[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 175 (Monday, November 14, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6664-S6665]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO FATHER GREGORY JOSEPH BOYLE, S.J.

 Mr. PADILLA. Mr. President, I rise today to congratulate 
Father Greg Boyle on 50 years of service as a Jesuit priest and as a 
compassionate leader for families in East Los Angeles.
  For over three decades, Father Boyle has served as founder and 
director of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang rehabilitation and re-
entry program in the world. Based in Los Angeles, Homeboy provides an 
off-ramp for thousands of former gang members and at-risk youth.
  Born in Los Angeles in 1954, Father Boyle first joined the Society of 
Jesus in 1972. After being ordained as a priest in 1984, he went on to 
serve Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights, where he saw the 
severity of poverty and violence in Los Angeles that condemned 
generations of Angelenos to hardship, incarceration, and--all too 
often--the loss of loved ones.
  But he didn't shy from the dangers before him or ignore a community 
in need of care. Guided by the tenets of his faith--of nonviolence, of 
love, of care for others--he brought together his parish and community 
leaders to found what would later become Homeboy Industries. At its 
start, the organization focused on providing educational resources and 
employment services.
  It would soon grow into a haven for hope for thousands of people in 
East Los Angeles, throughout the region, and beyond. Through Homeboy 
Bakery, Homeboy Diner, Homeboy Merchandise, and more, hundreds of 
people find job training and a reason to get up and get better each and 
every day. And once inside their doors, surrounded by people who have 
been through similar challenges, Angelenos are provided support for 
substance abuse, mental health services, and legal and educational 
resources.
  Each month, Homeboy Industries also provides free tattoo removal 
services for nearly a thousand Californians to remove gang-related 
tattoos, removing a common barrier to finding work, and providing 
safety from visible signs of gang affiliation.
  Father Boyle has lived his faith through action. Over five decades of 
service, he has believed in the goodness inherent in each of us. He has 
had the compassion to give second chances when others wouldn't. And for 
those who needed a little light, true to his Jesuit mission, he has the 
persistence to ``go forth and set the work aflame.''
  In the ``lethal absence of hope,'' as he describes it, Father Boyle 
has brought love, understanding, and a bright future to thousands of 
Angelenos, and we are grateful for his service.

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