LOS ANGELES — Father Gregory Boyle, the founder and director of Los Angeles-based Homeboy Industries, is one of the 19 newest recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, after receiving the nation's highest civilian honor at the White House.
President Joe Biden presented Boyle and 18 others with the medal in a ceremony Friday at the White House.
Boyle's work "reminds us of the power of redemption, rehabilitation and our obligation to those who have been condemned or counted out," Biden said.
"This recognition is heartening because it honors the many thousands of men and women who have walked through our doors at Homeboy Industries since 1988," Boyle said. "It acknowledges their dignity and nobility and the courage of their tenderness. It underscores for us all, the invitation to no longer punish wound, but seek its healing. It recognizes the need to invest in people and to create together a community of cherished belonging."
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Boyle became a Jesuit in 1972 and was ordained a Catholic priest in 1984. He holds a bachelor's degree in English from Gonzaga University, a master's in English from Loyola Marymount University, a master of divinity degree from the Weston School of Theology, and a master of sacred theology degree from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.
Founded as Jobs for the Future in 1988, Homeboy Industries eventually became the world's largest gang-intervention and rehabilitation program. Its centric program serves nearly 10,000 people in Los Angeles annually while acting as a global model for hundreds of organizations around the world, officials said.
In the wake of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Boyle launched Homeboy's first social enterprise in an abandoned bakery across the street from the church, dubbed Homeboy Bakery. Over three decades later, Boyle's operation has evolved into 13 social enterprises.
In addition to job training, Homeboy Industries provides relationally based, holistic services that include tattoo removal, legal, educational and housing services, substance use disorder support, mental health and wellness.
Boyle has authored three books, including the 2010 New York Times bestseller, "Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion."
Established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the Medal of Freedom is awarded annually by the president to "individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of America, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors."