Labor Day

Monday, Sep. 7, 2026

Location: Diocesan offices and Catholic schools closed

"You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.” — Matthew 20:4

In the Catholic tradition, work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continued participation in God’s creative action. As we mark Labor Day each year, we are invited in a special way to reflect on the persistence of low wages and inequality in our workplaces.

"Labor Day has a larger purpose than just cookouts and a shorter work week. It’s meant to remind us of the importance of labor, of the inherent dignity of work and of all workers," explains Deacon Matthew Glover in his 2017 Understanding Our Church column. 

"The Catholic Church has stood up for the dignity of work and the rights of laborers for the past two millennia," Deacon Glover added. "And the Church’s teachings find their root not in political ideology, but in the so-called 'hidden life' of Jesus Christ, and his foster father, St. Joseph.

"Jesus’ public ministry only lasted for three years. He spent the vast majority of his life here on earth working, carpentering and doing manual labor under the tutelage of St. Joseph. Jesus’ first act of sanctification (besides assuming our humanity in the incarnation) was to assume the normal hum-drum of our daily working lives."

The 2025 Labor Day Statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops focused on "Promoting The Dignity of Workers in the Rise of AI."

"While technological advances offer great promises, as followers of Christ, we believe that technology should enrich the sacredness and dignity of human labor," wrote Archbishop Borys Gudziak, chairman of the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. Pope Leo XIV "has encouraged people to approach AI with 'responsibility and discernment,' ensuring it serves the common good and benefits all people.

"History warns us of the consequences when rapid technological advances are used without ethical discernment. In 'Rerum Novarum,' Pope Leo XIII cautioned that the Industrial Revolution led to a troubling gap in wealth and power, deepening inequality and fueling social instability. Today, as we experience an 'AI revolution,' we must learn from the past. Indeed, this is one of the very reasons our Holy Father chose the name Leo XIV." | Read Statement.

To learn more about Catholic teaching regarding labor, read "The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers" from the U.S. bishops, “Rerum Novarum,” (“On the Rights and Duties of Capital and Labor”) by Pope Leo XIII or other Understanding Our Church columns about Labor Day. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops also offers this Labor Day Prayer to reflect on.