BROTHERHOOD IN FAITH: How a group of O'Gorman friends chose to grow together

At first glance, they might just seem like a tight-knit group of high school friends — playing sports together, walking the halls after class, or catching up over Bible study. But for Keenan Sheridan, Connor Holt, James Shea, and their circle of friends, their bond runs deeper than sports and shared classes. It’s rooted in something far more enduring: their Catholic faith.

From a young age, many of the boys were immersed in their faith starting with their first teachers - their parents. “Growing up, we used to always have rosary group together,” Keenan recalled. “A group of our families would meet. We would play games, share a meal, and then pray the rosary. At that age, we just wanted to get the rosary over with so we could get back to playing.” — but it planted a seed.

That seed took root in the rich soil of their parish, St. Michael, and was nurtured by the daily opportunities provided at Bishop O’Gorman Catholic Schools.

A Circle of Encouragement

What began as a few friends altar-serving together and showing up to Mass slowly became something more intentional. “After freshman year, we kind of started to get more serious. We went to The Well, and then a confirmation retreat,” James shared. “It was sophomore year when we approached Fr. Klein at school and said, ‘Hey, we’re interested in going deeper in our faith. Can you lead our Bible Study?’ so that was the first step we took.”

Fr. Klein encouraged the boys slowly at first, asking them to join him for Mass during their lunch period. As they became more active in their faith, he suggested new opportunities for them such as doing 30 minutes of prayer after Mass.

Keenan shared, “We have our Bible study, we’ve done the Genesis 40 challenge before Lent, and we try to show up to morning prayer and daily Mass in the chapel. We all have our own prayer lives, but we also share with each other what’s working. It’s real accountability.”

Connor echoed that sentiment: “What makes it really easy to open up about faith around this group of guys is that they’re very accepting of where everyone is at. And we also do a lot of activities prior to our Bible studies or small groups that allow us to get into a relaxed setting and a joyful setting where everyone can really open up.”

Faith Made Attractive

Each of the boys credits the adults around them — both at school and at St. Michael — for modeling a faith that’s not just routine, but vibrant and lived.

"Fr. Tom at St. Michael’s has made the faith attractive to young people,” said Keenan. “And then there’s just always opportunities presented to us and we tend to take advantage of them. O’Gorman has provided plenty of opportunities whether that be The Well, confession times, Mass times, morning prayer, you name it. So I think just being around people we can relate to and having all those opportunities, makes the faith journey a little easier.”

James remembered how their journey began. “In elementary school, altar serving is really something that helped us out. And going through the junior high, having the confessions open and then in the high school, having our lunch periods open for Mass and confessions, opportunities like The Well, and just having a community and leaders around us. Our theology staff is awesome at O'Gorman. They're really always encouraging us, and we can always go talk to them whenever. Fr. Klein and Fr. Tom are big mentors for all of us. So I think just having a community there at O’Gorman and St. Michael kind of fostered us to grow both as a group and individually in our faith.”

Altar serving has remained a key part of their formation. As James said, “It helps to just be there — at the altar, with the priest, actively participating. That was huge, even back in elementary school.”

A Faith That Spreads

Their growth didn’t stop with their group. They’ve made it a point to reach beyond themselves.

Last year, James and Keenan helped launch a summer Wednesday night Bible study at St. Michael. “It was six people the first time,” James said. “Then throughout the summer, it’s been up to 20. We get there, we play a game like kickball, football, or volleyball for an hour, then talk for an hour starting with a Bible verse.”

Keenan and James started going to Perpetual Adoration at St. Michael and the group followed.  It continued to grow from there because the friends invited others to join. “It’s really cool because once we did it as a group, then everyone else started doing it on their own. People even took full periods for open campus [where they can leave school] and are going to pray a holy hour,” says James. “They text people and say, ‘Hey, let’s go do a holy hour on Saturday morning’ and it’s really awesome.”

Looking Ahead

Even with high school behind them, the boys are looking forward to keeping their faith central.

“After high school, I plan to get involved in the Newman Center at SDSU,” Keenan said. “Just like here, I’ll look for a tight-knit group of friends that I will be comfortable talking and sharing with about my faith experiences.”

James has similar plans. “I visited the Newman Center at UNO. The first step is just getting involved, finding the same kind of friends I did in high school. I’ll come back to serve at St. Michael’s still and be as active as I can.”

For all of them, their story is a reminder that when faith is shared, it multiplies. With the grounding of their families, the support of their parishes, the opportunities at O’Gorman, and the strength of each other, they’ve built something that they can carry on into the future - a faith that’s not just practiced, but lived.