“What is Jesuit Spirituality?” — “What is Ignatian Spirituality?”

In this episode of “Jesuits Revealed!” we hear Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ talk about his experience of Ignatian Spirituality and what it has meant in his life and formation as a Jesuit.

Fr. Gregory Boyle, SJ is a Los Angeleno born to a third-generation Irish-American family. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1972 after graduating from Loyola High School and was ordained to the Roman Catholic priesthood in 1984.
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With a history of ministries to the poor in Los Angeles, Bolivia and Mexico, Fr. Greg was missioned to Boyle Heights in 1986 where he served as pastor of Dolores Mission until 1992. . In 1988, Fr. Greg created the “Jobs for a Future” program as a way to address the problems of gang violence in Boyle Heights.
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This program would evolve into Homeboy Bakery, launched in 1992, which sought to find solutions to the civil unrest in Los Angeles. . Bringing rival gang members together to build a business that could provide job-training and an environment for personal growth, Homeboy Bakery proved that many gang members were eager to leave street life for a legitimate chance at a constructive future.
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In 2001, Fr. Greg launched Homeboy Industries which expanded the mission of the bakery enterprises including Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy/Homegirl Merchandise, Homegirl Cafe and Homeboy Maintenance. Now more than two decades old, Fr. Greg’s ministry is recognized as the largest gang-intervention program in the United States and a model for such ministry around the world.