A traditional Labor Day Pig Roast was hosted by the Knights of Columbus Fr. John J. Walsh M.S. Council 7052 at their Knights Hall.
More than 150 people took part, including honored guests Bishop Frank J. Dewane and Epiphany Cathedral Rector Msgr. Patrick Dubois.
Msgr. Dubois offered the blessing of the food and a prayer to commemorate Labor Day.
“God Our Father, on this Labor Day, we give you thanks for the fruits of our labor which you have blessed us with. We ask you to bless this food for us, the hands that prepared it and the work that sustains our families and communities. May this meal nourish our bodies, strengthen our spirits and inspires us to continue our work with love, integrity, and gratitude.”
Food included roasted pig, plantains, barbeque baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, and an ice cream sundae bar. In addition to iced tea, lemonade and water, beer and wine were available.
In commemoration of Labor Day, Bishop Dewane offered the following message:
“Work in its many forms is proper to the human person. It expresses the dignity of being created in the image of God. Thus, it is said that work is sacred.” – Pope Francis
“In the Catholic tradition, work is recognized as a gift from God. It is one’s first vocation and gives dignity to humanity. This is clear from the very beginning of the Bible, where we read that God has created the garden of Eden, and that Adam and Eve are to look after it. Work is more than a way to make a living, it is a way of being – a form of continuing participation in God’s creation.
The Church teaches that in work, the person exercises and fulfills, in part, the potential inscribed in his or her nature. It is a path to growth, human development and personal fulfillment. Work is part of the meaning of life on this earth!
All people have the right to productive work, to just wages and benefits, and to decent working conditions. If the dignity of work is to be upheld and recognized as God’s gift, then the basic rights of workers must be respected, and protected. Let us pray on this Labor Day holiday that work may be dignified everywhere and for everyone.”
On this Labor Day, recall that Jesus teaches, in word and deed, that we should appreciate work. After all, Jesus Himself, having “become like us in all things, devoted most of the years of his life on earth to manual work at the carpenter’s bench.” (John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens)
