Gregory Boyle, S.J., to Present ‘Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion’
The program, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2, at the Center for Global Citizenship, 3672 West Pine Mall, on the Saint Louis University campus. Free parking is available in the SLU garage, 3642 Laclede (at Grand).
Located in Los Angeles, California, Homeboy Industries is the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world.
Homeboy Industries began when a concerned group of Angelenos, led by Boyle, asked a simple question: “Can we improve the health and safety of our community through jobs and education rather than through suppression and incarceration?” The answer was yes. In 1988, members of the Dolores Mission Church and Boyle found a few caring business owners willing to hire former gang members and “Jobs for a Future” was created. Seeking a way out of gang life, 70 young people started work.
Today, Homeboy Industries employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to 15,000 men and women who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.
Learn more about Homeboy Industries
A native Angeleno, Boyle entered the Society of Jesus in 1972 and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1984. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and English from Gonzaga University, a master’s degree in English from Loyola Marymount University, a Master of Divinity degree from the Weston School of Theology and a Master of Sacred Theology degree from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.
Boyle is the author of the New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, and was also the subject of Academy Award winner Freida Lee Mock’s 2012 documentary, G-Dog.
Learn more about Gregory Boyle, S.J.
Father Boyle’s presentation is the annual Lally Lecture at Catholic Charities-Archdiocese of St. Louis and part of Saint Louis University’s Bicentennial Lecture Series. It is sponsored by Catholic Charities Saint Louis, the Peace and Justice Commission, Archdiocese of St. Louis, St. Vincent de Paul Society and Saint Louis University.
For more information, contact Tamara Kenny at (314) 367-5500 or tkenney@ccstl.org.