They lined up in their scrubs, beckoned by the sound of an eagle bone whistle and the scent of burning sage and cedar. Some had scrambled down from the emergency room, others from behind desks or sterilization processors. On a small green lawn, their hands were purified with water and their work blessed by interfaith chaplains, Buddhist and Episcopal priests, a smattering of other religious leaders and even, for a short bit, Bryce, a therapy dog.

For the seventh year in a row, staff members at St. Mark's Hospital were treated to a "Blessing of the Hands" ceremony this week. The annual program, conceived by Susan Fischer, a St. Mark's staff chaplain, was meant to "bring people together in diversity and unity" and to honor the staff's "healing needs," she explained.

The opportunity couldn't have come at a better time for Kim Smith, a receptionist who just happened to notice a sign in the hospital lobby hours earlier.

"I tried to commit suicide last week, and somebody found me. . . . I really needed this," said Smith, as she wiped away tears.

The experience of being blessed by so many "lightened up my heart," she explained. "I do believe in God, I always have, but I felt he abandoned me. They helped remind me that he hasn't."

There were others who wept, as they stood on a traditional star quilt and were blessed with eagle feathers by Dorian Two Horses Sanchez, an Arapaho healer, or bowed their heads with Imam Shuaib-ud Din, of the Utah Islamic Center, as he quietly recited a passage from the Quran.

And the significance wasn't just felt by the staff members; the spiritual leaders were touched, too.

The Rev. Jan Ewing of the Center for Spiritual Living, also a hospital chaplain, relished the fact that people welcomed the blessings of all faith traditions and didn't just seek out their own. Jody Davis, a chaplain who happens to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, called the gathering "a special experience for me," and an opportunity to help him "look outward and not inward."

Dressed in a traditional Japanese robe, George Jisho Robertson, a Buddhist priest representing the Kanzeon Zen Center, took the hands of and bent to touch his forehead to the forehead of those before him.

"The Buddhist way of blessing is to remind you of who you truly are, and who we truly are is a perfect vehicle or channel for love in a world of suffering," he explained during a break. "Life is a blessing, and we forget."

For some staff members, Wednesday's gathering was a first. But Roberta Hatch, who works as a cashier and in food services, has never missed one in her six years at the hospital.

"It means a lot to me mentally, physically and spiritually," she said. "It opens up everybody's minds, hearts and souls."

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* JESSICA RAVITZ can be reached at jravitz@sltrib.com or 801-257-8776. Send comments to the religion editor at religioneditor@sltrib.com.

Spiritual leaders who participated

* Michelle Butz: resident chaplain, St. Mark's Hospital

* Jody Davis: chaplain at CareSource Home Health and Hospice, member of the LDS Church

* Imam Shuaib-ud Din: Utah Islamic Center

* The Rev. Jan Ewing: chaplain and pastor at the Center for Spiritual Living

* Susan Fischer: chaplain, St. Mark's Hospital

* The Rev. Claudia Giacoma: chaplain and priest at St. Luke's Episcopal Church

* Barbara Mueller: resident chaplain, St. Mark's Hospital

* George Jisho Robertson: Buddhist priest, Kanzeon Zen Center

* Dorian Two Horses Sanchez: Arapaho healer

On the Web

See a multimedia presentation of the blessing at www.sltrib.com/faith.