Fr. Greg Boyle reminds us that kinship is not about fixing problems, but about standing with one another in love. That vision comes alive each week at Kairos House in San Diego, where IVC San Diego Corps Member Jim Chodzko accompanies men who are rebuilding their lives after incarceration. Through listening, presence, and encouragement, Jim’s service reflects IVC’s commitment to fostering dignity, hope, and belonging – especially among those who are often pushed to the margins.
Kairos House is part of the Diocese of San Diego’s commitment to accompany people after they are released from incarceration. Clergy and staff walk alongside residents during a critical period of transition, offering stability, relationship, and spiritual grounding. Located in the Hillcrest neighborhood, Kairos House can serve up to 32 men and is operated by Restoring Citizens, a San Diego-based provider of reentry services. Men transitioning back into the community not only find a place to live but also obtain support in securing essential documents such as identification and Social Security cards, as well as assistance with finding employment.
What distinguishes Kairos House from many reentry programs is its faith dimension. Alongside practical support, residents encounter a community that affirms their dignity and invites reflection, accountability, and hope – an approach that closely mirrors IVC’s own understanding of service as accompaniment.
On Sundays, Jim joins the men who reside at Kairos House as they share openly about their struggles with addiction, the harm they have caused in their families, and the hope they are discovering through participation in 12-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Jim describes his role simply, guided by what he calls the Kairos refrain: listen, listen, and love, love. “My role is to encourage the growing sense of hope they are developing for their future journeys,” he shares.
Jim’s ministry at Kairos House is deeply shaped by decades of experience in prison ministry. Though initially reluctant to enter that work, he found himself profoundly changed by the relationships he formed during over 20 years volunteering at the RJ Donovan Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility. “In my service to those men, I found the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit more evident than anywhere I have traveled in the free community,” Jim reflects. “For me, that place became holy ground.”
That same reverence now informs how he accompanies the men at Kairos House – not as problems to be solved, but as people worthy of patience, respect, and care. Reflecting on his experience at Kairos House, Jim points directly to Fr. Boyle’s words as a source of wisdom and affirmation: “Each of these men is exactly what God had in mind when He made them.”
Jim’s service is sustained by the broader IVC community through monthly meetings and retreats that root volunteers in reflection and the Gospel call to accompany “the least of these.” He describes his work at Kairos House as his response to that invitation – one that continues to bless him as much as those he serves.
Deacon Bobby Ehnow, Director of the Office for Life, Peace, and Justice with the Diocese of San Diego, affirms the spirit Jim brings to this ministry: “Jim is an absolute joy to support in his formation and service to our most marginalized community members.” Through the partnership between IVC San Diego, the Diocese of San Diego, and Kairos House – and through Jim’s steady presence – a community of cherished belonging is not only imagined, but lived out each week in listening, faith, and hope.
