About William O'Leary

I've been sharing the faith since I was in high school and I have been a catechist in one form or another since 1991. I received my BA and MA in Theology from Franciscan University. I have a passion for passing on the Catholic Faith. I am currently the Director of Religious Formation for a parish of approximately 2800 parishioners. Catechist Formation is a joy and passion of mine because I love the opportunity to share with others what I know and what I've learned. I pray that together we catechize the next generation of students so they may come to know and love Jesus Christ and His Church more and more! Check out my blog @ http://catechesisinthethirdmillennium.wordpress.com.

No Money Changers In Heaven

By 2 Comments

It seems that we can’t do much without money, therefore we’ve got to make money to survive and provide for our families.  In Jesus’ day the money changers in the temple were trying to make a living but at other peoples expense.  Jesus became poor by coming to earth and taking on human flesh in order that we may become rich (Cf. 2 Cor. 8:9).  This richness consists not in possessions or earthly treasure but in a treasure that is imperishable (Cf. 1 Peter 1:4).

People Changers

Heaven is full of people changers.  They are the ones who followed the way of the cross and gave their lives in the service of Christ and His Church.  They are the ones who denied themselves took up their crosses and followed Jesus (Cf. Mt. 16:24) and those who lost their lives so as to gain it in the next (Lk. 17:33).  They truly are the ones who brought change through the witness of their lives and their concern for the needs of others.

Let us pray for one another and ask for God’s strength, God’s blessings, God’s grace to be the people changers we are called to be!

A Prayer of Saint Alphonsus Liguori

 0 my God, help me to remember -
That time is short, eternity is long.
What good is all the greatness of this world at the hour of death?
To love You, my God, and save my soul is the one thing necessary.
Without You, there is no peace, no joy.
My God, I need fear nothing but sin.
For to lose You, my God, is to lose all.
0 my God, help me to remember -
That to gain all I must leave all,
That in loving You I have all good things: the infinite riches of Christ and His
Church, the motherly protection of Mary,
peace beyond understanding, joy unspeakable!

Eternal Father, your Son has promised that whatever we ask in His Name will be given to us. In His Name I pray: give me a burning faith, a joyful hope, a holy love for Jesus Christ. Give me the grace of perseverance in doing Your will in all things. Do with me what You will. I repent of having offended You. Grant, O Lord, that I may love You always and never let me be separated from You.  O my God and my All, make me a saint!

 

 

 

Read all posts by Filed Under: Catechist Training Tagged With: , 2 Comments

Liturgical Catechesis: Learning By Heart

By 3 Comments

How does the Holy Mass help us learn the Faith?  The General Directory of Catechesis says:

“Effective catechesis also incorporates learning “by heart.” For centuries the living
tradition of the faith was handed on principally through the oral tradition. From the
earliest time, catechesis has relied on the Creed, the sacraments, the Decalogue, and
prayers, especially the Our Father, as primary instruments of transmitting the faith.
In order to learn the principals truths of the faith, these instruments were easily
committed to memory in lieu of textbooks or other printed materials and could be
recalled often as the basis of catechetical instruction. “Use of memory, therefore,
forms a constitutive aspect of pedagogy of the faith since the beginning of
Christianity” (GDC, no. 154).”

There are many ways the liturgy, which by its very nature catechizes, helps us learn the faith “by heart”.  I want to briefly focus on one profound way it does this.

The Church in her wisdom reads the same Scripture readings every 3 years (as well as each year we often hear the same readings during certain liturgical days).  This allows the faithful learn “by heart” the Word of God and then respond by living it in our lives and proclaiming its truths to those around us.

Wow, this reality, in my opinion, is awesome.  I love the wisdom of the Church!

Read all posts by Filed Under: Catechist Training, Liturgical Tagged With: , , 3 Comments

9 Questions for Lent

By Leave a Comment

As you journey through Lent consider reflecting on these questions:

 

1.  When I wake up on Easter Sunday morning, how will I be different?

2.  Is there a habit or sin in my life that repeatedly gets in the way of loving God with my whole heart or loving my neighbor as myself? How do I address that habit?

3.  Is there anyone in my life from whom I need to ask forgiveness or pursue reconciliation?

4.  What practical steps am I taking to carve out time for daily prayer?

5.  What spiritual discipline can I continue to improve upon?

6.  What are some things in my life that I tell myself I need but I don’t? Can I give one or two of them up (at least for the remainder of Lent)?

7.  How is what I’m doing this Lent helping me draw closer to Christ?

8.  What can I tell myself even when it’s hard to deny myself?

9.  What 2 virtue do I want to focus on this Lent (e.g., patience, charity, kindness, gentleness, temperance, etc.)

 

Even NOW, says the Lord, RETURN to me with your WHOLE heart….

Read all posts by Filed Under: Liturgical, Prayer Tagged With: Leave a Comment

Got Lent On My Mind

By 4 Comments

Lent will be here before you know it!  It feels like we just finished Advent.  I’ve been wondering what I can do to grow as a catechist but even more importantly as a disciple of Jesus this Lent.  I recently heard it said that we don’t have a crises of priesthood today, but a crises of discipleship.  The more people that are growing to as faith-filled disciples of Christ the more holy our world will be.  The world longs for holy witnesses.

Since Lent is around the corner it’s worth taking some time to consider how you might grow in your relationship with God this year.  Lent is often seen as a time to “give up” something, but too often it doesn’t make a lasting impact beyond the 40 days of Lent that we had hoped for. It is something like saying, I’m going to diet for 40 days and then gain all the weight back after those 40 days.  How can this year be different?

Here are a few things to consider as we approach Lent:

1) Nothing is more important to the happiness we long for than growth in our spiritual lives.  What can you do during Lent this year to grow in your spiritual life?  Some ideas are to pray 15 minutes a day, go to Mass one more day other than Sunday, keep the radio off in the car and pray instead, be positive toward everyone instead of complain, etc.

2) Focus on a virtue each week (consider the cardinal (moral) virtues of Temperance, Fortitude, Justice, and Prudence or a theological virtue: Faith, Hope and Love.  Growth in virtue is key to growing in our prayer life and relationship with Christ.

3) Less is more… take the attitude of eating less, watching less TV, being on the internet less often.  In their place help out more at home, be more attentive to the needs of others, spend more time with family and friends and/or pray more.

 

These are just a few preliminary considerations as we prepare for the upcoming Lenten Season.  Being an amazing catechist depends on our own personal spiritual growth.  It’s not easy in our busy world and it can be very challenging, but I promise it’s worth it!  May Christ be with each of you!!!!

 

 

Read all posts by Filed Under: Catechist Training, Prayer Tagged With: 4 Comments

Forgiveness Day – First Reconciliation Preparation

By Leave a Comment

Each year at our parish we have an annual day of reflection for our 2nd graders preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  We call it “Forgiveness Day”.  It is from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM.  Students rotated through 8 different stations each focusing about an aspect of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Here is a little bit about each station:

1) Priest Station – one of our priests talks with the students about the Sacrament of Reconciliation, shows them one of the “Reconciliation Rooms” or Confessionals and answers any questions the kids have.

2) Game Station – A station where there is a board game that students play answering various questions about the Sacrament.

3) Snack Station – A snack is served and kids do a word search related to reconciliation.

4)Movie Station – A brief video about Reconciliation and discuss some of the details from the video with the students.

5) The Quiz Station – Students are posed various questions that they are asked to answer.

6) The Story Station – A story is read about forgiveness and then discussed with the kids.

7) The Heart Station – Students decorate a heart, cut out of felt, which has their name on it. This is then put on a large banner and put in our gathering space for Reconciliation.

8) Activity Station – Students played a “hands on” interactive game with a reconciliation theme.

The parents who help out share with us how much they enjoyed the experience.  We also find even parents who did not help out share with us how much their child enjoyed it and how they talked about the experience the rest of the weekend.  Forgiveness Day is a great way to prepare students and help them feel comfortable about making their First Reconciliation.

Does your parish do any kind of retreat for the 2nd graders preparing for their First Reconciliation?  I’d love to hear what you do!

 

This was originally posted on my blog: catechesisinthethirdmillennium.wordpress.com

 

Read all posts by Filed Under: General Leave a Comment

Offering Gifts throughout 2012

By 2 Comments

The Feast of the Epiphany is a great reminder of the gifts we are called to offer Christ. Pope John Paul II in preparation for World Youth Day in 2005 wrote:

The gifts that the Magi offered the Messiah symbolized true worship. With gold, they emphasized His Royal Godhead; with incense, they acknowledged Him as the priest of the New Covenant; by offering Him myrrh, they celebrated the prophet who would shed His own blood to reconcile humanity with the Father.

My dear young people, you too offer to the Lord the gold of your lives, namely, your freedom to follow Him out of love, responding faithfully to His call; let the incense of your fervent prayer rise up to him, in praise of His glory; offer Him your myrrh, that is your affection of total gratitude to Him, true Man, who loved us to the point of dying as a criminal on Golgotha.

 

I recently gave a reflection to students about how we can offer our gifts of Gold, Fankincense and Myrrh.  It made me think also of how we can offer these kinds of gifts to Jesus throughout the year.  Consider offering Jesus the Gold of your life (your talents and gifts) this year.  Offer Him the Frankincense of a life devoted to prayer.  Turn off your electronics and take a little more time each day this year to be in relationship with Jesus.  And, finally, Myrrh- we can offer Him our little sacrifices that help us to die to ourselves so we can model His death on the cross.

I pray that your 2012 is filled with many blessings and graces for you, your ministry and your family!  The Feast of Epiphany is a great way to reflect on how we can live this whole year by giving ourselves to Christ and our neighbor.

 

Read all posts by Filed Under: General 2 Comments

The Pope’s 3 Wishes for Christmas

By Leave a Comment

 

I love that Pope Benedict XVI revealed what he wants for Christmas.  I’m not surprised that they are not material but spiritual things/wishes he desires.  They are worth reflecting on for a few moments:

1. ”My first wish, therefore, is that our gaze, that of our minds and our hearts, not rest only on the horizon of this world, on its material things, but that in some way, like this tree that tends upward, it be directed toward God. God never forgets us but He also asks that we don’t forget Him.”

2. “My second wish is that we recall that we also need a light to illumine the path of our lives and to give us hope, especially in this time in which we feel so greatly the weight of difficulties, of problems, of suffering, and it seems that we are enshrouded in a veil of darkness. But what light can truly illuminate our hearts and give us a firm and sure hope? It is the Child whom we contemplate on Christmas, in a poor and humble manger, because He is the Lord who draws near to each of us and asks that we receive Him anew in our lives, asks us to want Him, to trust in Him, to feel His presence, that He is accompanying us, sustaining us, and helping us.”

3. “This great tree is formed of many lights. My final wish is that each of us contribute something of that light to the spheres in which we live: our families, our jobs, our neighborhoods, towns, and cities.”

 

Source: Zenit.org

Read all posts by Filed Under: Culture Leave a Comment

Be Illuminated By His Coming

By 2 Comments

A couple of years ago Pope Benedict XVI shared in a general audience before Christmas something that continues to come back to me in Advent:
“In the night of the world, let us still allow ourselves to be surprised and illuminated by this coming, by the Star which, rising in the East, has inundated the universe with joy.  Let us purify our minds and our lives from everything that contrasts with this coming – thoughts, words, attitudes and actions – spurring ourselves on to do good and to help bring peace and justice to our world for all men and women, and thus to walk towards the Lord”.
Catechesis for Today:
~ The Advent and Christmas season will come and go but being illuminated and lead by Christ must be a constant goal for followers of Christ.  In our catechesis may we always seek to bring that wonder and joy that helps illuminate the riches of our Catholic Faith.
~ This image of purifying our minds and our lives from everything that contrasts with His coming is key for every Christian disciple.  May we spiritually seek to do this not only as we welcome into our hearts the Savior at the remembrance of His birth, but know that he will come again and we must be purified and ready!  There will be great spiritual benefit assisting those we catechize understand this.
~ Bringing peace and justice into the world for most of us is on the grassroots level – in our homes, work places, and our interactions with those in our community.  We bring not just peace from war but peace that is from God drawing others closer to Christ and His law of love.  Justice needs to be worked for and for most of us, seeking to love as Christ loves, seeking to serve as He would serve, seeking to treat others with respect, gratitude and joy is what will help us live justly.
“In the Night of the World…Be surprised and illuminated by his coming!”

Read all posts by Filed Under: Catechetics 2 Comments

Advent Ponderings

By 3 Comments

Here is a great quote I found that I think is great as journey through Advent.

Have you slipped? Rise up.

Have you sinned? Cease.

Do not stand among sinners, but leap aside.

For when you turn away and weep, then you will be saved.

–Saint Basil

Read all posts by Filed Under: Liturgical 3 Comments

Give Thanks

By Leave a Comment

A song I remember when in college went:

Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give Thanks because He has given
Jesus Christ His son [2]

And now let the weak say I am strong
Let the poor say I am rich
Because of what the Lord
Has done for us. [2]

Give Thanks.

As we approach Thanksgiving in less than a week let us consider the many blessings that surround us.

We have so much to thank God for and thank those we love. As catechists helping our students “give thanks” in their lives is so important in a world that is thankless and has little time to consider God’s blessings. After all, God is at the root of all our blessings.

3 Ways to Give Thanks

1) Have your students make a Blessings Poster that expresses all the things they can be thankful for.

2) Cease the opportunity over Thanksgiving dinner for everyone to share 3 things they are thankful for.

3) Encourage your students to pray a Litany of Thanksgiving with their families over the holiday weekend (and beyond).

 

As we approach Thanksgiving 2011 let us give thanks with a grateful heart!

 

Read all posts by Filed Under: General Leave a Comment
« Older Posts

Warning: call_user_func_array() [function.call-user-func-array]: First argument is expected to be a valid callback, 'wpfbogp_end_ob' was given in /home/amazing/public_html/wp-includes/plugin.php on line 405