For some of us, the advent of a new school year is exciting. School shopping is the absolute best – bouquets of pencils delight us. We just can’t wait to organize our new assignment planners. For others, a new school year brings nothing but trepidation and an onslaught of anxious questions. Will I like my new teacher? What if my best friend isn’t in my class? What if I get a bad grade?... don’t make the varsity team? No matter where your kids fall in this spectrum, they will most likely carry a backpack to and from school. These backpacks may be mostly empty or crammed full of books and papers. No matter how full they are of stuff, they will contain hopes, dreams, fears, and questions for each new season and each new day of this academic year. We would like to invite you to bring those backpacks to Trinity Church, 36 Maple Avenue, on September 8th at 10:45 a.m. Bring them empty or full. Invite a friend! Adults, if you’d like in on this, bring your briefcases, tote bags, or backpacks as well. The priests will bless the bags during the announcements in the middle of the service, to honor all the hopes, dreams, and fears that accompany the new school year, and to ask for God to strengthen, sustain, and encourage all our children as they learn and grow throughout the year.