Virtual Book Club
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I enjoy reading and saw that St. Stephen’s was creating a book club in order to stay connected during the Pandemic. It has been so nice reading a book that has been so relatable to our current times, even nicer being able to share about the book with some Parish members that I currently know and some that I have just met. It also involved people outside of the Parish which was nice also. I am looking forward to the next one! Shauna Smith
This coming week we will begin diving into our next book club selection, "Barking to the Choir; The Power of Radical Kinship" by Fr. Gregory Boyle. Fr. Boyle began Homeboy Industries, the largest gang reintegration program in the world, in 1988.
Learn more about Homeboy Industries by watching the short video below.
Beginning on Tuesday, June 16 and on Wednesday, June 17, we will begin reading Barking to the Choir.
How the book club works:- Barking to the Choir will be read and discussed over the next 5 weeks. We will read and discuss two chapters per week.
- Book club members "meet" on zoom to discuss the book. (The Zoom link will be provided).
- Meetings last one hour; each week, choose a session that works for your schedule - Tuesdays from 1:30pm - 2:30pm, Wednesdays 8pm - 9pm, or...let us know what day/time is good for you and we'll add an additional session!
The screenshot below is of on of our bookclub meetings from last week!
Sign Up for St. Stephens Book Club
Barking to the Choir: The Power of Radical Kinship is available at
Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
We would love for you to join us!
For this coming week, we will be reading the Introduction and Chapter 1.
Questions or comments? Contact Mary at [email protected]
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overview of "barking to the choir"
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In a moving example of unconditional love in difficult times, Gregory Boyle, the Jesuit priest and New York Times bestselling author of Tattoos on the Heart, shares what working with gang members in Los Angeles has taught him about faith, compassion, and the enduring power of kinship.
In his first book, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, Gregory Boyle introduced us to Homeboy Industries, the largest gang-intervention program in the world. Critics hailed that book as an “astounding literary and spiritual feat” (Publishers Weekly) that is “destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality” (Los Angeles Times). Now, after the successful expansion of Homeboy Industries, Boyle returns with Barking to the Choir to reveal how compassion is transforming the lives of gang members.
In a nation deeply divided and plagued by poverty and violence, Barking to the Choir offers a snapshot into the challenges and joys of life on the margins. Sergio, arrested at age nine, in a gang by age twelve, and serving time shortly thereafter, now works with the substance-abuse team at Homeboy to help others find sobriety. Jamal, abandoned by his family when he tried to attend school at age seven, gradually finds forgiveness for his schizophrenic mother. New father Cuco, who never knew his own dad, thinks of a daily adventure on which to take his four-year-old son. These former gang members uplift the soul and reveal how bright life can be when filled with unconditional love and kindness.
This book is guaranteed to shake up our ideas about God and about people with a glimpse at a world defined by more compassion and fewer barriers. Gently and humorously, Barking to the Choir invites us to find kinship with one another and re-convinces us all of our own goodness.
"What Boyle offers in this book are stories that cause us to laugh, cry, pray and, most importantly, invite us to build his vision of kinship - a community where this is no 'us' and 'them' , but simply us." (The Jesuit Post)
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