Houston—As janitors prepare to negotiate a new agreement to bring better jobs to Houston, Most Reverend Joseph A. Fiorenza, Archbishop Emeritus of Houston, is saying a special Catholic Mass today to celebrate the sacred link between faith, work, and justice.

“Knowing that working families have the full support of the Church makes me very happy,” says Houston janitor Ascención Blanco. “Even though workers come from all different faiths, this Mass sends a message of hope to all of us.”

Today’s “Blessing of the Brooms” Mass is an expression of Catholic social teaching that dates back centuries. In the view of the Catholic Church, all people have a moral obligation to promote the dignity of work and ensure that the needs of the poor and vulnerable are met.

In a 2005 Pastoral Message called “The Church and the Right of Workers,” Archbishop Fiorenza said the following with regard to Houston janitors: “The rights of workers, like all other human rights, are based on the human person and on his or her human dignity.  The Church, in Her teaching on the rights of workers, has listed some of these rights: ‘the right to a just wage, the right to working environments which are not harmful to the worker’s health, the right to a pension and insurance for old age, sickness, and work-related accidents, the right to assemble and form associations.’ In consideration of these and other rights of workers which respect human dignity, the just wage is the most important in work relationships.”

Today’s Mass comes as janitors are preparing to negotiate a new agreement that will determine wages and working conditions for more than 3,200 Houston janitors. The current agreement, reached after the janitors’ historic 2006 strike, expires in November.