Pastoral Message for the Feast of St Joseph the Worker 2020

Pastoral Message for the Feast of St Joseph the Worker 2020

Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen, Chair of the Bishops Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service, issued a Pastoral Message for the Feast of St Joseph the Worker entitled “Social Solidarity in a Time of Social Distancing”. The Message and accompanying video focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our work lives but also mentions the impacts of work in general and in the time of coronavirus on some of the most vulnerable groups in our community such as casual workers, frontline workers and those who are temporary migrants.

Bishop Vincent says “this major shock to our community, and our economy, could provide an opportunity to reset our thinking about how we support the poorest, most marginalised, and most vulnerable members of our community. In   a   climate   of   fear,   there   is   a   tendency   to   narrow   our   circle.   God   calls   us   to   a   different   way:   working  together,  needing  each  other,  being  the  body  of  Christ.  May  St  Joseph,  model  of  integrity   and  solidarity,  inspire  us  to  serve  and  to  care  for  all. ”

On 1 May the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St Joseph the Worker. So each year the Australian Catholic Bishops take this opportunity to reflect on issues concerning the world of work. Their letters have addressed unemployment, underemployment, insecure and casualised work, the meaning of work, the quest for decent work and much more. Thus they have developed a body of teaching on work. Furthermore, their annual Pastoral Letters for this occasion offer a uniquely Australian contribution to Catholic Social Teaching.

A video with the key points of the Pastoral Message from Bishop Vincent Long Van Nguyen is available here.

The full Pastoral Message (two pages) is available here.

Graphics for use in promoting the Message are available from the Office of Social Justice website here.

Previous Pastoral Letters for the Feast of St Joseph the Worker are available here.