Hundreds of construction workers, workers in the building trades, union officials, and others processed into St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Wednesday, April 30, to remember their co-workers who perished on the job, and others who had died at work in previous years at the annual Hard Hat Mass.

Observing International Workers’ Memorial Day, marked each year on April 28, many wore or carried their hard hats as a bagpiper led them into the cathedral, which itself is currently undergoing renovation work being done by union labor, Father Brian Jordan, the Mass’ principal celebrant, noted. Father Jordan, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi parish on West 31^st Street in Manhattan, who has been chaplain to the building trades for more than 20 years, asked the women and men in attendance to remove their hats once Mass had begun.

In front of the altar were arrayed 15 empty chairs, each with a white hard hat placed on it. Each chair represents a worker, union or non-union, killed on the job since May 1 of last year. Fourteen workers died in workplace accidents over the last 12 months. The 15^th chair represents all those who have died in similar accidents in previous years. Nine of those killed were non-union, a point that Father Jordan waved away. “We are all equal in death,” he said.

In his homily, Father Jordan welcomed members of Construction and General Building Laborers’ Local 79, Construction and General Building Laborers’ Local 731, International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825, and others in attendance. Speaking for 12 minutes, he emphasized the need for safety and unity, and the “sacred” nature of construction work.

“Since March of 2008 until now, over 272 members of the construction industry have died in New York City. That’s an average of nearly 14-15 per year. Where is God in all this? Well, God is right here next to you and me right now, as mutual sisters and brothers of the same God, to support one another. We’re here to remember wonderful people who gave their lives for what they believed in: for their family, for their industry, and even for their local,” he said.

Father Jordan became noticeably upset when discussing possible changes to safety standards for workers. “There are rumors of the elimination of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Labor. How dare they even think about that? We need OSHA more than ever. It was created in 1970 to help preserve the gift of human life. We need the workplace to be safe. By cutting corners, you cannot cut corners. You’re cutting the dignity of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness from family members who want their husbands, their wives, and their loved ones to go home at night. How dare they think about that?”

Father Jordan reminded those in attendance of Jesus’ and St. Joseph’s own training and work in with their hands. “In the Gospels, Jesus often dined and preached with people who worked with their hands. They worked with their hands because they believed. The majority of the apostles were fishermen. I’m not sure what union local they were part of, but I guess they were heavenly rewarded,” he said.

Following the homily, the names of each person who died in a construction workplace accident during the past year were read aloud, followed by a chime from a bell made of materials recovered from the 9/11 site.

St. Patrick’s Cathedral’s historic pipe organ is currently being disassembled and restored, leading to the erection of floor-to-ceiling scaffolding and the removal of rows of pews on the sanctuary’s southern side.