Father Greg Boyle
Homeboy Industries
Los Angeles, CA USA
"If you don't transform your pain, you'll just keep transmitting it. So transform it-turn it into something beautiful."
Career Roadmap
Father Greg's work combines: Non-Profit Organizations, Philosophy & Religion, and Helping People
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
English Language and Literature, General
Gonzaga University
Graduate Degree
English Language and Literature, General
Loyola Marymount University
Graduate Degree
Divinity/Ministry
Weston School of Theology
Doctorate
Theology/Theological Studies
Jesuit School of Theology
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
Says he "won the zip code lottery" and grew up in a part of Los Angeles where there were no gangs.
2.
After being ordained as a priest, he was assigned to the poorest parish in the city with the highest concentration of gang activity in the world.
3.
He'd ride his bike around his neighborhood, where eight different gangs were at war; says he tried his best to "put out fires."
4.
From 1988 to 2015, he buried almost 200 members of his parish who died as a direct result of gang violence.
5.
Started asking gang members in his parish, "What would help you?"-they replied by saying they needed jobs and schools that would accept them.
6.
In 1992, a movie producer approached him and wanted to help; they decided to buy a bakery and hire ex-gang members as their staff.
7.
Homeboy Industries is now the largest gang intervention re-entry program in the world; 15,000 people come through their doors each year.
8.
Says he's stuck with the work because he loves the people and finds them "eternally interesting and noble."
Defining Moments
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I got caught in shootouts but I never took it personally