School children and working adults piled their backpacks, cellphones and other tools of their labor before the altar at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd Sunday to receive a blessing ahead of Labor Day and the start of school.
Churchgoers stacked lanyards and ID badges, pens, a globe and other items, and the Rev. Tom Warne III led the congregation in a prayer acknowledging the labor and aspirations of workers, and of the struggles of those unable to work.
“So guide us in the work we do that we may do it not for ourself alone, but for the common good,” they said.
Peter Adrian brought his briefcase for a blessing. It was packed with his planner, cellphone, pens, work portfolio and other supplies.
He’s working part time as an accountant, and the briefcase and its contents have been with him as he’s been looking for a full-time job.
The blessing is a relatively common event at Episcopal churches, he said.
“It’s a good occasion to, sort of, renew the reasons behind everything,” he said. “Working for the common good, working for other people.”
Backpacks, by number and perhaps by sheer volume, took up most of the space at the foot of the altar.
Xander and Gavin Reyes, 11 and 9, brought their packs.
“And pretty much all of our school supplies as well,” Gavin said.
“I used to usually forget the backpacks. I’m usually not that kind of mom that’s this organized,” their mom, Sarah James, joked.
They’ve taken the blessing at other Episcopal congregations before, she said, explaining it’s a good way to bring the church and religion into typical everyday living.
Xander will start sixth grade at Liberty Middle School this week, and Gavin is going into fourth grade at Woodburn Elementary School
“We’re a little nervous,” about the change to middle school for Xander, she said. “We could use a little bit of the spirit, right?”
Keshia Blandford and her four-year-old daughter, Kaley, joined the blessings as well.
Kaley had her backpack, and Blandford, a thick binder full of teaching materials for her Montessori school class.
She started teaching there Wednesday, so a little spiritual backup will be welcome.
“For me, it’s kind of reminding myself why I’m a teacher, you know, to serve the children” she said, and try not to sweat the other things too hard.
“For her, it’s kind of the same thing,” she said. “I want her to remember God’s here, it’s going to be OK, not to really stress the little things.”
Warne said the church has been blessing tools and backpacks for several years, but this year was the biggest pile he’d ever seen.
Why we celebrate Labor Day — and Memorial Day and Veterans Day, to a degree — can get somewhat sidelined, he said.
Starting in the later 19th century, more and larger trade unions and labor groups started proposing a holiday to celebrate workers. Oregon, in 1887, was the first state to make it an official holiday, and it became a federal holiday in 1894.
Warne’s family hails from northeastern Pennsylvania, where many of his family members worked in the coal mines. The miner’s union, he recalled, took care of members of his family, as his church does for members when they’re in need.
“I’m a nostalgic preacher for holding up the best of America, and this weekend, for me, coming from my family of origin, is a special weekend to remember and honor the hardworking hands and feet and backs that Americans have given over the years,” he said.
“Anytime you can get together as a family and put some hot dogs on, I’m all for it. But if you’re going to put hot dogs on and get together as a family, can you at least say a prayer or give thanks for the reason this holiday is a holiday?”
