Canisius High School Today
24
ev. Gregory Boyle, S.J., author of “Tattoos on
the Heart,” visits Canisius and reflects on work
with gang members in Los Angeles.
When he was a Jesuit Novice, Rev. Robert Pecoraro, S.J., vice
president for Ignatian Identity and Mission at Canisius High
School, worked with Rev. Gregory Boyle, S.J., at Homeboy
Industries in Los Angeles, the largest gang intervention
program in the country. Fr. Pecoraro calls the experience one
of the most formative in his ministry as a Jesuit.
So when the Canisius High School English department
selected Fr. Boyle’s book, “Tattoos on the Heart” for the One
School, One Book program, Fr. Pecoraro could not have
been happier. And he could not think of a better message
to resonate as part of the Jesuit education in the classrooms
of Canisius.
“Fr. Boyle’s book teaches us how to work
with people in need, especially people on the
margins, and we learn how that work can be
transformative,”
Fr. Pecoraro says.
“He is a
Jesuit with a master’s degree in English, so
the book is written with great poetry and
theology, yet it is all wrapped around a very
real, lived experience. We see how God is
sometimes active in the least pretty of places.”
The power of kinship
Modeled after similar initiatives at other Jesuit schools,
One School, One Book is a program designed to create a
shared reading experience within the Canisius High School
community. Each student and family purchased Fr. Boyle’s
book and were given an assignment to read it over the
summer. Administration, faculty and staff members, trustees
and benefactors were also invited to read the book.
The program was started last year through the Religious
Studies department when students at Canisius were invited
to read “Thrift Store Graces” by Jane Knuth, a book about
the author’s personal experience in a thrift store helping
the poor. The program proved so popular that the English
department at Canisius stepped in to host One School, One
Book again and build on its success.
One School, One Book program delivers powerful message
of compassion.
Author and founder of Homeboy Industries, Rev. Gregory Boyle, S.J., with some of his “homies” in Los Angeles.
