In this episode, Tom Vozzo sits down with Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J., to unpack one of the most frequently asked questions about Homeboy Industries: What’s the secret sauce?

Together, they reflect on how Homeboy creates a community where people feel safe, seen, and cherished. Father Greg shares stories from the early days of ministry, remembering names, meeting homies where they’re at, and learning that transformation often starts with the smallest gestures of attention.

The conversation explores why real change depends on relational wholeness, how leadership is rooted in listening and humility, and why giving second (or eighth) chances isn’t just compassion, it’s the heart of Homeboy. During their conversation, they revisit formative memories of leaders like Hector Verdugo and Jose, discuss how to balance the presence of rival gangs under one roof, and consider what it really means to trust, forgive, and find sustenance in God.

This episode is an honest, moving look at how kinship, not programs or policies, is what heals.

Key Takeaways

• Faith reframed: God’s role is not to remove challenges but to provide sustenance within them.

• Outcome vs. presence: True spiritual confidence comes from knowing you are sustained regardless of outcomes.

• Resilience through faith: Belief in divine sustenance makes it possible to face anything without fear of being abandoned.

• • Shift in orientation: Move from “God has me on this one” to “God is with me in everything.”

  
  

  In This Episode

• • [00:44] What is the “secret sauce” of Homeboy?

  • [02:06] Seen vs. watched: the power of being noticed

  • [05:19] “The priest knows my name”: why attention transforms

  • [07:34] Relational wholeness and remembering names

  • [09:06] Why volunteers should listen first, not rush into friendship

  • [12:27] Leadership through presence and receptivity

  • [13:42] Why Homeboy gives second, third, and tenth chances

  • [15:46] “No hanging, banging, or slanging”: old rules for readiness

  • [17:08] Father Greg’s first memories of Hector Verdugo

  • [19:14] What makes people stay: attention as a drop of water on a dry sponge

  • [21:19] Jose’s story: talent, addiction, and resilience

  • [23:28] Healing as building upon past growth, not starting over

  • [24:34] Why Homeboy works with gang members, not gangs

  • [27:38] Balancing dynamics when homies from the same gang come in

  • [36:09] God as sustenance, not magician

• • [38:38] Forgiveness, shame, and clarity in transformation

  
  

  Notable Quotes

• • [03:13] “You receive the tender glance, and then you become the tender glance.” — Father Greg

  • [19:20] “Attention is like a drop of water on a very dry sponge, it transforms more than you think.” — Father Greg

  • [23:42] “You don’t start over at day one; you build on what was already begun in you.” — Father Greg

  • [24:41] “We work with gang members, not gangs.” — Father Greg

• • [39:44] “Clear is loving. If you can be clear with people, you’re deeply loving them.” — Father Greg

  
  

  Resources and Links

• Homeboy Industries

  • https://homeboyindustries.org/

  • https://www.youtube.com/@HomeboyIndustries_LA/videos

  • Donate: https://homeboyindustries.org/donate/donate-online/

  
  

  Fr. Greg Boyle, S.J.

  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-boyle-s-j-05458514

  
  

  Thomas Vozzo

  • https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasvozzo