Combining Spiritual Wisdom with Practical Know-How: Lessons from Hearing Father Boyle and Tom Vozzo

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend a talk and book signing featuring legendary figure, Father Gregory Boyle.  He brought with him Tom Vozzo, a former business executive who has played a major role in strengthening and expanding Father Boyle’s work.  Together they shared some hard-earned wisdom which I think is meaningful not only to the people they serve but to all of us.

If you don’t know the story, here’s a summary.  Forty years ago, Father Boyle began serving as the priest of the poorest Catholic church in Los Angeles.  Eight gangs were in a constant and deadly battle for control of the neighborhood.  Father Boyle began to seek a way to become a transforming presence and offer a path of hope for gang members who wanted to find a new life.  He began living and walking alongside the people in the neighborhood.  He soon recognized that creating meaningful job training and employment would be critical.  “At the time, law enforcement tactics of suppression and criminal justice policies of mass incarceration were the prevailing means to deal with gang violence. But where others only saw criminals, Father Greg saw people in need of help. Today, Homeboy Industries is the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program in the world, welcoming thousands through our doors each year.[i]

Here are just a few examples of what they shared Saturday night:

THE TWO CORE PRINCIPLES: “Everyone is unshakably good and everyone belongs.” The people who come through the door have learned to see themselves as unwanted and unlovable.  At Homeboy, they meet people who see in them an “unshakable goodness,” and they are welcomed as part of the human family.  People who have been in prison experience something new: “They are used to being watched, not used to being seen.” 

HOW TO RESPOND TO DIFFICULT BEHAVIOR: Sometimes clients act out in anger or frustration.  The staff’s approach is to “find the thorn underneath” –the deep pain that’s driving behavior.  This happens through conversation, counseling, and support.  It can be a slow and steady process as people work through their traumas.  But with time and respect, transformation can occur.

WE ALL NEED HEALING: Some of us have known plenty of love and support in our life and others have experienced great loss and trauma.  But all of us carry wounds within us.  It’s tempting to ignore them. But the wounds don’t disappear. Instead, they can show up when, for example, we see people who are struggling and judge them harshly.  “If we don’t make friends with our wounds, we despise the wounded.”

Everyone in the organization assumes they have issues to work on. “Healing ends in the graveyard,” says Father Boyle.  If we want to “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” we remember that love is practiced in seeking healing in our lives as well as that of others.  This is a lifelong journey. In the process, we can make peace with ourselves and become more capable of caring for people we encounter.

PURPOSE AND STRUCTURE After lives of aimlessness and despair, clients experience two important things: purposeful action and structure to each day.  In addition to therapy and spiritual support, Homeboy gives people jobs with responsibilities, a chance to become part of a team expecting mutual accountability, and a chance for advancement. 

(As I thought about it, this principle can also apply to people for whom retirement feels empty.  There is pleasure in being free from stress and external constraints.  But personal satisfaction can emerge when we find ways we can help others on a consistent basis.)

These and other principles guided Homeboy from the beginning.  But in the last nine years, it has seen remarkable growth thanks, in part, to Tom Vozzo. Tom Vozzo had a successful career as the CEO of several companies with millions of dollars in profits; he knew how to “get things done” in the private sector.  He was asked to see if he could help Homeboy, first as an adviser and then as the CEO.  His skills helped the organization triple in size and dramatically improve its financial strength.  In the process, Vozzo found himself changed:

“As he immersed himself in the work, something deeper took hold – an awareness of the interconnectedness that binds us all. This realization softened his heart and opened him to a greater purpose. He found that true change came through relationships, by tending to his own brokenness with acceptance and engaging in community – just as we all must confront and embrace our own wounds to find healing. He came to see the shared brokenness that unites us all, revealing that transformation is not about fixing others but about standing together in mutual care and understanding.

Through this interconnectedness, he discovered joy — an essential pursuit that reshaped his path forward. The burdens of responsibility that once weighed heavily on him became secondary to the profound joy he now felt. He learned that joy is a powerful state, one that requires time, reflection and openness to cultivate. And once found, it has the power to realign everything else in life.”[ii]

In my years in ministry and nonprofit work, I have seen many wonderful hopes and dreams fade when they haven’t been supported by practical, real-world know-how.  Seeing Father Boyle and Tom Vozzo sitting side by side and sharing their stories of how they worked together to advance the work of their organization was inspiring to me. I could not help but feel this combination of high ideals and practical competence is what our country needs so desperately at this time in our history.

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[i] https://homeboyindustries.org/our-story/about-homeboy/

[ii] https://jailstojobs.org/retiring-homeboy-industries-ceo-tom-vozzo-reflects-on-his-leadership-journey/