Mercersburg Academy will host the 6th annual Joe B. Generosity of Spirit Lecture on Friday, February 14. This lecture series honors the life of Joseph Hilliard Beauregard ’18, who passed away the fall after his graduation. School Minister Will Whitmore reflected, “Joe was this infectious spirit–a beautiful human who made all feel so welcome. His classmates and his parents wanted to come up with a way of honoring him, so they started this lecture series.”
This year’s speaker is Father Gregory Boyle, a Roman Catholic priest who has dedicated forty years to gang member rehabilitation in central Los Angeles. Boyle founded Homeboy Industries, the world's largest nonprofit gang rehabilitation and intervention program. Homeboy Industries supports former gang members who want to redirect their lives toward a more positive future through job training, education, and social services to allow them to reintegrate into society.
“The lecture itself hinges on this idea of sharing ourselves with others and that when we position our spirits outward toward others, something transformative will happen,” said Whitmore. “Boyle felt like a natural fit for the lecture because he has an understanding of the human heart, soul, spirit, and condition that allows all of us to connect with something deep within ourselves. When I’m struggling, I will often listen to or read one of his books as a way of reminding myself of what I can do and how I can do it.”
The anticipation of Boyle's lecture extends to the student body, with many students excited to learn from his insights into human connection and transformative work with former gang members. Tahir Hasanov ’25 said, “I have only heard about Father Gregory Boyle from word of mouth, but I heard that he is amazing, both as a speaker and person. No over exaggeration but I have only heard positive things about him, so I’m excited to see him speak.” Yule Kwon ’26 said, “I want to learn about how religion will impact my life. I know life will become more positive by believing in religion, but would it help people understand each other?” Carrie Yang ’27 added, “I’m hoping to learn more about how Boyle approaches the process of healing and transformation, his personal stories, and especially how he instills a sense of belonging among marginalized people.” Finally, Taimur Rehman ’25 said, “I think it will be interesting to learn about Father Gregory Boyle’s work with prisons and to hear from someone who quite literally has a generous spirit.”
Through the Joe B. Generosity of Spirit Lecture, Whitmore hopes “students and faculty have something within their hearts, within their spirits, touched—that they feel seen, that they feel like they can engage with, and that it calls them to care the way they would like to be cared for.”