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San Diego icon Father Joe Carroll has died at the age of 80 after a battle with diabetes, reports NBC7.
Father Joe's Villages confirmed that Carroll died at a hospice care home on July 11 in the East Village, according to a report from the San Diego Union-Tribune.
“Though I am personally saddened at Father Joe Carroll’s passing, I fondly remember the stories and laughs that we shared, and his legacy will live on in all that we do,” said Deacon Jim Vargas, President and CEO of Father Joe’s Villages. “Father Joe selflessly and tirelessly served our community for over three decades. We celebrate his lifetime of service.”
Carroll was the president and CEO of the St. Vincent de Paul Village from 1982 until his retirement in 2011. The organization has helped thousands of residents without homes find shelter, child care, medical assistance, housing, and other resources.
The organization was renamed Father Joe's Village in 2015.
“Father Joe Carroll was a priest who made Christ’s message of compassion and mercy real in a world where we so often look the other way rather than embrace those who are suffering in our midst. Given the task of rejuvenating our Diocesan outreach to the homeless four decades ago, he completely recreated that outreach and gave to San Diego an incredible network of programs for those without shelter that radiate a profound and unrelenting humanity and hope," said Bishop Robert W. McElroy, bishop at the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego.
After the news broke, condolences and personal stories about Father Joe Carroll came pouring in from community members.