Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest and the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, will be Carlow University’s Commencement Speaker on May 12.
| Marketing and Communications | For Immediate Release |
| Drew Wilson, Director, Media Relations | April 25, 2018 |
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| 412.578.2080 (fax) | |
| agwilson@carlow.edu |
Father Boyle Has Worked with Gang Members in Los Angeles for more than 30 Years
Father Boyle Will Deliver the Homily at the Baccalaureate Mass at 10 a.m.
Pittsburgh, Pa. – Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest and the founder of Homeboy Industries, an organization that seeks to employ and train gang members and provide an alternative to gang life, will be the commencement speaker at Carlow University’s Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 12, 2018, at 12:45 p.m. in Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall in Oakland.
“We are delighted that Father Boyle will address our graduating class at Commnencement,” said Suzanne K. Mellon, PhD., President of Carlow University, who will award Father Boyle an honorary doctorate during the ceremony. “Father Boyle demonstrates the impact a single, compassionate leader can have in creating a more just and merciful world.”
Father Boyle, a Los Angeles native and the author of two books and numerous articles, has worked with gang members in Los Angeles for more than 30 years. Homeboy Industries seeks to employ and train gang members in a range of social enterprises, encouraging them to leave the gang lifestyle behind. (A longer biography follows this release.
“America has rarely seen more division, polarization and disunion than at this moment,” wrote Father Boyle in an op-ed that appeared in the November 28, 2017 edition of the Los Angeles Times. “And yet our best selves long for connection. Deep down, we know that separation is an illusion, that there is no us and them, just us.”
In addition to giving the Commencement address, Father Boyle will also deliver the homily during Carlow’s traditional Baccalaureate Mass at 10 a.m. in St. Paul Cathedral, located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Craig Street. The mass will be celebrated by the Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid, Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh, and the concelebrant will be the Reverend Adam M. Verona, Carlow University’s chaplain.
Two additional honorary doctorates will be awarded during the Commencement ceremony to Carlow alumna Michele Fabrizi, the CEO of Marc Advertising, and Colonel Jeannette South-Paul, MD, a 2018 Carlow University Woman of Spirit® awardee and the Andrew W. Mathieson Professor and Chair in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
More than 350 students will walk during the ceremony at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall. They will be eligible to receive their bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees.
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About Carlow University
Carlow is a private, co-educational, Catholic university located in the heart of Pittsburgh’s “Eds, Meds, and Tech” district. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, Carlow’s graduates, curricula, and partnerships reflect its strong commitment to social justice; ethical, forward-thinking and responsible leadership; and service to the community that has a meaningful impact. Undergraduate and graduate degrees are offered in three colleges: Health and Wellness, Leadership and Social Change, and Learning and Innovation. Carlow graduates are in demand for their professional expertise, in fields ranging from nursing, the sciences, and perfusion technology to counseling, education, and forensic accounting; their entrepreneurial spirit and creative mindset; and their ability to manage change. Carlow’s 13 athletic teams are known as the Celtics, a reflection of the university’s Irish heritage and roots.
Biography for Father Gregory Boyle
Founder and Director of Homeboy Industries
Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries inLos Angeles, Calif., the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, andre-entry program in the world.
A Jesuit priest, from 1986 to 1992 Father Boyleserved as pastor of Dolores Mission Church, then the poorest Catholic parish inLos Angeles that also had the highest concentration of gang activity in thecity.
Father Boyle witnessed thedevastating impact of gang violence on his community during theso-called “decade of death” that began in Los Angeles in the late 1980s andpeaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992. In the face of law enforcement tacticsand criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration as themeans to end gang violence, Father Boyle and parish and community members adoptedwhat was a radical approach at the time: treat gang members as human beings.
In 1988 they started what would eventually becomeHomeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range ofsocial enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of menand women who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.
Father Boyle is the author of the 2010 NewYork Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. His 2017 book is the Los Angeles Times-bestseller Barking to the Choir: The Power of RadicalKinship.
He has received the California PeacePrize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, the White House named Father Boyle aChampion of Change. He received theUniversity of Notre Dame’s 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics.
Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles, Calif., the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world.
A Jesuit priest, from 1986 to 1992 Father Boyle served as pastor of Dolores Mission Church, then the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles that also had the highest concentration of gang activity in the city.
Father Boyle witnessed the devastating impact of gang violence on his community during the so-called “decade of death” that began in the late 1980s and peaked at 1,000 gang-related killings in 1992. In the face of law enforcement tactics and criminal justice policies of suppression and mass incarceration as the means to end gang violence, Father Boyle and parish and community members adopted what was a radical approach at the time: treat gang members as human beings.
In 1988 they started what would eventually become Homeboy Industries, which employs and trains former gang members in a range of social enterprises, as well as provides critical services to thousands of men and women who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life.
Father Boyle is the author of the 2010 New York Times-bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. His new book, Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship, was published in 2017.
He has received the California Peace Prize and been inducted into the California Hall of Fame. In 2014, the White House named Father Boyle a Champion of Change. He received the University of Notre Dame’s 2017 Laetare Medal, the oldest honor given to American Catholics.