“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It’s a covenant between equals.” ~ Father Greg Boyle
In an era marked by division and rising mental health challenges, Fr. Greg Boyle’s voice is one we need to hear now more than ever. On this episode of the Cracking Open podcast, I am honored to speak with Fr. Boyle, a man whose work, books, and mission have inspired me for years.
Father Gregory Boyle is a Jesuit priest and founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, the world’s largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Fr. Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights from 1986 to 1992. Dolores Mission was the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles and had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city.
He had a front-row seat to the devastating impact of gang violence on his community during the so-called “decade of death” that began in the late 1980s, peaking at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992. Law enforcement deployed harsh police tactics and the criminal justice system rolled out policies of suppression and mass incarceration as the primary response to the increased gang violence.
But where others saw only criminals, Father Boyle saw people in need of help. So his parish and community members decided to implement a radically different approach – to treat gang members as human beings.
In 1988 they started what would eventually become Homeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of individuals who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life. Whether joining their 18-month employment and re-entry program or seeking discreet services such as tattoo removal or substance abuse resources, their clients are embraced by a community of kinship and offered a variety of free wraparound services to facilitate healing and growth.
In this episode, we discuss Fr. Boyle’s journey to becoming a priest, the development of Homeboy Industries, and his core principles: “Everybody’s unshakably good, no exceptions,” and “We belong to each other, no exceptions.” We also explore the teachings of Jesus, and what Fr. Greg shares is the “marrow of the gospel” emphasizing inclusion, nonviolence, unconditional kindness, and compassion.
Fr. Boyle speaks of these concepts in his 2010 New York Times bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, followed by Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship (2017) and The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness (2021). Recently he debuted Forgive Everyone Everything, an anthology of writings accompanied by Fabian Debora’s artwork.
He has received the California Peace Prize and has been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, President Obama named Fr. Boyle a Champion of Change. He received the University of Notre Dame’s 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics. Homeboy Industries was the recipient of the 2020 Hilton Humanitarian Prize, validating 32 years of Fr. Greg Boyle’s vision and work by the organization for over three decades. And in May 2024, Fr. Greg was a recipient of The Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Biden.
Our heartfelt conversation reveals that what everyone seeks is a home – not just a physical space but a place where they are seen, and valued, and where judgment is left at the door.
What if we could all take Fr. Greg’s message inspired by 1 Corinthians 13? I am guessing our divisions would be much smaller and our hearts much kinder. Love will never fail in our interactions with our friends and family, neighbors and colleagues, and even those who look, vote, and believe in different things than we do.
Love, Molly
Learn more about Father Greg Boyle and his work with Homeboy Industries here
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