Bishop’s Respect Life Dinner tickets now on sale

By Julie Bailey

COLORADO SPRINGS. In a little less than two months we will gather at the Broadmoor for the 11th Bishop’s Respect Life Dinner, featuring Deacon Rob Rysavy as the keynote speaker. If you haven’t yet bought your tickets or reserved your table, they’re selling like the proverbial hotcakes, so don’t wait too long. Last year’s dinner sold out nearly a month in advance. Tickets are $75 per person or $700 for a table of ten. To purchase tickets, visit https://secure.fundeasy.com/ministrysync/event/home.php?e=23585.

The Bishop’s Respect Life Dinner (BRLD) Committee has decided to change things up a bit this year by adding new levels of sponsorship and shifting to an online reservation platform.

Reactions to the online platform, Fundeasy Attendance, have been mixed, as one might expect with any new system. The committee is hopeful that the online platform will simplify the task of managing 95 tables and 950 seats.

The beauty of this platform is it still allows attendees to either pay for their tickets or tables online using a credit card or pay by sending a check to the diocese. Table hosts can easily invite friends to join them at their tables using pre-made email templates and the system allows for either individuals to purchase seats or for a host to foot the entire cost of the table.

Sponsorship opportunities include:

• The Bishop’s Circle at $10,000, which includes two seats at the Bishop’s table or a table of 10, premium placement of a full-page color ad in the event program, and prominent placement of the sponsor’s logo on the online platform;

• The Emeritus Circle at $5000, which includes two seats at the Bishop Emeritus’ or keynote speaker’s table, a full-page color ad in the event program, and prominent placement of the sponsor’s logo on the online platform;

• The Life Defending level at $3000, which includes two tickets for the dinner and a half-page color ad in the event program;

• The Life Sustaining level at $2000, which includes two tickets for the dinner and a quarter-page color ad in the event program;

• The Life Affirming level, which includes two tickets for the dinner and a business card color ad in the event program.

All sponsors will be acknowledged in the Nov. 4 issue of The Colorado Catholic Herald. Contact Jason Homec at 719-231-9508 or jason@ebkcpa.com for more information.

In an effort to avoid last year’s extraordinarily long lines at the bar during the cocktail hour, a generous group of sponsors has made it possible for us to greet everyone (over age 21) who enters the dining room with a glass of red or white wine. The committee hopes this will encourage more time for visiting and connecting with friends during the cocktail hour.

Back by popular demand, the Chesterton Academy of Our Lady of Walsingham choir will entertain us with beautiful music during the cocktail hour.

Many have commented on the beautiful artwork that we’re using on all BRLD posters and brochures. That lovely depiction of a pregnant Blessed Mother was painted by local watercolor artist and deacon’s wife Kim Le Nguyen.

This piece is one of the paintings in Kim’s “Surrendering and Trusting” series and will be featured at the presentation she will give on Sept. 23 at 6 p.m. at St. Gabriel. Kim describes the painting as follows:

 “Mary who is the Theokotos, the temple and the tabernacle of God’s presence, is surrendering all her will and desire to carry out God’s will. She is carrying Jesus, the Son of God in her womb but she’s also carrying the salvation for me and all humanity in her hand which is also at the same level of her womb.”

 The original artwork, matted and framed, will be on auction at the BRLD.

(Julie Bailey is Director of the Respect Life Apostolate of the Diocese of Colorado Springs.)