Father Joe

<p><strong style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Father Joe Carroll (1941-2021) helped millions of neighbors in need experiencing homelessness and poverty have access to meals housing education job training medical care and more.</strong></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Is there such a thing as a hustler priest? Yes! Father Joe Carroll earned that label early in his career-and it stuck. Always a wheeler and dealer starting from his childhood in the Bronx his ability to get things done served him well in developing what's now called Father Joe's Villages in San Diego California. This book of stories from Father Joe's interesting life shared in his voice is heart-warming and heart-wrenching while also head-shaking and hilarious. From his antics as a youth and a seminarian to breaking new ground and crossing the lines when necessary to get things done to support neighbors in need experiencing homelessness you'll come to understand that hustler suited Father Joe well and he wouldn't have had it any other way. </span></p><p><br></p><p><strong style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>About Father Joe</strong></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Reverend Monsignor Joseph Carroll (April 12 1941 - July 10 2021) affectionately known as Father Joe to most people grew up in the Bronx in a two-bedroom apartment with his parents and seven siblings. From childhood he was entrepreneurially minded earning money by doing various jobs in his neighborhood including being a Shabbos Goy for his Jewish neighbors. In his early 20s he decided to move across the country to Southern California and a year later entered the seminary. Father Joe was ordained as a Catholic priest in 1974 and was a popular parish priest until 1982 when he was assigned to take over San Diego's St. Vincent de Paul Center (now known as Father Joe's Villages).</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Tasked to build a homeless shelter on an empty block in downtown San Diego Father Joe's persistence charisma and gregarious personality - along with a fearlessness of the unknown - resulted in developing a revolutionary approach to providing housing and services for people experiencing homelessness. Father Joe's idea which he boldly shared on national television while being interviewed by </span><em style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>60 Minutes</em><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)> became reality in 1987 with the opening of the first newly constructed building - St. Vincent de Paul Joan Kroc Center. Decades of development followed as well as countless awards and international recognition for Father Joe who became known as the hustler priest after seeking money to help neighbors in need on television.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Father Joe retired in 2011 yet he continued to be dedicated to serving the greater San Diego community which benefited greatly from his unique mindset of an entrepreneur heart of a servant and willingness to do whatever it takes to create results. Also during retirement he continued his lifelong support of the Boy Scouts and attended scouting events as much as possible.</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Two years prior to his passing Father Joe asked Kathryn Cloward to write a book for him. With tremendous honor she dedicated herself to fulfilling the task in service to him. Father Joe joyfully celebrated his 80th birthday on April 12 2021 with the release of </span><em style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>Father Joe: Life Stories of a Hustler Priest</em><span style=color: rgba(15 17 17 1)>. Father Joe passed away on July 10 2021. His legacy of service compassion and love lives on in the countless lives he impacted the programs he created and the special stories he shared.</span></p><p><br></p>