SEA ISLE CITY – A small crowd gathered on May 1 in the St. Joseph Catholic Church parking lot beside a folding table stacked with tools. Hammers, crowbars, hoes, power drills and other implements of the trades were piled high to receive a blessing – in the form of sprinkled holy water – from the Rev. Perry Cherubini.
May 1 is commonly a celebration of the working man. Holidays like May Day and International Workers Day honor those who work with their hands and do not have a life of luxury. In 1955, Pope Pius XII designated the day as a feast to St. Joseph the Worker (yes, that Joseph, father of Jesus) as a counterpoint to the Communist celebration on the same day.
So it was that 19 Sea Isle City locals gathered to have their tools blessed, so the following year’s work will bring honor to God.
JoJo D’intino, who has lived on the island all 82 years of his life, brought his walking cane for a blessing.
“Everybody says to get their tool blessed, but without this cane, I can’t get nowhere! It’s a tool to help me walk,” he told the Herald. He has attended St. Joseph’s for most of his life and was born in Sea Isle City when there was still a hospital – Mercy Hospital – on the island or, indeed, a maternity ward anywhere on the Cape.
Congregants stood by their tools while they waited for Cherubini to arrive. The spirit of the day was lively; people chatted with old friends and talked about construction projects in progress.
Mark Dever, a boat builder, brought a whole bag of tools to be blessed. He is putting together a 33-foot outboard motorboat at his shop, Dever Marine.
Ron Custer, a St. Joseph faithful, said it’s “always good to have my tools blessed. I get my pet blessed, too.”
Voices hushed when Cherubini, who came to St. Joseph’s in 2024, arrived. He prayed to St. Joseph: “When it is pleasant and productive, remind me to give thanks to God for it. And when it is burdensome, teach me to offer it to God.”
Following the prayer, he sprinkled holy water onto the pile of tools from an ornate aspersory.
Jim McGowan, active in the church, told the Herald after the blessing that events like this are a meaningful way to remember that hard work is not done in vain. Still, he said, it might not bring material flourishing.
McGowan is active in local ministries that provide material help to the homeless, those on fixed incomes, and those in great need. Vulnerable populations in Cape May County are on his mind during this time of economic upheaval.
“I think there’s a certain honor in hard work,” he said. “We are here to bless those who work hard.”
Contact the author, Collin Hall, at 609-886-8600, ext. 156, or by email at chall@cmcherald.com.
