Tattoos On The Heart Summary

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After decades of service to the Dolores Mission Church, Father Gregory Boyle, author of Tattoos on the Heart, receives notice from the Society of Jesus that his new assignment is at a new parish more than 2,000 miles away. That is the newly built Catholic Church in Middletown, Ohio. His congregation now consists not of hardened “homies” from Los Angeles gangs but rather “hillbillies” originally from the Appalachian region who struggle to stay true to their values in a changing world. What Father Gregory would most likely do to help this population is employ his previously successful methods of evangelization. Namely, he was affable and patient. Father Gregory’s affability is a key trait that allowed him to touch the hearts of the members of …show more content…

Specifically, he used the term “mijo” to refer to Danny as his son instead of merely saying “son.” Additionally, he lets the gang members refer to him as simply “G,” and they call each other words such as “dog” and “cuz.” In the Midwest, Father Gregory would need to apply this same skill in order to connect with and gain the trust of the hillbillies who need his help, and he would do so by first striving to know all that is possible about their lifestyle. A key part of their culture is the value of loyalty. In particular, familial loyalty was regarded highly by J.D. Vance’s family and neighbors in Hillbilly Elegy. He tells a story of how his Uncle Pet went to great measures to defend his family members. A truck driver who was delivering supplies …show more content…

He realized that change does not occur in one day, and he does not force change. Rather, he reminds those whom he is trying to help that he will always be there when they decide to embark on a conversion towards a more fruitful life and cut ties from their gangs. One case of this unending compassion was his interactions with Grumpy, a convict whom he meets when celebrating Mass at a prison. Father Gregory offers him a card for his complimentary tattoo-removal service offered at Homeboy Industries, to which he scoffs, “Yeah, well, why’d I get ‘em if I’m just gonna take ‘em off?” Five months later, they meet again at a Lakers game, and Grumpy excitedly re-introduces himself. Despite blowing off Boyle’s advice the first time they met, they simply hug, as Father Gregory never held any hard feelings against him. The two then proceed to arrange a time for an appointment to get the aforementioned tattoos removed. In Middletown, Father Gregory would need to be equally patient with the hillbilly people when he guides them on the track to a better, more faithful lifestyle. One example of where patience would probably be needed was with Vance’s Uncle David. He was somebody who cared “little for that honor culture.” On his property, he regularly grew and smoked marijuana. Just like with Grumpy, Boyle would need to offer help but not force it. Moreover, the path to recovery needs to be in small,

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