Wikipedia

Joe Carroll (priest)

Joe Carroll (April 12, 1941 – July 11, 2021) was an American Roman Catholic priest who led a nonprofit in San Diego that assists homeless individuals.[3]

Joe Carroll
Born(1941-04-12)April 12, 1941
Bronx, New York, US
DiedJuly 11, 2021(2021-07-11) (aged 80)
San Diego, California, US
Other namesFather Joe,[1] Hustler Priest[2]
Alma materUniversity of San Diego
Years active1974-2011
Known forHomeless outreach and advocacy
ReligionRoman Catholic
Ordained1974

Biography edit

Carroll grew up in the Bronx, with his parents and seven brothers and sisters, and was an altar boy and Boy Scout.[4] As a child, Carroll lived across from St. Joseph Church.[5] Carroll got his first job in a butcher shop at the age of 8, and would go on to sell Christmas trees and do laundry machine repairs to supplement income for his parents and siblings.[2] As a Boy Scout, he achieved the rank of Life Scout.[4] Carroll moved to California in his 20s.[3] Initially enrolled at St. John's Seminary, in Ventura County; he was expelled for running the seminary's bookstore in a way which earned the bookstore profit after adding non-book merchandise to the bookstore.[2] He completed his studies at the University of San Diego in 1974 and was ordained to the priesthood.[3] While enrolled at the University of San Diego, he attended seminary school in Washington, D.C.[1] That same year Carroll began to collect nativity sets, which at one point the collection reached 700 sets.[6]

 
Carroll, on the right, speaking to former Representative Clair Burgener in 2006.

Carroll was assigned to a parish church, St. Rita, in Valencia Park.[3] Given the choices by Bishop Leo Thomas Maher of transferring to a parish church in Needles, California, or becoming involved in St. Vincent de Paul, Carroll chose the latter.[1] From 1982 to 2011, Carroll led St. Vincent de Paul Village.[3] In 1984, Carroll appeared in a commercial seeking donations for St. Vincent de Paul which aired during the 1984 National League Championship Series, which gained him national notoriety.[1] Carroll was featured in a 60 Minutes story in 1985, and a Reader's Digest story in 1988.[7] Carroll's efforts to assist the homeless, drew criticism from the Wall Street Journal, and praise in the form of a World Habitat Award.[2][8] In the 2000s, his organization made bobble-head dolls of him as a fundraising reward for donors.[9] In 2011, Carroll retired.[1]

After retiring from day-to-day operations of his organization, he continued to be active in fund-raising activities.[10] In 2013, Carroll was honored for his efforts during an event in Washington, D.C., on National Medal of Honor Day.[11] By 2017, Carroll had to have both his feet amputated due to complications with diabetes;[6] that same year he began to use a wheelchair to get around.[12] In 2019, Carroll was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from San Diego State University.[13] Due to the effects of his diabetes by 2021 Carroll had lost vision in his right eye.[14] He celebrated his 80th birthday on April 12, 2021, with the release of his memoir, "Father Joe Life Stories of a Hustler Priest".[1] In July 2021, Carroll died due to diabetes while receiving hospice care at his East Village home.[15] A celebration of life was held for Carroll at the San Diego Convention Center in August 2021.[16]

Father Joe's Villages edit

 
A Navy chaplain, the command master chief, and other sailors from the USS Tarawa (LHA-1), volunteer at St. Vincent de Paul Village food shelter in downtown San Diego in 2004.

In 1950, Bishop Charles F. Buddy, then-bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, dedicated a chapel on F Street in Downtown San Diego to serve the poor.[17] The chapel would merge with a thrift store and became the St. Vincent de Paul Center in the Gaslamp Quarter.[17] In 1981, Carroll took over the organization, and it moved to the East Village.[17] In 1987, the organization opened the Joan Kroc Center which provided childcare, housing, job training, meals, and a medical clinic; this was followed by two other centers in 1989, and 1994.[18] In 1991 the organization became a separate organization independent of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.[17] In 2011, Carroll retired from leading the organization;[17] that year the organization employed 500 people, and had a budget of $40 million.[3] In 2015, the organization was renamed for Carroll;[17] Carroll disagreed with the name change.[1] As of 2020, it is the largest service provider for homeless individuals in the City of San Diego.[17]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Warth, Gary (April 13, 2021). "Father Joe celebrates 80th birthday with stories about life". Rancho Santa Fe Review. San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d Wilkens, John (July 11, 2021). "Father Joe Carroll, legendary 'Hustler Priest' devoted to helping the homeless, dies at 80". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Father Joe Carroll dies at 80; legendary priest helped SD homeless". KUSI. San Diego. July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Wilkens, John (April 11, 2011). "Father Joe celebrates his 70th birthday — and retirement". San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  5. ^ "Meet President Emeritus Father Joe Carroll". Father Joe's Villages. St. Vincent de Paul Village, Inc. (dba Father Joe’s Villages). October 26, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Milanes, Itica (January 13, 2017). "Father Joe Carroll explains choice to sell prized possessions". KGTV. San Diego. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  7. ^ Hannum, Kristen (June 29, 2000). "Father Joe, SVDP hustle used cars for needy". Catholic Sentinel. Portland. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  8. ^ Biggins, Virginia (February 9, 1995). "Famous priest urges coalition to keep the faith". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. p. N3. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  9. ^ Bennett, Kelly (November 17, 2006). "The Hustler Priest: Questions for Father Joe". Voice of San Diego. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  10. ^ Powell, Gail (April 7, 2011). "Pastor Miles McPherson to Take Over for Father Joe Carroll?". San Diego Reader. Retrieved July 12, 2021.
  11. ^ "Father Joe Receives National Medal of Honor". KNSD. San Diego. March 25, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
    St John, Alison; Lane, Patty; Pico, Peggy (April 2, 2013). "Nat'l Honor Given To San Diego's Father Joe Carroll". KPBS. San Diego. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  12. ^ Powers, Jeff (August 2, 2018). "IVN San Diego: Father Joe Carroll Gets Candid On Homelessness". Independent Voter News. San Diego: Foundation for Independent Voter Education. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  13. ^ "Father Joe Carroll, iconic local priest who served the homeless, dies at 80". KSWB-TV. San Diego. City News Service. July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  14. ^ Warth, Gary (July 13, 2021). "Father Joe writes about 'hustling' through life". Star-Advertiser. Honolulu. San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  15. ^ "Father Joe Carroll, Legendary Priest Devoted to Helping San Diego Homeless, Dies at 80". Times of San Diego. City News Service. July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  16. ^ "Celebration of Life to be held for Father Joe Carroll at San Diego Convention Center". KGTV. San Diego. City News Service. August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g Warth, Gary (October 7, 2021). "From PB&Js to full-service provider, Father Joe's celebrates 70 years of serving the poor". Del Mar Times. San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  18. ^ "Father Joe Carroll, champion for San Diego's homeless, dies at 80". KGTV. San Diego: Scripps Local Media. July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.

Further reading edit

  • Cloward, Kathryn (2021). Father Joe: Life Stories of a Hustler Priest. Kandon Unlimited, Inc. ISBN 978-1970163629.
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