St. Joseph the Worker, established by Pius XII in 1955 on May 1, honors Joseph's role as carpenter and provider for the Holy Family. He is the model showing that labor is a means of sanctification.

The feast of St. Joseph the Worker was established by Pope Pius XII in 1955, assigning it to May 1, the date already celebrated internationally as Labor Day. This feast honors St. Joseph in his role as a working man and the provider for the Holy Family.

Joseph was a carpenter (tekton in Greek, which could also mean a craftsman or builder) in the small town of Nazareth. In the workshop where he labored to support Jesus and Mary, he sanctified the dignity of human work. The Son of God Himself, during the years of His hidden life, learned and practiced the trade at Joseph's side, so that the people of Nazareth knew Him as "the carpenter's son."

The Church proposes St. Joseph as the model and patron of all workers, teaching that labor is not merely an economic necessity but a means of sanctification and cooperation with God's creative work. As Pope Pius XII said in establishing the feast: "The humble workman of Nazareth not only embodies before God and the Church the dignity of the worker, but is also the provident guardian of you and your families."

St. Joseph the Worker — Butler Lives of Saints