On Friday, Oct. 2, the Diocese of Helena will hold the fourth annual Son Light Celebrating Youth Ministry event including a prayer service, gala dinner and auction. The evening will conclude with drawings for almost $12,000 in cash prizes for ticket holders and parishes.

“Excitement is building. Parishes from throughout our diocese now anticipate the opportunity of spending the evening with Bishop Thomas to celebrate the formation of our youth and young adults,” said Glenda Seipp, Stewardship Services director. “The event, which has raised almost $300,000 in the past three years, depends on the people of the diocese for their enthusiasm and participation. Gifts from the 2008 Son Light celebration provided Legendary Lodge with a new pontoon boat, The Mary T, named for Bishop Thomas’ mother.”

Seipp said event organizers are excited about the “new and longtime friends” offer added for this year’s celebration. New friends (ages 21-35) and longtime friends (80 years and over) are invited to Son Light, including dinner, at no cost. An RSVP is necessary.

Over 100 youth and young adults from across the diocese will attend to ensure that the guests of Bishop Thomas are taken care of throughout the evening. Two diocesan seminarians, Brian Bergeron of Mount Angel and Jacob Nistler of St. John Vianney, will participate in the evening, as will Rachael Schwaller, Resurrection Parish campus ministry intern. She will be the youth witness speaker after the dinner.

“Son Light is one of the highlights of the year because of its effectiveness in helping increase our young people’s spirituality,” said Bob Raemaker of Choteau, a Son Light steering committee member.

“It is a celebration of gratitude of a gift. Son Light is the gift our young people are for us, to gift them in Christ for the future,” said Msgr. Kevin O’Neill, V.G. and pastor for the Cathedral of St. Helena.

Michelle Lashway of DeWalt Studio in Helena will capture complimentary group photos of families, parish families and friends. Proceeds from the event will benefit youth and young adult ministry throughout the diocese. A portion of all proceeds will be used to permanently endow youth ministry and Legendary Lodge within the Foundation for the Diocese of Helena.

There are many ways to participate, Seipp said.

They include the prayer service at 5 p.m. at the Cathedral of St. Helena. Brad and Christine Neu, members of Pope John Paul II Parish in Bigfork, will give the witness message. Youth from throughout the diocese will serve as greeters, music ministers and readers. All are welcome to attend, Seipp noted.

Following the prayer service, the celebration continues with dinner at the Helena Civic Center. Appetizers, a gourmet dinner and desserts will be served.

Event tickets may be purchased by calling the Chancery at 442-5820 or 1-800-584-8914, toll free in Montana. Tickets are $75 each or $525 for a table of eight. Reservations will be accepted through Friday, Sept. 25 at 5 p.m.

Raffle tickets for the $4,881 first-place cash prize and the $1,884 second-place cash prize are available in every parish throughout the Diocese of Helena, at the Loyola Sacred Heart High School Scrip Office in Missoula and at Butte Central High School until 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27. Tickets are $25 each or $100 for five chances. Tickets will be available at the Chancery until 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, and at the event. A reward of $2,500 will go to the parish selling the ticket that wins the first-place prize. Another reward of $2,500 will go to the parish selling the most tickets.

Seipp said there will be something for everyone at the Fourth Annual Son Light Auction, which begins with a game of heads or tails. For $10 anyone may participate, with the winner receiving a backyard barbecue for six, hosted by Bishop Thomas. A summer 2010 barbecue for 12, hosted by the diocesan Formation Services staff will be auctioned later in the evening.

Getaways to be sold are a Yellowstone River weekend for two with modern lodging, guided fly fishing and a Chico Hot Springs dinner; two nights at the Raymond Ranch along the Blackfoot River near Ovando; two nights at the Izaak Walton Inn next to Glacier National Park; an overnight in Choteau with golfing and dining; two nights for the price of one at Barrister Bed and Breakfast in Helena; two tickets to Cirque de Soleil at the Butte Civic Center plus a night’s lodging; Labor Day Weekend 2010 at Legendary Lodge; and condo vacations in Big Sky, Whitefish and Fairmont.

Football fans will have a chance to buy two tickets to the Notre Dame-Navy game scheduled for Nov. 7 in South Bend, Ind. Items for sale include handcrafted Nativity figures, a rosary and a Conrad church pew that Legendary Lodge campers transformed into a bench for intercessory prayer. The jewelry array features a Zuni inlaid pendant and a Navajo amethyst cross necklace. A ring and a cross pendant feature sapphires and diamonds.

For art enthusiasts, the auction will offer a framed print of a mission church, by King Kuka, as well as a variety of other artists’ works. Three quilts will be offered, as will a wine refrigerator containing wine, an 8-foot gazebo suitable for a backyard, handcrafted birdhouses, a brass gazelle and four quarters of Montana beef. Professional tooth whitening in Helena and a Catholic school scholarship for 2010-11 are among the services to be sold. Butte schools provided the scholarship last year and are excluded this time.

Gift and entertainment baskets will be auctioned, too.

Blocks of rooms at three Helena hotels have been held to accommodate out-of-town guests. Reservations are recommended. Contact the Best Western Helena Great Northern Hotel at 457-5500, Wingate by Wyndham at 449-3000 or the Red Lion Colonial Hotel at 443-2100. Use the words “Son Light” or “Diocese of Helena” to make your reservation.

Visit www.diocesehelena.org/sonlight to preview the auction items.


Published in The Montana Catholic Online, Volume 25, No. 9, Sept. 18, 2009.