CCS Invites the Public to Hear this Transformational Speaker
Fr. Greg Boyle, legendary minister to Los Angeles gang members and founder of Homeboy Industries, one of the nation’s first large-scale re-entry and job training programs, will speak in honor of Catholic Community Services’ 85th anniversary on Tuesday, June 27th at 5:00PM PDT, doors open at 4:30PM PDT, at Queen of Peace Catholic Church.
Fr. Greg will be introduced by Luis “Suave” Gonzalez, a former “juvenile lifer” who is the subject of the Pulitzer Prize-winning podcast “Suave,” and is currently an artist, activist and college counselor in Philadelphia, PA.
The two will speak about the power and compassion of community in bringing hope to people who have very little. “Gang violence is about a lethal absence of hope,” Fr. Greg says, which is why he started Homeboy Industries, employing and training former gang members in a range of social enterprises.
Fr. Greg 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, was inducted into the California Hall of Fame, and in 2014, was named a Champion of Change by President Obama.
Suave Gonzalez is a member of the Board of Directors of Prisoner Visitation and Support (PVS), which recruits, trains and supports volunteers who visit people incarcerated in federal and military prisons across the country. Suave credits much of his success since being released from prison after 31 years to the people who visited and supported him during his time inside.
Together, Fr. Greg and Suave will discuss the power of relationships in restoring the humanity that is often lost in gang activity, street culture, and incarceration, and what is gained by all involved when that happens.
Thanks to a generous sponsorship from Mountain West Philanthropy, tickets to the event are free and available to the public. The event celebrates CCS’ 85 years of providing a Christian ministry, caring for all in the community, built on faith, hope and kinship.
The event will be free and open to the public with tickets reserved in advance; donations to Catholic Community Services or Prisoner Visitation and Support gratefully accepted.