Renowned Jesuit Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J. was the keynote speaker at Bellarmine College Prep’s Justice Summit assembly the morning of November 14.
Fr. Boyle is the founder and director of Homeboy Industries, the world's largest gang intervention and rehabilitation program, and the former pastor of Dolores Mission Church in Los Angeles. He is the author of several books, including Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship, and The Whole Language: The Power of Extravagant Tenderness.
Addressing students, faculty, and staff who gathered in the Patrick Wayne Valley Memorial Gymnasium for the Justice assembly, Fr. Boyle delivered a compelling keynote speech with its message of “kinship.” His remarks were delivered after two Homeboy Industries representatives, Steve Montoya and Walter Corrales, shared their respective stories of survival and the many challenges they have overcome, ranging from abuse and addiction to gangs and prison.
“It’s the privilege of my life for 40 years to walk with gang members,” said Fr. Boyle, who later in his remarks shared that the measure of one’s compassion lies in one’s willingness to be with those on the margins. Referencing Bellarmine, Fr. Boyle said, “It’s not the place you go to, it’s the place you come from,” adding that “you go from here to take seriously what Jesus took serious: inclusion, nonviolence, unconditional love and kindness, and compassionate acceptance … creating a community of cherished belonging.”
Bellarmine’s Justice theme for the year is Socioeconomic Justice, with an intersectional focus on mental health. A special day for the Justice Summit will occur in January, while activities and experiences related to the theme are being explored in multiple ways throughout the school year, with the guidance of Bellarmine’s Christian Service Program (CSP) and Partners in Mission and Ministry (PiMM). Such initiatives already experienced this year include involvement in the Safe Park program and a poverty simulation.