Father Joe: Life Stories of a Hustler Priest

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.

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.

About Father Joe

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).

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 60 Minutes, 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.

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.

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 Father Joe: Life Stories of a Hustler Priest. 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.