Deacon Alex Jones Jr. of Michigan will be the keynote speaker for the 2009 Helena Diocesan Catholic Holy Spirit Conference. The conference will be held at Carroll College in Helena on May 1-3.

Conference organizers said Deacon Jones is a sought-after, dynamic speaker. He was ordained a permanent deacon in the Archdiocese of Detroit in 2005. He received his master’s in Pastoral Studies from Sacred Heart Major Seminary in 2007. Deacon Jones currently serves the three parishes of St. Suzanne/OLGH, St. Mary of Redford, and St. Thomas Aquinas in the Archdiocese of Detroit. He and his wife Donna have three grown sons and 10 grandchildren.

Prior to his conversion to Catholicism, Deacon Jones was a self-described “on-fire” Pentecostal minister in Detroit, and was a completely dedicated shepherd of his flock. He greatly loved his people and they loved him. In seeking to give his flock the most genuine experience of the early Church prayer and worship services, he carefully read Scripture, studied the early Fathers of the Church and writings of the early saints. The more he read, the more he came to the startling conclusion that the present day Catholic Church – and the Holy Mass – is the same exact “worship service” from the very early Church.

In light of that discovery, Deacon Jones and his wife began a two-year journey into the Catholic Church that culminated in 54 members of his previous congregation, including 14 members of his family, entering the Church. They entered RCIA at St. Suzanne Catholic Community in 2000 and were welcomed into the Catholic Church during the Easter Vigil in April 2001.

Additional presenters for the 2009 conference include Father Bart Tolleson, parochial vicar for the Cathedral of St. Helena Parish, Father Marc Lenneman, director of campus ministry at Carroll College in Helena, and Father Eric Gilbaugh, administrator of Holy Family Parish in Three Forks with Valley of Flowers Mission in Belgrade.

Nationally known praise and worship leader Bill Richart of Michigan will lead the music ministry team. An accomplished musician, Richart has a bachelor’s degree in music education from Michigan State University and graduate studies in music, theology and philosophy. He has devoted his life to full-time ministry for the Lord, proclaiming God’s glory through his music. He is a vocalist, pianist and guitarist and leads parish missions, praise concerts, nights of healing, retreats and youth ministry.

Richart is a member of the National Service Committee for the Charismatic Renewal for the U.S.

The 2009 conference is for the whole family. The conference will feature a high school youth track and a middle school youth track, as well as a children’s ministry.

Registrations will be mailed to those who attended last year’s conference. Online registration will be available for adults and youth in January via www.diocesehelena.org. For more information contact Donna at 406-442-5820, ext. 16. More information will soon be available in parish bulletins and future issues of The Montana Catholic.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 24, No. 12, December 19, 2008.