Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Visit of Fr. Greg Boyle (Homeboy Industries)

Fr. Greg Boyle S.J. visits St. John the Baptist for Mass and Evening Reflection

St. John the Baptist Church Lifeteen and Social Services invite you as we
welcome Fr. Greg Boyle, Executive Director, of Homeboy Industries. Fr. Greg
will be the main celebrant for our Lifeteen Mass on December 5th at 5 PM.
After Mass, the Parish Community is invited to Life Night in the Hall for an
Advent Reflection directed by Fr. Greg.


The Homeboy Merchandise store will be present with copies of Tattoos on the
Heart for sale.


Ordained in 1984, Fr. Greg taught at Loyola High School and worked with
Christian Base Communities in Cochabamba, Bolivia. He was appointed as Pastor of
Dolores Mission in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1986 where
he served through 1992. He then served as Chaplain of the Islas Marias Penal
Colony in Mexico and Folsom Prison, before returning to Los Angeles and Dolores
Mission.

Homeboy Industries traces its roots to “Jobs For A Future” (JFF), a program
created in 1988 by Fr. Greg at Dolores Mission parish. In an effort to address
the escalating problems and unmet needs of gang-involved youth, Fr. Greg and the
community developed positive alternatives, including establishing an elementary
school, a day care program and finding legitimate employment for young people.
JFF’s success demonstrated the model followed today that many gang members are
eager to leave the dangerous and destructive life on the “streets.”


In 1992, as a response to the civil unrest in Los Angeles, Fr. Greg launched the
first business (under the organizational banner of JFF and Proyecto Pastoral,
separated from Dolores Mission Church): Homeboy Bakery with a mission to create
an environment that provided training, work experience, and above all, the
opportunity for rival gang members to work side by side. The success of the
Bakery created the groundwork for additional businesses, thus prompting JFF to
become an independent non-profit organization, Homeboy Industries, in 2001.
Today Homeboy Industries’ nonprofit economic development enterprises include
Homeboy Bakery, Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy Maintenance,Homeboy/HomegirlMerchandise, and HomegirlCafé.

As Executive Director of Homeboy Industries and an acknowledged expert on gangs
and intervention approaches, Fr. Boyle is a nationally renowned speaker. He has given commencement addressesat several prestigious universities, as well as spoken at conferences forteachers, social workers, criminal justice workers and others about theimportance of adult attention, guidance and unconditional love in preventing
youth from joining gangs. Fr. Greg and several “homies” were featured speakers
at the White House Conference on Youth in 2005 at the personal invitation of
Mrs. George Bush. Fr. Greg is also a consultant to youth service and governmental agencies, policy-makers and employers.


For more information, please contact Michael Ward at 626 337 4223 or
sjbsocialservices@gmail.com

No comments:

Post a Comment