McMurrin Lecture to Feature Fr. Gregory Boyle, Founder of Homeboy Industries

The Tanner Humanities Center kicks off the Spring 2026 season with acclaimed humanitarian Father Gregory Boyle, who will deliver the McMurrin Lecture on Religion and Culture on Wednesday, January 21, at 7:00 pm at the Salt Lake City Public Library.

Boyle, who was recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2024, has been working in gang intervention, rehab, and re-entry for over three decades. What began in 1992 at Los Angeles’ Dolores Mission Church as a small job-training effort grew into a comprehensive reentry and support organization for people leaving gangs and incarceration. Homeboy Industries provides mental-health counseling, case management, legal assistance, job training, and additional services to help its clients. Its social-enterprise businesses such as Homeboy Bakery offer paid transitional employment. The organization now serves thousands each year and has influenced similar programs nationally and internationally through the Global Homeboy Network. 

In his most recent book, Cherished Belonging: The Healing Power of Love in Divided Times, Boyle calls for a community ethos that prioritizes tenderness, shared dignity, and the healing power of unconditional connection.

Scott Black, director of the Tanner Humanities Center, is honored to bring Father Boyle to Salt Lake City for the lecture. Black says, “This year's McMurrin Lecture with Father Boyle features one of the most inspirational faith leaders in the country today. His call for 'radical tenderness towards others' is so important right now and speaks to our community's interests in the humanitarian achievements of our many faith traditions."

The lecture is free and open to the public. Tickets are required; more information at https://tanner.utah.edu/center-events/gregory-boyle/.

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About the Sterling M. McMurrin Lectures on Religion and Culture

Named for the renowned Utah-born teacher, scholar, administrator, and advisor to major corporations, foundations, and federal agencies—the Sterling M. McMurrin Lectures on Religion and Culture advance academic inquiry into the role of religion in people’s lives. It was founded in 1992 by McMurrin, Lowell M. Durham Jr. (Director of the Tanner Humanities Center from 1992–1997), and friends Richard Smoot, Peter Appleby, Jack Newell, Brigham Madsen, and Boyer Jarvis. McMurrin (1914–1996) was a prolific lecturer and writer on the history and philosophy of religion.

McMurrin’s career at the University of Utah was wide-ranging: he taught in the Departments of Philosophy, History, and Educational Administration, and he went on to serve as Dean of the College of Letters and Science, Academic Vice President, Provost, Dean of the Graduate School, and a founding member of the Tanner Lectures on Human Values. He was also the University’s first Distinguished Professor and the first recipient of the prestigious Rosenblatt Prize.