Best of the Week 2021-2022: Holy Cross Values

ST. ED'S GIVES A WARM WELCOME TO FR. GREG BOYLE, FOUNDER OF HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES IN LOS ANGELES

This Tuesday, St. Ed's welcomed Fr. Greg Boyle, Stephanie Rios and Cynthia Zuno Godinez from Homeboy Industries in Los Angeles to campus for a speaker presentation to the St. Ed's community. Fr. Boyle, the founder of the largest gang rehabilitation ministry in the world, spoke about the importance of kinship, unconditional love, compassion, nonviolence, and inclusivity, while Stephanie and Cynthia recounted their own stories of growth and how Homeboy Industries helped them start anew. "To be able to see and cherish someone who was your enemy, to be able to bring people to a place where they trade texts instead of bullets, I am in awe of Fr. Boyle's ministry. I've long admired him and what he talks about, and to be able to share that with our community and to see how well everyone responded to his visit was a fulfillment of a dream," says Director of Campus Ministry Cari White. Author of "Tattoos on the Heart" among other works, Fr. Boyle is a familiar voice for Edsmen, who have read Fr. Boyle's works across all levels of their Theology courses.

"Since my freshman year at St. Ed's, I have learned about, talked about, and heard about Fr. Greg Boyle and his work at Homeboy Industries more times than I can count. After hearing so much about the possibility of him becoming a saint and his selfless work with the most marginalized members of our society, it was a surreal experience to have him come to St. Ed's," says Tory (Williams) Ruffin '22. "One of the most significant messages that I took from Fr. Boyle was his message that 'St. Ed's is not a place that you go to, but a place you go from.' As a senior, this message particularly resonated with me and my senior classmates. As our experience as St. Ed's students comes to an end, it's important to remember that, although time is fleeting, the lessons we've learned and the relationships we've built have the ability to last a lifetime." "Fr. Boyle's message is one that everyone needs to hear," says Matt Molnar '22. "Personally having read his first book, and always admiring him, it was an honor to get the chance to meet him. Him saying he has never felt more at home as he did at St. Ed's is a testament that we are living out our Holy Cross hospitality. Having the honor to introduce him and his guests to the community will be something that I will never forget. He is one of my personal role models and I am still in awe of the fact that he came and spoke to us."