Tickets go on sale today, Wednesday, May 1, for the Father Ray Kelly concert to be held Sept. 26 at the Central Hotel in Burns.

The concert, which is a benefit event for Harney County Save A Stray, will also feature the local band Generations as the opening act.

Father Ray is a parish priest at St. Brigid Catholic Church in Old Castle, Ireland, who loves to sing. In 2014, he had been a priest for 25 years when he was officiating at a wedding. He surprised the couple by singing a personalized version of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, rewritten by 10-year-old bridesmaid Lucy Pitts O’Connor. When the video was posted on YouTube, he became an overnight star. Since then, he has recorded two albums, made numerous television appearances, and performed all around the world.

Father Ray also performed on Britain’s Got Talent, where he received a standing ovation and an enthusiastic response from all four judges. He just missed out on being one of the final three contestants, coming in fourth in public voting.

In 2018, Father Ray performed several benefit concerts in the U.S., and the concert in Burns is part of his 2019 tour.

Save A Stray is the local, all-volunteer animal rescue in Harney County. The organization has been rescuing the community’s stray, owner-released, abandoned, and abused animals for more than 10 years.

Most of the animals are transported to the Redmond, Madras, and Portland areas where they are spayed or neutered, micro-chipped, brought up-to-date on vaccines, and then put up for adoption.

The volunteers advocate and assist in the ongoing TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) efforts for feral cats all over the county to stop the suffering of unwanted kittens being born in the wild.

Save A Stray also conducts monthly low-cost spay and neuter clinics for locally-owned pets, thanks to the help and support of Sage Country Veterinary Service.

All proceeds that are donated to the rescue efforts go directly to the animals’ care and getting them to new homes.

Tickets for the concert are available at the Harney County Chamber of Commerce, Broadway Deli, online at eventbright.com, or from Angie Tiller at angtiller@yahoo.com or 541-589-2289.

The cost of a ticket is a $20 donation to Save A Stray, and only 200 tickets will be available.