A CLO SE R LO O K
The Dignity and Purpose of Work Later, Washington and his students made and laid the literal In 1955, Pope Pius IX established May 1 as the Feast of bricks that became Tuskegee University, while the students St. Joseph the Worker, a day set aside to seek St. Joseph’s also labored in agricultural work as part of the curriculum. intercession on behalf of laborers. The date was chosen as The purpose, he recounted, was so that “the students an alternative to International Workers’ Day, to celebrate themselves would be taught to see not only utility in labor, workers while avoiding association with May Day’s historical but beauty and dignity.” They would learn “how to lift labor Marxist inflection. Although many countries still celebrate from mere drudgery and toil, and would learn to love work May 1 as Labor Day, for Catholics, the Feast of St. Joseph the for its own sake.” Worker is the day to recognize and celebrate the dignity of work and workers without subscribing In describing work’s value both for to the errors of collectivist political “its own sake” and for the purpose of economic theories. And, of course, serving others, Washington expresses it reminds us that we must always be mindful of a proper understanding of Work’s higher dignity is essential elements in the Catholic of work, especially as the nature and purpose of work. realized in the creativity understanding articulated by Pope St. John Paul II in and diligence that goes his 1981 encyclical, Laborem Exercens. In his classic 1901 memoir, Up From St. John Paul expounded both the Slavery, Booker T. Washington reflected into the work by the “objective” and “subjective” natures on labor’s value by recalling his days human person, rather than of work, finding dignity in both, but as a student and janitor at Hampton elevating the latter as the greater part. Institute (now Hampton University). merely the product that “The subjective dimension of work comes out. must take precedent over the objective “At Hampton,” Washington wrote, dimension,” he wrote. “I not only learned that it was not a disgrace to labor, but learned to love labor.” He learned to Objectively, work is the good, service or product formed love work for its “own sake” as well as the satisfaction of by human effort. The object is some thing, external to the supplying goods and services to others. Through physical worker, that can be used by another person. But work’s labor, he wrote, “I got my first taste of what it meant to live deeper dignity is found in the subjective sense, intimated a life of unselfishness” and to discover the happiness that by Washington and expressly articulated by St. John Paul. can be found in providing services to others. 1 6 | THE CATHOLIC TE LEGRAPH
