Father Greg Boyle to Appear at Library

Father Gregory Boyle, whose first book Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion has won numerous awards while it has spent over a year atop various bestseller lists, will make a ‘Author Night’ appearance in the on Thursday, July 21 at 7 p.m.

The free program is presented by the and the , with funding support from the Helix Foundation and Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant it has received from the James Irvine Foundation. Special thanks to Libros Schmibros and

Father Boyle, or “Father Greg” as he is now known to so many, was born in Los Angeles one of eight children. As a youth, he worked alongside his siblings and father in the family-owned dairy. He graduated from Loyola High School in Los Angeles in 1972 and later received a BA in English from Gonzaga University and an MA in English from Loyola Marymount University before being awarded a Master of Divinity from the Weston School of Theology, and a Sacred Theology Master’s degree from the Jesuit School of Theology.

Prior to 1986, Father Boyle taught at Loyola High School and worked in Bolivia. He was appointed Pastor of Dolores Mission in Boyle Heights in 1986 where he served until 1992. During 1993 he served as Chaplain of a Penal Colony in Mexico and at Folsom Prison before returning to Los Angeles where he started Homeboy Bakery to provide training, work experience, and above all the opportunity for rival gang members to work side-by-side. The success of the Bakery prompted the enterprise to expand its lines of business and become Homeboy Industries in 2001.

As Executive Director of Homeboy Industries and acknowledged expert on gangs and intervention, Father Boyle is a nationally renowned speaker. He has given commencement addresses at numerous universities and spoken at many conferences about the importance of unconditional love in preventing youth from joining gangs. Father Greg was a featured speaker at the White House in 2005 at the personal invitation of Mrs. George Bush. Father Boyle currently serves as a member of the National Gang Center Advisory Board. 

Father Boyle has been accorded the California Peace Prize granted by the California Wellness Foundation and been the recipient of “Bon Appetit” magazine’s “Humanitarian of the Year” award. In 2009 the Los Angeles Headquarters Association honored Father Greg as one of the city’s leading visionaries. Homeboy Industries, now located in downtown Los Angeles, is recognized as the largest gang intervention and re-entry program in the country. 

Folk singer/songwriter Severin Browne, a longtime Southern California favorite, will open the evening. Severin grew up in a very musical family on the Arroyo Seco. By the age of 25, Severin had already recorded two albums and in 1995 he released “From the Edge of the World” and “This Twisted Road” in 2001.  Severin performs regularly to appreciative audiences around California and beyond. 

The Community Room is located at 1115 El Centro Street. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and no tickets or reservations are necessary. Refreshments will be served and autographed books will be available for purchase. Special thanks to the Holy Family Bookstore and Libros Schmibros for outreach help. Special thanks are also due to Studio Spectrum, Inc. who will be video recording the program for later showing on Channel 19 (Time Warner) and Channel 99 (AT&T U-Verse) in South Pasadena. 

A special reception and book signing with Father Boyle will also be held on June 21 at 4:30 p.m. at Libros Schmibros Book Store at 2000 East 1st Street in Boyle Heights. The free event will also feature refreshments and Tattoos on the Heart will be available for purchase there too. Those who want to ride the Gold Line to Libros Schmibros on July 21st are asked to meet outside the Community Room at 3:30 p.m.