May 2 2011 -- President James Michel attended the traditional Labour Day mass on May 1 at the Anse Royale catholic church.

The patron of the Anse Royale parish is St Joseph.

After the mass, which was conducted by Bishop Denis Wiehe, the catholic faithful at the church also watched a film on Pope John Paul II's visit to Seychelles in 1986, while celebrations were underway in Rome to declare him a saint.

President Michel and the Minister for Education and Employment, Mrs MacSuzy Mondon, unveiled a works monument outside the church dedicated to labour.

In his message on workers' day, President Michel said: "When we started becoming aware of our true potential as a people, we were thinking of the future of our workers and their children. The generations before us, and those who are still among us, have done a lot of sacrifice and struggled hard to enable us to enjoy the better living conditions we have today."