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| LITANY OF WORK in honor of St. Joseph the Worker |
Response after each invocation: With St. Joseph the Worker, we praise you, O Lord. We give thanks to God for the work of our lives, For the work of our hands, For the work of our minds, For the work of our hearts, For the enlightening work of teachers, librarians, students, and coaches, For the healing work of doctors, nurses, and counselors, For the creative work of artists, musicians, painters, and sculptors, For the precise work of engineers, scientists, and computer specialists, For the nurturing work of homemakers, parents, and guardians, For the wise work of retirees and grandparents, For the proclaiming work of writers, photographers, editors, and publishers, For the trustworthy work of accountants, bankers, lawyers, politicians, and salespeople, For the faith-filled work of ordained, religious, and lay ministers, For the protective work of police, firefighters, and military personnel, For the dedicated work of secretaries, receptionists, and bookkeepers, For the compassionate work of volunteers, For the fruitful work of farmers, fishers, growers, and gardeners, For the judicious work of managers, administrators, directors, and supervisors, For the steadfast work of those who manufacture products, For the constructive work of builders, surveyors, architects, masons, and carpenters, For the efficient work of those who transport people and things by bus, train, plane, taxi, and boat, For the hospitable work of cooks, waiters and waitresses, cashiers, hotel and motel workers, For the clarifying work of television, radio, and news media workers, For the dependable work of telephone and postal workers, For the good work of all other co-workers, For our work which sheds light in the darkness, For our work which crates order from chaos, For our work which builds peace out of hostility, For our work which helps others, For our work which empowers others, For our work which inspires others, For our work which builds the Reign of God, Let us pray: Joseph, it was to you that the Father entrusted his Son and the Virgin Mother. Continue to be the sign of the Father's love for us. Form us in the ways of work as you formed Christ, so that we may labor for the building of the City of God. Teach us a profound respect for the mystery of creation and a reverence for the Father's presence in the material world around us. Help us bear witness to the sanctity of work in our daily living. May God grant us this grace through your intercession in union with Jesus and Mary.
Amen
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Local governments that choose to allow nativity scenes in public schools would be protected, so long as they followed certain requirements laid out in a bill introduced by Rep. Alan Seabaugh, R-Shreveport, that seems likely to pass.
The House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill 88-0 that would authorize local school boards to educate students about religious holidays that take place in the winter, including Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.
The legislation would allow symbols associated with religious holidays -- such as Christmas trees and nativity scenes -- to be displayed in public schools as long as items representing multiple religions or secular belief systems were represented.
The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Alan Seabaugh, said the bill was largely based on a Texas law that has already withstood a legal challenge. He said he was confident that the law would be upheld by the courts if legal challenges from groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) materialized. The ACLU typically frowns on religious symbols being placed in public schools and government buildings.
"The state would absolutely win [if a lawsuit comes forward]," said Seabaugh.
The legislation would allow symbols associated with religious holidays -- such as Christmas trees and nativity scenes -- to be displayed in public schools as long as items representing multiple religions or secular belief systems were represented.
The sponsor of the bill, Rep. Alan Seabaugh, said the bill was largely based on a Texas law that has already withstood a legal challenge. He said he was confident that the law would be upheld by the courts if legal challenges from groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) materialized. The ACLU typically frowns on religious symbols being placed in public schools and government buildings.
"The state would absolutely win [if a lawsuit comes forward]," said Seabaugh.
