Blessing of the Backpacks service held at Holy Nativity, Panama City

By Marqua Brunette, Coastline Communicator
Music Director
Holy Nativity, Panama City

Holy Nativity in Panama City celebrated the start of the new school year with their first annual ‘Blessing of the Backpacks’ on August 8^th. Students of all ages were encouraged to bring their backpacks to church. Even the acolytes and Fr. Steve Bates wore their backpacks as they processed down the aisle, causing more than a few smiles. Because Holy Nativity is fortunate to be associated with Holy Nativity Episcopal School, invitations were sent out to the school families to join in this special service.

We were blessed with nearly a full house that morning with an abundance of backpacks waiting to be blessed. Following the Gospel reading and Sequence Hymn, Fr. Steve called all students to come forward with their backpacks. Students gathered around and sat on the floor filling nearly half of the center aisle. There was a special prayer offered for each grade and those students were asked to stand as the prayer was read. The prayers also included college age students. Following the prayers everyone was asked to place their backpacks in front of the altar before they went to the Children’s Chapel. One college student even placed her purse there for blessing. It was a glorious sight to see so many backpacks. Children exited to the musical sounds of the old favorite “School Days” resulting in several giggles from the congregation who remembered the tune.

Once in Children’s Chapel, each child strung a cross of beads on rawhide designed to be hung on their backpacks. The children joyously returned to church right before the Eucharist. The spirit of joy carried over throughout the entire service and the reception following the service. This was a wonderful opportunity to reach out to school children as well as our own. The benefit has already been seen with the return of several of those school families to recent church services at Holy Nativity.

Fr. Steve Bates summed it up best when he said, “Holy Nativity is tremendously blessed with a large number of young families and children. The ‘Blessing of the Backpacks’ was a wonderful way to honor them, offer prayers for them and celebrate them.”