April 2025: Working Joyfully and Expertly for the Benefit of Others

May Day or May 1 has been celebrated since the Middle Ages, and has roots in ancient Greek and Roman cultures as a celebration of spring and new growth. In the nineteenth century, the day was celebrated as International Workers’ Day by the International Socialist Conference, as a result of a workers’ strike and protest in Chicago, Illinois, that turned violent to advocate for an eight-hour workday. During the Cold War, in the United States the official celebration of workers was moved to Labor Day in September. Meanwhile, in 1955, Pope Pius XII established May 1 as a feast day, honoring Saint Joseph the Worker. The feast celebrates the dignity and sanctity of work and the importance of a work ethic that adds stability to family life. Saint Joseph, as the foster father of Jesus and husband of Mary, demonstrated his dedication to work as a carpenter, providing for his family and sharing his skills with his adopted son, Jesus, following the tradition of the time. The feast day was intentionally placed on the date to coincide with International Workers’ Day, signifying the Church’s support of workers’ rights and well-being.

I think about the placement of this feast each year, relative to our school calendar. The date is also traditionally “Decision Day” for students to make their final choice for a college or university. On campus, it is a celebration, sponsored by our College Counseling Department, when students wear their college swag, pose for a class photo wearing their new alma mater gear, enjoy some refreshments, and thank those teachers and counselors who provided letters of recommendation and encouragement throughout the process. It is a culminating day of months of hard work and effort in preparing college applications, and nearly four years of study and extracurricular activities. Our students should be proud of their work, as the feast day celebrates.

The work ethic at Archmere has always been a defining feature of the educational experience. Some consider the rigor to be “too much;” however, I believe most students can be successful at Archmere. It is a matter of creating a self-awareness around capacity, personal limits, and acceptable challenges and risks to develop a course of study that matches one’s own skill and academic development. We have all heard the phrases, I am sure, to “work harder” or “work smarter, not harder” or “if you just put a little more effort into it.” We know that one size does not fit all when it comes to learning and achieving, and that is good. What we do know is that everyone can find success for themselves with the acquisition of a solid work ethic. 

At the Honors Convocation on Tuesday, April 29, I shared with our students that their scholarship and accomplishments of acquiring a deeper understanding of a variety of subjects will help them begin to know themselves - what things they are passionate to know and what skills they can perform very well. The intersection of passion and skill begins to reveal a potential career path, and more importantly, purpose in life. Marrying intellectual curiosity and ability with a prayer life and spiritual belief system, like the Norbertine Catholic charism on which Archmere was founded, will provide the ingredients for a work ethic that is fruitful, productive, balanced, and affirming.

Interestingly, on May 1, 1931, the Empire State Building was officially opened. The important connection to Archmere is that John Jakob Raskob and his wife, Helena, purchased the Archmere estate, then a working farm, in 1910, and built the mansion house and garages between 1916 to 1918. Mr. Raskob, a patriot and philanthropist, had the idea of constructing the tallest building in the world to lift the spirits and provide work to those out of work during the Great Depression. Along with Governor Al Smith, P.S. duPont, and other investors, Raskob formed Empire State, Inc., and funded the construction of the Empire State Building, which was completed in just over 13 months - a true feat of architectural ingenuity and amazing work ethic. Mr. Raskob recreated his office in the Patio at Archmere to three times its original size on the 82nd floor of the Empire State Building, complete with a working fireplace. He spent a good deal of time working in New York, and would often entertain his guests at the theater and the family’s New York apartment. Born in Lockport, New York, Raskob’s family immigrated from Germany where his grandfather was a cigar maker, a trade that his father would learn and begin a business in the United States. When his father died during John’s first year of business school, he left school to help his family - mother, brother, and sister - run the business. His seemingly meteoric rise in early twentieth century corporate America came with a number of less fulfilling “stepping stone” jobs, as remote as Nova Scotia. Yet, with a positive outlook and a strong work ethic, he arrived in Wilmington with his boss, P.S. duPont, who took over the ownership of E. I. duPont de Nemours and Company with his cousins, who purchased the company from other family members. 

I have always felt that Archmere was the hearth of a strong work ethic and an active Catholic faith created by the Raskobs - long before Archmere Academy was conceived. As with many things in life, do we consider these coincidences or signs, much like the events that have layered the date, May 1? Whatever you may believe, what we can learn from our history is significant, and in many ways, reaffirms the choices we make and the energies we expend in our day-to-day experiences. May we always look to examples of men and women who have worked joyfully and expertly for the benefit of others and with a sense of calling and purpose. 

A worker’s prayer to Saint Joseph: O God, the creator of all things, who formed the law of labor for the human race, graciously grant that by merits and patronage of St. Joseph, we may do the work You assign us and earn the reward You promise. Through our Lord, Jesus. Amen.

Gratefully,

Michael A. Marinelli, Ed.D. ‘76

Head of School