August 31, 2016 – Excerpted from Put Out Into the Deep, Bishop DiMarzio’s column in The Tablet:

My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,

As Labor Day approaches, our thoughts turn not only to a long holiday weekend, but also to the true meaning of Labor Day. It is a day to celebrate the gift of human labor and genius.

St. John Paul II, in his encyclical, “On Human Work” (Laborem Exercens), made it clear that work is the key to the social question. Human labor is an essential key to understanding our social responsibilities. Work is vital to the functioning of our families and helps us build community according to our God-given dignity. Specifically, he wrote, “….man’s life is built up every day from work, from work it derives its specific dignity.”

We cannot forget the historical origin of Labor Day when a coalition of church and union leaders found a way to celebrate the triumph of dignified labor practices in our country. Work, indeed, is key to understanding the social fabric of our society today.

Read the full text of the Bishop’s column on The Tablet website.