About

Billy Gillespie

Billy Gillespie

 

Hello, I’m Billy Gillespie and I am an actor, speaker, confirmation catechist and blogger.

I am a widower and live in Los Angeles, CA with my son. My wife was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis after our son was born and after several years was confined to a wheelchair. Then, when my wife was diagnosed with cancer, I took time from my career and devoted myself to care for her until her passing.

I am passionate about my Catholic Faith which wasn’t always the case. Having drifted away from the church in my 20’s there was always an “urging” in my heart to go to mass that for years I ignored. I began to listen to that “urging” when my son was born. And thus began my long slow journey back to the church that culminated with the most incredible and frighteningly loving experience with the Holy Spirit.

Read my reversion story.

I have been sharing my reversion story with my confirmation kids for the last nine years and am now following that “urge” to share my story with the world.

If you would like to connect, you can do so at my contact page. I look forward to hearing from you.

Endorsements for Billy
Tammy Buchanan
 Confirmation Coordinator; Catechist

Billy is a fellow Catechist that I have had great pleasure working with over the last several years at St. Francis de Sales.

His passion, humor and knowledge of our faith is second to none.  He is very inspiring to everyone, young and old. When Billy talks, everyone listens, not because they HAVE to, but because they WANT to!  

He teaches with great conviction, but in a way that is fun and entertaining.  He is very dedicated to the church, his students and his fellow Catechists. I can always count on him to help with our Confirmation program with teaching, class mass, projects and our yearly retreats. He truly cares for the well-being of others, listening to adults and students alike, giving good, sound advice on how to handle difficult situations or life events.

The Holy Spirit truly moves through him, which is evident to anyone who has the pleasure to get to know him.
Hi Billy,

I wanted to share something with you. I am doing Theology 10 questionnaires and kids are already answering them! I asked them to describe a teacher that made an impact on them and how or why. Here is what one student wrote.

You are awesome!!!
F

Passion, honesty, wisdom, experience, and a sense of purpose are all valuable and admirable qualities in any teacher. Last year, Mr. Gillespie made a strong impression on me. He treated his role as a theology teacher as more than just a job. He actually cared about our faith development and put it above grades. He knew that God was most important in life, so he taught us with the intention of helping us grow in our relationship with Him. Rather than just giving us lots of work, he engaged with us in discussion and he invited questions, participation, and honesty. He didn't chastise the students who weren't close to God as long as they were willing to participate and learn. He emphasized that he would never give us work for the sake of giving work, that he would never teach us incorrectly and that we should hold him to that, and that there are answers to all of our faith questions in the Bible. We did Bible readings almost everyday and we wrote and discussed the passages. He never told us that our writings were wrong; rather he discussed his understanding of the passage and let us decide for ourselves. He was also willing to have fun, but he knew how to restore order.
Hi Mr. Gillespie,

I hope all is well. I just wanted to check in and see how you are doing and tell you how much I appreciate and miss you as a teacher! Having your class last year really helped me get closer to my faith and I just wanted to let you know that I am grateful to you!

Thank you!

P
no thank uuu mr Gillespie. changing lives out here

D
Dear Mr. Gillespie,

Thank you so much for being an amazing Religion teacher. Your class is so much fun and I have learned a lot. I can't wait until we can be in person and to get to meet you. I hope you have a good day and see you on Monday!

From,
L
Mr Gillespie!!

You’re not my teacher, but you practically are because I spend more time in your class than I do across the hall in my religion class! We don’t talk often, but getting to know you at KAIROS was such a privilege! And let’s be real! Everyday I have religion, I can hear your passionate lectures from across the hall and I enjoy listening in on what you have to say. I love it SO MUCH!! Your love for Jesus Christ is absolutely beautiful and I firmly believe that as long so you teach that way: with your passion and strong faith, people are gonna learn just fine:) Thanks for being such a great person and for making me feel welcome -ALWAYS- even when I’m just dropping in. You always have a warm and welcome smile on your face. Thanks for being that person for me at St. M.

Le
Dear Mr Gillespie

You are my favorite teacher. I really do appreciate you. I love you so very much and I’ve only known you for 7 months. You have inspired me so much. I love hearing your stories and love how much you LOVE the Catholic Church. I really respect all your Ideas. Thank you for appreciating me.

La
Dear Billy,

I am so thankful that God placed you at Saint Monica. It has been refreshing to have someone else passionate and excited about their faith life. I feel like you are very bold and courageous when it comes to speaking about why God is important to you. Our students and community need more people like you, who are unafraid. 

May God continue to guide you on this journey of teaching and sharing the faith with our students.

Peace,

AG