PASTORAL CARE TO
THE WORKERS OF OUR PARISH
Introduction
Work
is one of the basic elements of being a full man. Each and every human being in
the world one way or other, he or she is supposed to work, because work is the
money minting factor. Without work nobody can live in this world. Moreover the
work differs from person to person. Some people work that may depend on their
knowledge and experience. There are different modes of work as well as
categories of work. In this paper, I would like to focus on the physical
laborers who work very hard. The purpose I have selected these workers is they
don’t have an organization as such and they are like scattered people. It is
the current need that they must be given awareness; the rights must be properly
respected. The government schemes must be properly informed to these people.
Basically
I have more interest in the ministry of workers because my regency time provided
me such an interest. I have the little experience of working for the palm tree
workers, salt workers and fishermen. My regency boss introduced all these kinds
of ministry to me, really that too paved the way for increasing a sort of
interest to design the pastoral plan for the workers. So my paper consists of
three major parts. The first part will fully deal about the workers with
biblical background and church position towards the workers and social teaching
about the workers. The second part will talk about the empowerment of the
workers in general (may be Tamilnadu level or diocese level). The final part
puts forth my pastoral plan for my own future parish workers.
1. Workers in
the Bible, Church Position and Social Teaching about the Workers
Work
and workers are not recently emerged concept; rather it has got its own
historicity. Because when a human being is born in the world, one of the basic
obligations or rights is to work or being workers. So, bible also contributes
much about the work and workers and church has its own position towards the
work and workers. In addition to that, social teaching also speaks in favor of
the workers and their rights.
1.1 Work/ Workers in the Bible
We believe that God created this
beautiful world. The creation itself automatically says God works well. The
first six days he worked hard, therefore now we enjoy in this beautiful world.
It is clearly seen in Gen2:2 “And on the
seventh day God finished the work that he had done and he rested on the seventh
day form all the work that he had done.” It is obvious that our creator himself
is a very hard worker. We see in the story of Cain and Abel, Abel’s offering is
accepted by God. It shows that the hard work will always come out with positive
and good result. And also the hard work of Abel is represented in this
incident.
The salvation history also
beautifully enumerated the pain of the physical laborers. Their enslavement,
hard living, unjust wages and harassment given by the owners are well projected
in the event of people working in Egypt. There we see Moses as a prophet and
social worker who worked for the betterment of the people. I believe that
today’s pastors particularly me are called for this cause to work as like as
Moses.
It is well evident that Jesus also
followed the working principle of God and he played the prophetic attitude of
Moses in his own life. Jesus was not an idol or lazy man rather who gave his
physical labor. He learned the work from his father St.Joseph and worked with
him. It was not an easy work rather hard work. He involved in it with full
interest. During his ministry time it is well understood that he gave more
importance to the workers. He gave his company to the working class community.
All his disciples were from the working class people. His parables and
teachings were filled with an importance of work. The parables, he used were
more related to agriculture work and fishing. These work need more physical contribution
or physical labor. It represents the interest of Jesus towards the working
class community or group.
Jesus’ teachings were accurately
lived in the early church period. People were more enthusiastic in following
the footsteps of Jesus Christ. They worked hard for the good of them as well as
others. One of the disciples of Jesus is St.Paul who beautifully says “Any one
unwilling to work should not eat.” (2Thes3:10). It conveys the message that the
work is very important in the lives of human beings.
In today’s world, the people who
involved in the work must be respected with full human dignity. The church also
contributed its ideologies for the welfare of the workers.
1.2 Church’s Position towards the Workers
Rerum Novarum is the prophetic
message given by the church to care for the workers. Pope Leo XIII placed this
encyclical which contributes the pastoral concern against the exploitation of
workers. “Rerum Novarum is above all a heartfelt defense of the inalienable
dignity of workers, connected with the importance of the right to property, the
principle of cooperation among the social classes, the rights of the weak and
the poor, the obligation of workers and employers and the right to form
associations.”
Work is a fundamental right and a
good for mankind, a useful good, worthy of man because it is an appropriate way
for him to give expression to and enhance his human dignity. The church teaches
the value of work not only because it is always something that belongs to the person
but also because of its nature as something necessary. The church says some of
the rights that are the dignity of the workers must be respected, the right to
fair remuneration and income distribution, the right to strike, the right to
start labor union.
1.3 Social Teaching about the Workers
Human Rights Declaration beautifully
presents four points about the rights of the workers and the rights of the
union.
1. Everybody
has got the right to work and the right to select the work and the right to
claim place for work
2. Workers
have the right to claim the wage for their work. No discrimination should be
shown in distributing wages
3. Every
worker must be given decent wage that has to fulfill the needs of the family.
He/She has the right to have social safety
4. Workers
have the right to start workers union as well as to be the member of union
2. Empowerment of the Workers in General
Right
from the beginning, we see the work and workers are given more importance.
Especially the church has got greater concern towards these working class
people. In today’s world the church has the responsibility to empower the
workers. Let me give some tips
v Today’s
church is functioning with the financial help of the working class community
alone. The church needs to have this in mind and work for them
v The
papacy may have the department for the labors, but it has to ensure that the
ministry for the workers is done in every nook and corner of the world.
v Especially,
Indian church fully depends on these working people. It has to work for the
betterment for these workers.
v Indian
church must prepare the statistics of physical labors in India alone. The
accurate data of the catholic physical labors must be produced.
v National
seminar for the workers can be conducted once in a year.
v National
labor commission can make a good contact with the companies run by the catholic
people, through which the commission can provide jobs for the Catholics.
v Once
in three months, a report from the diocesan labor commission should be
submitted. That has to be made as mandatory to all the dioceses.
v National
labor commission is supposed to strengthen the network with the various workers
union for the nation.
v Each
diocese has to gather the workers of the diocese in vicariate level and insists
the importance of the unity of the workers and makes them as union.
v Diocesan
level and vicariate level seminar must be conducted for the workers. The obligations
and rights of the workers have to be insisted in it.
3. Pastoral Care
for the Workers in my Future Parish
Ø A
chart will be prepared in which I have the entry of the work of each and every
parishnors and place of the work too.
Ø I
will categorize the people according to the work they involve and make them as
group or associations. For example, fisher men association, salt workers
associations and palmera workers associations.
Ø Once
in a month I will conduct meeting for these people. I make them cultivate the
habit of savings. I will ensure that every association has the bank account.
Ø It
is easy for the associations to get the loans from the bank in order to develop
the work which they do. I will work for it.
Ø The
rights and obligations of the workers will be well informed. Only then they can
have a proper working condition at their work.
Ø I
will make sure that the government schemes reach the workers especially,
scholarship, insurance and supportive fund for the welfare of the workers.
Ø I
will see to that every unorganized worker should have the labors card given by
the government.
Ø If
there is any problem faced by the workers within the nation or in abroad as
migrant workers in their working place, immediately I will refer to the
association and National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM).
Ø The
feast of St. Joseph is specially meant for these workers. It will be celebrated
and animated by these working associations in the parish. A special seminar may
be arranged for these people.
Ø When
something happens against the rights of a particular worker, the other workers
all come together and give their support to the affected worker for which I
will prepare the people and make them show solidarity with one another.
Ø I
will update my knowledge in the arena of workers which will be surely helpful
for the workers belong to my parish.
Ø I
will make awareness among the people insisting to get all the Xerox copies of
passport, Visa, address of the place and other details about the companies too
before someone going to abroad as migrant worker.
Conclusion
It
is a well known fact that every parish will have huge number of different sorts
of workers. Therefore, I accept that the ministry to the workers is mandatory
in today’s society. Having that in my mind I will work for these people. In a
way, it will pave the way for me to get the support of my parishioners for the
development of my own parish. I will try my best to help the workers in all the
ways possible.
