Tickets for 2025 Respect Life Roundup go on sale Aug. 1

By Julie Bailey

COLORADO SPRINGS. What do you get when you combine delicious barbecue, cute miniature donkeys, rousing music, a chance to put Bishop Golka in jail, and an inspiring message from the Sisters of Life? You get the 2025 Bishop’s Respect Life Roundup!

Mark your 2025 calendar with two dates: Aug. 1 — when tickets for this year’s dinner go on sale — and Oct. 3, the night of the big event.

“Encountering Hope” is the theme for this year’s dinner. After reading the Bishop’s Pastoral Letter “Christ Our Hope” the BRLR Committee decided this was the perfect theme to capture our goal for this event. Even in the darkness of the culture that seems to have our beautiful state of Colorado in its grip, on this night we can join with one another to have some western-style fun, eat a chuckwagon supper, and listen to an uplifting message; we can Encounter Hope.

This will be the third year the Bishop’s Dinner will take place at the Flying W Ranch. Ideal for a family-friendly event, the venue invites exploration and offers adventures including a narrow-gauge train and horse & carriage to ride, farm animals to visit, horseshoes and other games to play. The menu is a crowd-pleaser with brisket, chicken, baked potato, biscuits and more.

While the Bishop’s Dinner does raise money to support the activities of the Respect Life Apostolate, that is not its main purpose. Bringing together people who share a common faith and respect for the dignity of every human life and offering them an inspiring life-honoring message has always been the focus of this event. For this reason, we have tried to keep the ticket price as reasonable as possible. This year, although costs for all elements of this event have gone up, we are holding the ticket price at $85 per adult ($30 for children under 12; free for children under 3). The difference this year is that no part of the ticket price is tax deductible.

Sponsorships, donations, and income from the silent auction support the activities of the Respect Life Apostolate, including Project Rachel, the diocesan post-abortion healing ministry; Walking with Moms in Need, an accompaniment ministry for moms in difficult or unexpected pregnancies; Heart of My Heart, the support ministry for those who have experienced miscarriage or infant loss; and 40 Days for Life and Sidewalk Advocates for Life, the peaceful, prayerful, law-abiding presence on the sidewalk near Planned Parenthood that offers life-affirming alternatives to abortion. This year it is our fervent hope to also fund a grant to help couples on their adoption journey. Depending on the fundraising success of the night, we plan to travel with a group of young people to Washington D.C. for the National March for Life in January 2026.

We are extraordinarily blessed this year to have representatives from the Sisters of Life join us to deliver the keynote message. In case you are not familiar with the Sisters of Life, here’s a little about them:

The Sisters of Life are a religious community of women founded in 1991 by John Cardinal O’Connor who take a fourth vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life. Immersed in Eucharistic prayer within a vibrant community life, their missions include caring for vulnerable pregnant women and their unborn children; inviting those wounded by abortion into the healing mercy of Jesus; fostering a Culture of Life through evangelization; retreat works; spiritual accompaniment of college students; and upholding the beauty of marriage and family life. (www.sistersoflife.org)

The schedule for the event will be like the last several years. Gates will open and check-in will begin at 5 p.m. Guests are invited to explore the grounds, enjoy a refreshing beverage, visit our ministry information tables, and connect with each other until the dinner bell rings at 6:15p.m. Volunteers in bright green bandanas will be nearby to help guests find activities following check-in and tables as they enter the lodge.

Once guests are in their seats, the Knights of Columbus Color Guard and Monsignor Jaeger will open the evening with the presentation of the colors and the National Anthem. Bishop Golka will welcome everyone and bless the meal; then tables will be invited to pass through the serving lines to collect their Chuckwagon Supper. Following the inspiring words of the sisters, the Flying W Wranglers will perform their power show.

To help the registration process, donation process, and night of the event go smoothly, the BRLR Committee has chosen to use the “GiveSmart App.” Many of our parishes use this app for their events, so you may be familiar with it. Having your smartphone with you at the event will be helpful, but our volunteers will also be ready to help you if you do not have a smartphone.

We hope to have a more extensive silent auction than we have in years past. If you have ideas or items to donate, or any questions about the event itself, please contact Julie at jbailey@diocs.org.