Jesuit priest awarded for work among gangsters

By Joseph Jerald

New Delhi, May 6, 2024: Have you heard of a Catholic priest working among gangsters, or stories of gangsters he has helped confessing their past and leading dignified lives in society?

There is one in Los Angeles, the United States – Jesuit Father Gregory Joseph Boyle.

On May 3, US President Joe Biden awarded the 69-year-old Jesuit priest the Presidential Medal of Freedom at the White House for his selfless service to the country.

Popularly known as Greg, the priest is the founder and director of Homeboy Industries, which was initially called as “Jobs for a Future.” Father Greg set it up in 1988 as part of Dolores Mission Parish to address gang activities in the area.

In just 36 years, it has become the world’s largest gang intervention and rehabilitation program, now serving more than 10,000 persons annually.

Homeboy Industries has become a place of hope for the former gang members. The non-profit organization helps the members deal with their past life and build themselves for a better future.

Father Greg’s efforts to affirm the talents of the members and accompany them on a daily basis have resulted in thousands of success stories.

The priest deals with every member he encounters with compassion and love. Most members entering Homeboy Industries feel accepted. As a result, gang activities that earlier led violence and deaths of many youths and children have drastically decreased, Father Greg claimed in an interview.

Father Greg has shown that the call to priestly ministry transcends boundaries. What he did first was to understand his own context that helped him discern and develop innovative ministries. Such ministries require tremendous commitment, dedication, and, above all, a compassionate heart.

Father Greg empowered former gang members and facilitated their journey of self-discovery. His is an unstructured working scenario this is open to new ideas, dialogue, communal discernment, and sharing.