Fr. Greg Boyle to speak in Downey

DOWNEY - Father Gregory Boyle, founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries, will speak at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on Jan. 19 at 7 p.m.The event is free and open to the public. Through Homeboy Industries, Boyle provides jobs and counseling to reformed gang members. The company offers mental health counseling, free tattoo removal, a charter school, job placement and career training. More than 8,000 gang members from 700 different gangs have benefited from Homeboy Industries, which was founded in 1986 and was the focus of the documentary, "Father G and the Homeboys," narrated by Martin Sheen. Homeboy Industries operates five businesses where former rival gang members work side-by-side: Homeboy Bakery, Homegirl Café, Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy/Homegirl Merchandise and Homeboy Maintenance. Boyle released a book this year titled "Tattoos on the Heart," described as "a treatise on the sacredness of each life, an astounding rebuttal to the idea that any one life matters more than another." Copies of "Tattoos on the Heart" will be available for purchase and signing at the Jan. 19 event.

********** Published: December 9, 2010 - Volume 9 - Issue 34