December is a great time for reflection. This month we’re reflecting on lessons learned from the Faith & Action Project’s 2019 Spring Conference featuring keynote speaker Father Greg Boyle. Father Boyle is a Jesuit priest and founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world. Attendees of the event 3 years ago were inspired by Father Boyle’s personal experience and challenged to seek change by meeting people at the margins. The impact of his words was immediately palpable, and his message remains relevant to our continued commitment to mitigating poverty.
In 1986, Father Boyle found himself serving as pastor to Los Angeles’ poorest Catholic parish – an area that also happened to have the highest concentration of gang activity in L.A., then considered the gang capital of the world. He soon founded what would become Homeboy Industries, which serves some 15,000 people a year, making it the largest gang intervention program in the world. On May 2, 2019, Boyle provided the keynote address for the Faith & Action Spring Conference and participated in panel conversations. Check out the Lessons Learned and full video of his timeless keynote speeach below.
