HALIFAX - Blessed are the BlackBerrys.
The glow of gizmos cut through the darkness of a modest Halifax-area church Sunday as parishioners raised their cellphones, laptops and GPS units toward the heavens for a special prayer.
"Lord God, we thank you for the many gifts and tools you give us, all those electronic gadgets that make our lives easier in so many ways," Rev. Lisa Vaughn said before a small crowd at St. Timothy's Anglican church in Hatchet Lake on the eve of Labour Day.
Vaughn said the idea to hold a blessing of electronics came after hearing about an old English tradition called Plough Monday in which farmers would drag their tools to the church's door to receive a blessing for a good harvest.
"Most of our people are commuters to the city and work in offices and labs and hospitals and that kind of thing," Vaughn, a former journalist with short, blond spiky hair, said in an interview.
"I thought, 'Wow, wouldn't it be nice for us to connect with modern-day tools; things that people use so often (that) we often take for granted?"
Parishioner Dawn Purcell said she sifts through 100 emails a day on her "crackberry" in her job as a manager at a health centre.
Purcell, 51, got her trusty device blessed twice Sunday — once in the morning and again during the nighttime service.
"I use it a lot and it needs to be blessed," she said. "I think it's a great idea."
David Gray, who sells real estate, brought his cellphone, GPS unit and laptop to the blessing.
"It's especially important that I know they're blessed because I work with them everyday and I want to be sure they're in excellent working order," said Gray, 57.
Vaughn said she wanted to highlight how important technology has become in daily life, but also the good gadgets can be used for.
"I think it's time that we brought it (technology) into the church and acknowledge what a blessing it is — it really is — in the way that we can communicate and stay in touch with one another," she said.
"It's just an amazing thing and why shouldn't we give thanks for it?"
Vaughn, whose sermon included a PowerPoint presentation, said she believes incorporating technology into her church services will help connect with young parishioners and "be in step with where people are in 2010."
The contemporary Sunday night service already features a live rock band and an upbeat, musical rendition of the Lord's Prayer.
While Vaughn said she's not aware of any other parishes in Canada that have held "grace for gadgets," she said it's not unusual to bless fishing vessels or animals.
"I even know of someone who does 'Bring your motorcycle to church Sunday' so I thought this isn't that far off," she said with a laugh.
"Maybe this will be a new tradition."