Labor Day prompts memories of union membership in the family

Judy Russell
·6 min read

Labor Day often reminds me that I come from a family that, in part, always supported labor unions and their members.

On my mother’s side of the family, especially, that included relatives who were members of labor unions in automotive, engineering, paper mill and public school district jobs. To the best of my knowledge, my Dad wasn’t a union laborer, but he toiled for years working three shifts at a paper mill. When he started at the mill, after serving in Patton’s 3rd Army during World War II, we didn’t have a lot except love in our family.

We didn’t have a car. Dad had a bicycle that he used to deliver Sunday papers in parts of Green Bay to supplement his income. My mom worked part-time as a server at a small restaurant below our apartment. Dad carried a lunch bucket to his job, but sometimes that lunch bucket contained nothing but a package of candy that I think was called something like “Walnettos.” I was told, in my later years after Dad died, that he carried that lunch bucket because he didn’t want his co-workers to know that he didn’t have much food to eat.

There were good, and not so good, times in our family because of local labor issues, including strikes, which can divide a family.

Author Kathleen Norris, in the September issue of Give Us This Day, which includes reflections and morning and evening prayers, writes that “Entering September can feel like stepping onto a treadmill at full speed ….” that sometimes we may start counting the days “until Thanksgiving provides a breather.”

“September has great rewards for us if we pay attention to God’s time as our calendars quickly fill with meetings and events,” Norris writes.

In the same issue, Eric Clayton, an author and communications director, notes that “Some of us have jobs that are considered ‘creative.’ But all of us can create something with our work …. “

Here is a Labor Day Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer:

“God our Creator, we are the work of your hands. Guide us in our work, that we may do it, not for self alone, but for the common good. Make us alert to injustice, ready to stand in solidarity, that there may be dignity for all in labor and in labor’s reward. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

Here are some Oshkosh area church events:

  • The Catholic parishes of Oshkosh will host a Citywide Eucharistic Adoration Mission Sept. 11 to 13. Three guest priests will speak at the weekend Masses and at the mission on Monday through Wednesday. All sessions will be held at the St. Mary worship site of Most Blessed Sacrament Parish, 605 Merritt Ave. Optional adoration, confession and Mass times are included in the mission schedule.The evening mission talks will begin at 7 p.m. daily. There will also be mission talks at 9 a.m. daily. The guest priests are Father Joseph Aytona, CPM; Father Jewel Aytona, CPM; and Father James Kubicki, SJ, who is featured on Relevant Radio. The mission will culminate with a citywide Mass, adoration and hospitality on Sept. 13. Child care will be available during the mission talks on each day. Regularly scheduled Masses will be celebrated Sept. 9 and 10 at each parish site with the guest priests. For more information, visit facebook.com/divine mercy3oshkosh.

  • It’s the Green Bay Packers vs. the Chicago Bears next Sunday, so the Knights of Columbus organization is sponsoring its 10th annual Watch Party and Chili Dump in Leannah Hall at the Sacred Heart site of St. Jude Parish, 519 Knapp St., Oshkosh. The game doesn’t start until 3:25 p.m., so fans have several hours to chow down at the Chili Dump. The doors will open at 11 a.m. Cheer on your team while watching on an 18-foot screen. They will show the NFL’s early game as well. All ages are welcome to enjoy chili with all the fixings. Donations of $5 are encouraged to help support the Religious Education programs of Most Blessed Sacrament and St. Jude parishes. Soda, beer and bottled water will be available to purchase.

  • Bridget Duffy-Ulrich, who is joining the staff at First Congregational Church, 137 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh, will share organ, piano and choir responsibilities with Joanne Peterson. For many years Bridget has served FCC as guest choir director and organist. The church also announced that, beginning in October, on one Sunday each month, all members, friends and visitors are invited to sing in an All-Church Choir during worship. To sing in the choir that Sunday morning, arrive at the church by 9 a.m. for rehearsal. The first All-Church Choir Sunday will be Oct. 15.

  • Peace Lutheran Church of Oshkosh will have its first Fall Fest Brunch after the 9 a.m. Sunday service on Sept. 10 in the Social Center. If you plan to attend please bring a dish to pass. The church is at 240 W. Ninth Ave.

  • After a summer hiatus, Sunday night Mass returns on Sept. 10 at 5 p.m. at St. Raphael Catholic Church, 830 S. Westhaven Drive, Oshkosh.

  • Starting on Sept. 10, Sunday worship at First Congregational Church, 137 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh will again begin at 10 a.m.

  • The Ladies Night Out Group from St. Mary’s Omro/Winneconne will meet at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 11, to “relax, refresh, and rejuvenate.” The gathering will be in Kaudy Hall at the Winneconne site, 210 Pleasant Drive. Light snacks and beverages will be served. The event is free, but donations are appreciated. To register, email Tanya at jonya830@gmail.com, or text at 262-441-0674.

  • The public is welcome to participate in Cider Day on Sept. 16 at Calvary SonRise Church, 222 Church Ave., Oshkosh. Visitors can come and pick apples, or bring their own apples, to be pressed for cider, then stay for a fundraising carnival. There will be games, crocheted items, and apple-based products. The pressing of apples for cider starts at 8 a.m. Other activities and food will be available from noon to 2 p.m. All sales and donations will benefit the SonRise missions fund. If you plan to take apples home with you, bring your own containers. For more information, call 920-312-7411, or visit CSOSHKOSH.com/CIDERDAY.

  • Are you celebrating your 50th wedding anniversary this year? If so, you are invited to a 50th Wedding Anniversary Mass on Oct. 1 at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Green Bay. The Mass is at 12:30 p.m. Bishop David L. Ricken will preside. For more information and to register call the diocesan Office of Family & Pro Life, 920-272-8309 by Sept. 15. You can also register online at gbdioc.org/anniversary.

  • Can you “spare a square” for the Blessing Box at First Presbyterian Church, 110 Church Ave., Oshkosh? Tops on the priority list is toilet paper, a constant need. Drop off your donations in the bin under the Community Crossroads bulletin board next to the church office, on Sundays before or after worship, or on Thursdays between 8 and 11:30 a.m.

Thought for the Day: On this Labor Day weekend may all who seek employment find meaningful work that befits their dignity.

Judy Russell of Oshkosh writes about happenings at area centers of worship. To submit news for her consideration, email oshkoshsubmit@thenorthwestern.com with the subject “Church news.” Deadline is 5 p.m. Mondays.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Labor Day reflections, Oshkosh area church events in September