By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY - St. Jo- seph's work as a humble car- penter serves as an example of the dignity of hard work that today is often denied to those in need, Pope Francis said. "Many young people, many fathers and mothers experi- ence the ordeal of not having a job that allows them to live peacefully; they just live day by day. And how often the search for work becomes so desperate that it drives them to the point of losing all hope and the desire to live," the pope said Jan. 12 during his weekly general audience. The value of hard work, he added, is also exploited in to- day's world where many peo- ple, including undocumented workers, are forced to do gru- eling tasks for unfair wages, and children, "who should be playing," instead are "forced to work like an adult." "They are our brothers and sisters, those who earn their living this way, with jobs that do not recognize their dignity. Let us think about this; this is happening today in the world!" he said. Pope Francis was con- tinuing his series of audi- ence talks about St. Joseph, reflecting on his work as a carpenter. The work of a carpenter or woodworker at that time, the pope explained, involved not only crafting tools or furni- ture but also building houses. From an economic point of view, "it did not ensure great earnings." Pope Francis said the fact that St. Joseph, as well as Jesus, practiced carpentry re- minded him "of all the work- ers in the world, especially those who do grueling work in mines and factories" as well as "those who are exploited through undocumented work" and the "victims of labor," who are injured or die on the job because of unsafe working conditions. He also called on Chris- tians to remember those who are without work and who return home every day, un- successful in their efforts to "earn their bread." "Earning bread is what gives you dignity and if we do not give our people, our men and women, the ability to earn bread, this is a social injustice in that place, in that nation, in that continent," the pope said. "Leaders must give everyone the ability to earn bread, because this earning gives them dignity." Departing from his pre- pared remarks, the pope called for a moment of silent prayer for those who lost their jobs during the pandemic and for those who, "crushed by an unbearable burden, reached the point of taking their own lives." "I would like to remember each of them and their fami- lies today. Let us take a mo- ment of silence, remembering these men, these women, who are desperate because they cannot find work," the pope said before bowing his head in prayer. Pope Francis called on those present to think about what they can do "to recover the value of work" and what the church can do "so that work can be redeemed from the logic of mere profit and can be experienced as a fun- damental right and duty of the person, which expresses and increases his or her dig- nity."
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CNS Photo by Paul Haring
Pope Francis greeted a baby during his general audience in Paul VI hall at the Vatican Jan. 12.
Denying dignity of work is 'injustice,' pope says in latest talk on St. Joseph
Archbishop Kurtz's schedule
Following is Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz's schedule for the coming weeks. Jan. 16 - 11 a.m. Consecrated Virgin Ritual Mass for Alex Schmidt with reception to follow and blessing of Good Shepherd Atrium, St. Thomas Church, Bardstown, Ky; 3 p.m. annual Memorial Mass for the Sanctity of Human Life, St. Martin of Tours Church. Jan. 19 - 10 a.m. Meeting with students at Bethlehem High School, Bardstown, Ky. Jan. 20 - Noon Priests' Council Meeting; 7 p.m. Confirmation for Most Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Sts. Simon and Jude and St. Thomas More churches at Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Jan. 21 - 6 p.m. Confirmation, St. Francis Xavier Church, Raywick, Ky. Jan. 23 - 11 a.m. Confirmation for ninth graders, St. Augustine Church in Lebanon, Ky., and Holy Name of Mary Church in Calvary, Ky., at St. Augustine. Jan. 30 - 10 a.m. World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life Mass, St. Gregory Church, Samuels, Ky. Feb. 1 - 10 a.m. Catholic Schools Week Mass, St. Patrick Church. Feb. 2 - 9:30 a.m. Archdiocesan Agency Directors Meeting, Pastoral Center. Feb. 3 - 4 p.m. Catholic Education Foundation Board of Directors Meeting.
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The annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration scheduled for Monday, January 17, 2022, at the Cathedral of the Assumption has been canceled due to the surge in COVID-19 cases in Metro Louisville. The Office of Multicultural Ministry will provide additional information for in-person, community-wide events that will be scheduled for future dates.
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Pope: preserve identity received at baptism
By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY - Before baptizing 16 babies in the Sistine Chapel, Pope Francis reminded parents and god- parents of their responsibil- ity to care for and preserve the Christian identity the infants were about to receive. "This is your task through- out your lives: to guard the Christian identity of your children," the pope said. "It is a daily commitment: help them grow with the light they receive today." The pope baptized the sev- en boys and nine girls - the children of Vatican employ- ees - in the Sistine Cha- pel during the celebration of Mass Jan. 9, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The tradition of baptiz- ing infants on the feast day, which began in 1981 by St. John Paul II, was canceled last year due to the pandemic. Although the baptisms re- sumed this year, the number of infants was significantly reduced. In January 2020, the pope had baptized 32 infants in the Sistine Chapel. Delivering a brief, off-the- cuff homily, Pope Francis re- called a hymn for the feast day that said the people of Is- rael went to the Jordan River to be baptized "with bare feet and bare souls." "These children today also come here with 'bare souls' to receive God's justification, Jesus' strength, the strength to move forward in life," he said. "Your children will re- ceive their Christian identity today. And you, parents and godparents, must guard this identity." With the sounds of fussy children filling the frescoed chapel, the pope repeated his usual advice to mothers of infants, encouraging them to make their children comfort- able, and to not worry if they start to cry in the chapel. "This ceremony is a bit long, the children then feel uncomfortable here in an en- vironment they do not know. Please, they are the protago- nists: make sure that they are not too hot, that they feel comfortable," he said. "If they are hungry, breast feed them here, in front of the Lord, no problem," he added. "And if they cry out, let them cry out, because they have a community spirit, let's say a 'band spirit,' a spirit of ensem- ble, and all it takes is for one to start - because everyone is musical - and immediately the orchestra comes!"
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