Salt & Light Radio commemorates 15 years of on-air service

Christopher Check of Catholic Answers and The Vigil Project led four-day celebration.

The Vigil Project performs at the Egyptian Theatre in downtown Boise for the Salt & Light Radio benefit concert. The Vigil Project is an association of Catholic musicians with teams who perform around the nation. (ICR photo/Emily Woodham)

By Emily Woodham

Staff Writer

Salt & Light Radio celebrated its 15th anniversary in mid-June with four concerts in four days.

“We have received tremendous feedback from attendees,” said co-founder and President of Salt & Light Radio, Keith Pettyjohn. “The Vigil Project’s music was great. Christopher Check, president of Catholic Answers, gave a very insightful and inspirational talk. The venues were superb. The fellowship and energy of the crowds were great, and those who attended were very generous with us financially.” 

Check spoke briefly at each concert on the duty of every Catholic to evangelize. In Boise, the event was at the Egyptian Theatre downtown.

“Evangelization, my friends, is not an option,” he said. “It's not something we leave to the experts. Pope Francis wrote, in virtue of their baptism, all the members of the people of God are missionary disciples, whatever their position in the Church, whatever their level of instruction.”

However, evangelization is most effective when it comes not from a sense of duty or fear, but from the interior life that has experienced the love and mercy of Christ, Check explained.

Christopher Check, president of Catholic Answers, speaks on evangelization at the Egyptian Theatre. (ICR photo/Emily Woodham)

“We want to reveal the love and mercy of Jesus Christ to the world. And it begins in the interior life.”

If someone does not know how to start developing their interior life, Check suggested they first commit to spending 15 minutes each week in Eucharistic Adoration. While there, people should pour out their intentions to Jesus from their heart and ask Him to align their hearts with His.

“Leave the outcome to God. He will magnify your efforts,” he said.

Radio is a unique tool in evangelization that “engages the imagination of the listener,” Check added. “Salt & Light Radio draws people in; the truth is there, and this radio network is providing it.”

The Vigil Project, an international association of Catholic musicians based in Louisiana, also focused on evangelization. They led workshops and performed concerts at Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, Meridian, Boise and Cottonwood. The organization has teams of artists and speakers who provide retreats, workshops and concerts to promote Catholic liturgical and devotional music.

Nico Cabrera leads a workshop for Catholic music ministers at Holy Apostles in Meridian. (ICR photo/Emily Woodham)

Nico Cabrera, a songwriter and artist, led the two-hour workshop at Holy Apostles Parish in Meridian. Music directors, musicians and vocalists attended from around the Treasure Valley. He gave three points to use as groundwork in music ministry: having a vision, being open to building and growing a community and choosing to give God your best efforts.

Giving God our best in our volunteering, Cabrera said, is often the most difficult point for participants to grasp. It’s very easy for people to become entitled when volunteering. They can fall into the trap of thinking they don’t have to prioritize it because it’s not paid work.

“We sometimes entitle ourselves to basically do the minimum amount of work and kind of just get by. Because of this, what we give God is not our greatest,” he explained. “Ultimately, we evangelize with leftovers from our day, with little bits and pieces. I would like to argue that our Church would benefit if we just decided that we will give God our best.”

For musician volunteers, giving God your best includes taking time to practice or to learn more about your instrument.

“I have met people who are truly committed to what they do, and they understand that the real work comes from God.,” Cabrera said. “It is evident that they are giving they’re all to God, and it translates in how they perform music in the Church.”

Another aspect of giving one’s best is being intentional, he added. Musicians should know their strengths and weaknesses so they can better know which pieces they can do well, and which pieces should be sung or played by others. They also need to choose music that is appropriate to the liturgy.

“If we are not intentional, we are not doing the Church justice; we’re not leading our friends to prayer. This is not excellence. Instead, we should ask: ‘Jesus, how would You do this? How would You approach this?’”

Excellence also comes from recognizing that serving is a gift of love.

“I try to live by a saying from Jesuit Father Pedro Arrupe: ‘Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.’ I urge you not to fall in love with music because that has a beginning and an end. I urge you to fall in love with God. He’s a never-ending fountain that just continues to flow, Cabrera said, adding that if people rely on their own strength in ministry, they will fail.

“We have to do things different than relying on ourselves,” he explained. “We need to fall in love and stay in love with God.”

To support Salt & Light Radio and their mission to evangelize and teach, visit saltandradio.com.