in the Middle Ages but in the ideological tensions of the 20th century, when Pope Pius XII sought to reclaim the meaning of labour from the secular politics of May Day. Instituted in 1955, the feast was deliberately fixed to coincide with International Workers’ Day, at a time when communist regimes presented themselves as the natural champions of the worker. Pius instead held up St Joseph as the true Christian model of labour: humble, faithful and ordered not to class struggle but to the service of God and family.
9:30 AM
St Joseph: Antidote to Communism
The feast of St Joseph the Worker was created in the 20th century to offer a Christian vision of labour against the secular ideologies that sought to claim May Day for themselves
James Bradbury
3 min read
Already a subscriber? Sign in
5freearticles every month
Continue reading with a free account. No card needed.
- Five free articles every thirty days, on any device you sign in on
- The Catholic Herald newsletter, every morning
- Subscribe whenever you like for everything: every article and the magazine
subscribe to the catholic herald today
Our best content is exclusively available to our subscribers. Subscribe today and gain instant access to expert analysis, in-depth articles, and thought-provoking insights—anytime, anywhere. Don’t miss out on the conversations that matter most.
Subscribe
