Mother Kathleen Francis Of Christ The Good Shepherd O'Leary, Fehj

Mass of Christian Burial for Mother Kathleen will be held at 12:00 PM on Monday, August 8, 2022, at the Basilica of St. John. Visitation will be held from 2:00 to 4:00 PM on Sunday, August 7, 2022, at Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home and Crematory in Urbandale, with a public Rosary at 4:00 PM. Interment will be in Glendale Cemetery. Mass of Christian Burial for Mother Kathleen will be live streamed on https://basilicaofstjohn.org/live-telecast In lieu of flowers memorials may be directed to the Basilica of St. John Foundation in Mother Kathleen’s name. Mother Kathleen Francis of Christ the Good Shepherd O'Leary, FEHJ, was born October 27, 1948 in Sioux City, Iowa, the daughter of Leo and Joyce (Valle) O’Leary. They lived in Sioux City for a short time before moving to Virginia, where they lived until the passing of Mother Kathleen’s mother, Joyce. After her mother’s passing, Mother Kathleen helped her father raise her seven siblings. Her family eventually moved back to Sioux City where she attended Heelan High School and graduated in 1967. She attended Briar Cliff University, where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree, and went on to the University of Kansas, where she earned her PhD in Psychology and Counseling. Mother Kathleen worked for Youth Centers in Missouri, and for ChildServe, MercyOne Medical Center, and the Iowa Veterans Hospital in Des Moines as a Psychologist. In 1998 she started a private practice out of the Sisters’ Convent where she helped her clients until she passed. Mother Kathleen was devoted to God and her faith which led her to discover a call to religious life which in turn led to the founding of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus. In 1994 she donned the religious habit of this new community and professed Private Vows of Evangelical Poverty, Celibate Chastity, and Holy Obedience. She also took a fourth vow of Fidelity to the Holy Father and to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. For the past 28 years she has worked alongside her Sister in community, Sr. Mary Clare of Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Clark, FEHJ, with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus. Mother Kathleen lived her faith – she was a member of the Basilica of St. John where she was very involved in ministries, and where she started a 7 Sisters group. She also founded a Marian Movement of Priests Cenacle. Mother Kathleen found joy in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, helping others, singing, and rescuing dogs along the way. Mother Kathleen died Sunday, July 31, 2022, at UnityPoint Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des Moines. She was 73. She is survived by her siblings, James O’Leary, Theresa Hill and her friend Mark Wood, Terry O’Leary, Tom (Shirley) O’Leary, and Steve (Pat) O’Leary; nieces; Molly Hill and her son William Korthals and Erin (Michael) Olson and their children Linden and Meredith; several cousins; and Sr. Mary Clare Clark, FEHJ. Mother Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents; Leo and Joyce O'Leary; brother, Charles O’Leary; sister, Lynn O’Leary; infant sister, Frances O’Leary; and aunt, Leone Skelton.