From Father George's Desk 9/6/2026

As we enjoy summer’s unofficial last weekend, let us remember the significance of Labor Day. Pope St. John XXIII in his 1963 encyclical, Pacem in Terris reminds us that among the principal human rights to which all people are entitled are the right to life and a worthy manner of living, the right to gainful employment, and the right to decent working conditions. These rights stem from every person’s inherent dignity and worth as having been created in God’s image. Human labor has value not because it is a commodity in the economic system, but because of the dignity of the laborer. This theme is echoed in the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2012 Labor Day Statement, Placing Work and Workers at the Center of Economic Life: “Our nation needs an economic renewal that places workers and their families at the center of economic life and creates enough decent jobs for everyone who can work. Work is more than a paycheck; it helps raise our families, develop our potential, share in God’s creation, and contribute to the common good. Everyone and every institution has a role to play in building a more just economy. In the words of our Conference, we seek an economy that serves the person rather than the other way around.” Here’s to a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. Happy Labor Day!

On Wednesday the Church honors St. Peter Claver. He entered the Society of Jesus at the age of 20 and, during his study of philosophy, befriended the saintly porter of the college, Alphonsus Rodriguez, who was renown for his holiness of life and gift of prophecy. St. Alphonsus revealed to the young Jesuit that God was calling him to dedicate his life to ministry in the Spanish missions of the New World. In 1610 Peter Claver sailed for Cartagena, Columbia—the center of the slave trade in the Spanish New World—to complete his theological studies. It was during those years that he became deeply disturbed by the harsh treatment of African slaves brought in by the Spanish to labor in the gold and silver mines of the region. Under the tutelage of his Jesuit mentor, Father Alonso de Sandoval, Peter Claver began four decades of ministry to those most of the Spanish considered less than human. At his solemn profession in the Jesuit community in 1622, he declared himself “a slave of the Negroes forever”. As soon as a slave ship entered the port, Peter would immediately begin to minister to the ill-treated passengers. Unlike the slave traders who treated them like animals, Peter would bring them food and medicine. With the help of interpreters he would give basic instructions and assured his African brothers and sisters of their human dignity and God’s saving love. It is estimated that by the time of his death on September 8, 1654, Peter Claver had baptized over 300,000 people! Pope Leo XIII canonized St. Peter Claver in 1888 and declared him patron of missionary work among black slaves. As we strive to minister to those to whom we are called, his words should resound in our hearts: “We must speak to them with our hands before we try to speak to them with our lips.” St. Peter Claver, pray for us!