Joe Carroll (priest)

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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

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]

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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