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|prayer_attrib=<small>Alberto's prayer during his battle with cancer</small>
|prayer_attrib=<small>Alberto's prayer during his battle with cancer</small>
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'''Saint Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, [[Society of Jesus|S.J.]]''' (born '''Luis Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga''' on January 22, 1901, [[Viña del Mar]], [[Chile]] - August 18, 1952, [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]], Chile), popularly known in [[Chile]] as '''Padre Hurtado''' ({{lang-es|Father Hurtado}}), was a [[Chile]]an [[Jesuit]] [[priest]], lawyer, social worker and writer of [[Basque people|Basque]] origin,<ref>http://sid.usal.es/mostrarficha.aspx?id=17668&fichero=1.1</ref> founder of the ''[[Hogar de Cristo]]'' foundation. He was canonized on October 23, 2005, by [[Pope Benedict XVI]], becoming his country's second saint.
'''Saint Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, [[Society of Jesus|S.J.]]''' (born '''Luis Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga''' on January 22, 1901, [[Viña del Mar]], [[Chile]] - August 18, 1952, [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]], Chile), popularly known in [[Chile]] as '''Padre Hurtado''' ({{lang-es|Father Hurtado}}), was a [[Chile]]an [[Jesuit]] [[priest]], lawyer, social worker and writer of [[Basque people|Basque]] origin,<ref name=ignatian>[http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-voices/20th-century-ignatian-voices/st-alberto-hurtado-sj-1901%E2%80%931952/ "St. Albert Hurtado, SJ", ''Ignatian Spirituality'', Loyola Press]</ref> founder of the ''Hogar de Cristo'' foundation. He was canonized on October 23, 2005, by [[Pope Benedict XVI]], becoming his country's second saint.


==Academic and religious education==
==Early life and education==
Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga was born in Viña del Mar, Chile, on 22 January 1901; he was orphaned when he was four years old by the death of his father. His mother had to sell, at a loss, their modest property in order to pay the family’s debts. As a further consequence, Alberto and his brother had to go to live with relatives and were often moved from one family to another.<ref name=va>[http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20051023_cruchaga_en.html Biography from Vatican News Service]</ref> From an early age, he experienced what it meant to be poor, and without a home.


With his father's death in 1905 (when Hurtado was only four), the family found itself to have significant financial difficulties, forcing his mother to start selling off the land owned by the family.<ref name="canonizacion-bio">{{cite web|url = http://www.canonizacion.cl/ingles.html|title = A brief Biography of Father Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, S. J.|accessdate=2008-01-09| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080122061149/http://www.canonizacion.cl/ingles.html| archivedate= 22 January 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> Thanks to a scholarship, he managed to study at the prestigious all-boys Jesuit school of St. Ignacio, [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]] (1909–17). During this time, he volunteered at the [[Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Andacollo, Santiago|Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Andacollo]], a Catholic parish and school in a needy neighborhood of Santiago.<ref>Hurtado, S.J., Alberto, "Cartas E Informes del Padre Alberto Hurtado, S.J.," Santiago: Ediciones Universidad Catolica de Chile, 2005, pp. 13-29.</ref> At the parish and school, he assisted in the office and was librarian. From 1918 to 1923, he attended the [[Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile]], studying in its [[law]] school and writing his thesis on [[labour law]].
Thanks to a scholarship, he managed to study at the prestigious all-boys Jesuit school of St. Ignacio, [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]] (1909–17). During this time, he volunteered at the [[Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Andacollo, Santiago|Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Andacollo]], a Catholic parish and school in a poor neighborhood of Santiago.<ref>Hurtado, S.J., Alberto, "Cartas E Informes del Padre Alberto Hurtado, S.J.," Santiago: Ediciones Universidad Catolica de Chile, 2005, pp. 13-29.</ref> At the parish and school, he assisted in the office and was librarian. From 1918 to 1923, he attended the [[Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile]], studying in its [[law]] school and writing his thesis on [[labour law]]. Obligatory military service interrupted his studies, but once he fulfilled this duty he went on to earn his degree early in August 1923.


Rather than starting a career in law, Hurtado entered the [[Jesuit]] [[novitiate]] in 1923, was trained in [[philosophy]] and theology in [[Barcelona]], Spain, (from where, in 1932, he was expelled with his Spanish colleagues) and completed his [[theology]] in [[Leuven|Louvain]], [[Belgium]], (1932–34) where he was ordained priest on August 24, 1933. While pursuing his theological studies, he worked on a doctorate in [[psychology]] and [[pedagogy]] at the [[Catholic University of Louvain]].
Rather than starting a career in law, Hurtado entered the [[Jesuit]] [[novitiate]] in 1923. In 1925 he went to Córdoba, Argentina, where he studied humanities. In 1927 he was sent to [[Barcelona]], Spain to study philosophy and theology, but because of the suppression of the Jesuits in Spain in 1931, he went on to Belgium and continued his studies in theology at Louvain. He was ordained a priest there on 24 August 1933, and in 1935 obtained a doctorate in pedagogy and psychology.<ref name=va/>

==Life and work==


==Educator==
[[File:San Alberto Hurtado.jpg|thumb|San Alberto Hurtado]]
Right from the early days of his studies in labour law, and before becoming a Jesuit, Hurtado had his mind and heart set on tackling [[social issues]] and problems. Before returning to [[Chile]], he visited social and educational centers in [[Germany]], [[France]], [[Belgium]] and the [[Netherlands]].
Right from the early days of his studies in labour law, and before becoming a Jesuit, Hurtado had his mind and heart set on tackling [[social issues]] and problems. Before returning to [[Chile]], he visited social and educational centers in [[Germany]], [[France]], [[Belgium]] and the [[Netherlands]].


He returned to Chile in January 1936, and began his activity as professor of religion at Colegio San Ignacio and of Pedagogy at the Catholic University of Santiago. He was entrusted with the Sodality of Our Lady for the students, and he involved them in teaching catechism to the poor.<ref name=va/>
Back home, in 1936, Hurtado's ministry expanded to the pastoring of the Chilean poor, especially disadvantaged children, teenagers and young adults. He was a [[religion]] teacher and later educated future teachers in the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. [[Spiritual formation]] was also important. He gave regular retreats according to the [[Spiritual Exercises]] (of [[St Ignatius of Loyola]]) and helped them in the process to discover their vocations in the service of [[Christ]].


There was much social inequality in Chile during this time, and conservative Catholics in the nation had difficulty accepting the Vatican's social teachings. As late as 1931, the official party organ (aligned with the church hierarchy) refused to publish [[Quadragesimo Anno]], and when a group of clergy petitioned Archbishop José Horacio Campillo Infante to remove the editors, he refused and stated it was "necessary to protect Catholics from the imprudent acts of the pope".<ref name="Gertrude M. Yeager 1932. pp. 207-242">Gertrude M. Yeager. In the Absence of Priests: Young Women as Apostles to the Poor, Chile 1922-1932. The Americas, Vol. 64, No. 2 (October 2007), pp. 207-242</ref>
There was much social inequality in Chile during this time, and conservative Catholics in the nation had difficulty accepting the Vatican's social teachings. As late as 1931, the official party organ (aligned with the church hierarchy) refused to publish [[Quadragesimo Anno]], and when a group of clergy petitioned Archbishop José Horacio Campillo Infante to remove the editors, he refused and stated it was "necessary to protect Catholics from the imprudent acts of the pope".<ref name="Gertrude M. Yeager 1932. pp. 207-242">Gertrude M. Yeager. In the Absence of Priests: Young Women as Apostles to the Poor, Chile 1922-1932. The Americas, Vol. 64, No. 2 (October 2007), pp. 207-242</ref>
Line 44: Line 45:


==Social apostolate==
==Social apostolate==
[[File:Padre Hurtado 02.JPG|thumb|left|Padre Hurtado]]

In 1940, he was appointed diocesan director of the [[Catholic Action]] youth movement and the very next year, its national director (1941–1944). That same year, in 1941, Hurtado's [[sociology]]-oriented mind led to his authoring of the book ''Is Chile a Catholic Country?'' The book published statistics revealing a lack of priests assigned to the working class and rural populations, including detailing parishes that had 10,000 laypeople assigned for one priest covering huge geographic areas. His solution was to increase and better educate the clergy, however, this never came to be. Almost half of Chile's clergy were foreigners (including missionaries from the United States and Canada) who did circuits of towns administering the sacraments (i.e., going to one town one week, then another the next week, etc.) Most Chileans regarded devotion to the Virgin and the saints as more important than attending Mass or consuming the Eucharist, which they could not do regularly.<ref name="Gertrude M. Yeager 1932. pp. 207-242"/>
In 1940, he was appointed diocesan director of the [[Catholic Action]] youth movement and the very next year, its national director (1941–1944). That same year, in 1941, Hurtado's [[sociology]]-oriented mind led to his authoring of the book ''Is Chile a Catholic Country?'' The book published statistics revealing a lack of priests assigned to the working class and rural populations, including detailing parishes that had 10,000 laypeople assigned for one priest covering huge geographic areas. His solution was to increase and better educate the clergy, however, this never came to be. Almost half of Chile's clergy were foreigners (including missionaries from the United States and Canada) who did circuits of towns administering the sacraments (i.e., going to one town one week, then another the next week, etc.) Most Chileans regarded devotion to the Virgin and the saints as more important than attending Mass or consuming the Eucharist, which they could not do regularly.<ref name="Gertrude M. Yeager 1932. pp. 207-242"/>


In the book he published the results of a 1939 survey of Chilean religious practices and found that only 9% of Chilean women and 3.5% of Chilean men regularly attended Mass (leaving over 90% as not regularly practicing).<ref name="Gertrude M. Yeager 1932. pp. 207-242"/> Revealing a few shocking realities as it was, the book raised a storm among conservative [[Catholics]] in Chile (including the hierarchy), who even accused him of being a [[Communist]].
In the book he published the results of a 1939 survey of Chilean religious practices and found that only 9% of Chilean women and 3.5% of Chilean men regularly attended Mass (leaving over 90% as not regularly practicing).<ref name="Gertrude M. Yeager 1932. pp. 207-242"/> Laying open a number of unpleasant realities, the book was heavily criticised by more conservative Catholics, who even accused Hurtado of being a Communist.<ref name=livingspace>[http://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/F0818S/ "Saint Alberto Hurtado", Sacred Space, The Irish Jesuits]</ref>


Keeping in mind his own origins, and ever grateful for the help he (and his family) had received when they were in great difficulties, Hurtado was led to active social involvement. His strong faith was transformed into action with his founding of an organization similar to [[Boys Town]] in the [[United States]]. His shelters, called ''Hogar de Cristo'' (Home of Christ), took in all children in need of food and shelter, abandoned or not. He also purchased a 1946 green pickup truck and monitored the streets at night to help those in need that he could reach. His own charisma brought him many collaborators and benefactors; the movement was a huge success. The shelters multiplied all over the country. It is estimated that between 1945 and 1951 more than 850,000 children received some help from the movement.
Keeping in mind his own origins, and ever grateful for the help he (and his family) had received when they were in great difficulties, Hurtado was led to active social involvement. His strong faith was transformed into action with his founding of an organization similar to [[Boys Town]] in the [[United States]]. His shelters, called ''Hogar de Cristo'' (Home of Christ), took in all children in need of food and shelter, abandoned or not. He also purchased a 1946 green pickup truck and monitored the streets at night to help those in need that he could reach. His own charisma brought him many collaborators and benefactors; the movement was a huge success. The shelters multiplied all over the country. It is estimated that between 1945 and 1951 more than 850,000 children received some help from the movement.<ref name=livingspace/>


==Labor movement and social doctrine of the Church==
==Labor movement and social doctrine of the Church==
⚫
In 1947, Hurtado entered the [[labor movement]], shepherding Chilean workers. Inspired by the [[Catholic social teaching|social teaching of the Church]] he founded the Chilean Trade Union Association, meant to train [[leaders]] and instill [[Christian values]] in the [[labor union]]s of his country. For them he wrote the three books ''Social Humanism'' (1947), ''The Christian Social Order'' (1947) and ''Trade Unions'' (1950). He served as a confessor to the Falange Nacional (the precursor to the modern Christian Democratic Party). To disseminate the social teaching of the Church and help Christians reflect and act on the serious social problems faced by the country he founded in 1951 the periodical called ''Mensaje'' ("Message"). He himself published numerous articles and books on labor issues in relation to the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic faith]].<ref name=livingspace/>


==Death==
⚫
In 1947, Hurtado entered the [[labor movement]], shepherding Chilean workers. Inspired by the [[Catholic social teaching|social teaching of the Church]] he founded the Chilean [[Trade Union Association]], meant to train [[leaders]] and instill [[Christian values]] in the [[labor union]]s of his country. For them he wrote the three books ''Social Humanism'' (1947), ''The Christian Social Order'' (1947) and ''Trade Unions'' (1950). He served as a confessor to the Falange Nacional (the precursor to the modern Christian Democratic Party).
⚫
Deeply spiritual, Hurtado was untiring in his work for the [[workers]] and the youth, combining intellectual reflection and practical actions. Ever optimistic and joyful he had also an attractive personality that brought many people to Christ and the [[Christian Church|Church]], young and old, intellectuals and manual workers.<ref name=livingspace/>


⚫
One day in 1952, Father Hurtado was stricken with intense pain and rushed to hospital. He was diagnosed with [[pancreatic cancer]]. Day after day the media kept the country informed of Hurtado's state of [[health]]. Before his [[death]] he had become a national hero. True to the faith he had been professing all through his life, he accepted gracefully what was ineluctable. After a brief battle with the illness, he died in [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]].<ref name=ignatian/>
To disseminate the social teaching of the Church and help Christians reflect and act on the serious social problems faced by the country he founded in 1951 the periodical called ''Mensaje'' ("Message"). He himself published numerous articles and books on labor issues in relation to the [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic faith]].
[[File:CanonizationMass.jpg|thumb|Fr. Hurtado's memorable green pickup truck]]
==Veneration==
⚫
Father Hurtado was [[beatified]] on October 16, 1994, by [[Pope John Paul II]] and [[canonized]] by [[Pope Benedict XVI]] on October 23, 2005.<ref name=ignatian/> St. Alberto was one of the first people to be elevated to sainthood during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI; he was also the second Chilean saint, after [[Teresa of the Andes|Saint Teresa of the Andes]].


⚫
Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga is one of the most popular and cherished saints in his country, [[Chile]]. An indication of his lasting popularity was the presence in [[Saint Peter's Square]], on the day of Hurtado's canonization, of a very large contingent of Chilean people, led by the highest authorities of the country, starting with President [[Ricardo Lagos]] and some high-ranking Chilean politicians who actually had been Father Hurtado's students during his school teacher time, like then-Senator Gabriel Valdés.
==Early death==


==Legacy==
⚫
Deeply spiritual, Hurtado was untiring in his work for the [[workers]] and the youth, combining intellectual reflection and practical actions. Ever optimistic and joyful he had also an attractive personality that brought many people to Christ and the [[Christian Church|Church]], young and old, intellectuals and manual workers.
''I hold that every poor man, every vagrant, every beggar is Christ carrying his cross. And as Christ, we must love and help him. We must treat him as a brother, a human being like ourselves. If we were to start a campaign of love for the poor and homeless, we would, in a short time, do away with depressing scenes of begging, children sleeping in doorways and women with babies in their arms fainting in our streets.'' St. Alberto Hurtado, SJ<ref>[http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/10593/christ-stumbles-through-our-streets/ "Christ Stumbles through Our Streets", ''Ignatian Spirituality]</ref>

⚫
One day in 1952, Father Hurtado was stricken with intense pain and rushed to hospital. He was diagnosed with [[pancreatic cancer]]. Day after day the media kept the country informed of Hurtado's state of [[health]]. Before his [[death]] he had become a national hero. True to the faith he had been professing all through his life, he accepted gracefully what was ineluctable. After a brief battle with the illness, he died in [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]].

==Beatification and canonization==

⚫
[[File:CanonizationMass.jpg|left|thumb]]Father Hurtado was [[beatified]] on October 16, 1994, by [[Pope John Paul II]] and [[canonized]] by [[Pope Benedict XVI]] on October 23, 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url = http://www.canonizacion.cl/cano_etapaPH.html|title=Las fechas del proceso de Canonización del Padre Hurtado|language=Spanish|accessdate=2008-01-09| archiveurl= http://web.archive.org/web/20080122033957/http://www.canonizacion.cl/cano_etapaPH.html| archivedate= 22 January 2008 <!--DASHBot-->| deadurl= no}}</ref> St. Alberto was one of the first people to be elevated to sainthood during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI; he was also the second Chilean saint, after [[Teresa of the Andes|Saint Teresa of the Andes]].

⚫
Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga is one of the most popular and cherished saints in his country, [[Chile]]. An indication of his lasting popularity was the presence in [[Saint Peter's Square]], on the day of Hurtado's canonization, of a very large contingent of Chilean people, led by the highest authorities of the country, starting with President [[Ricardo Lagos]] and some high-ranking Chilean politicians who actually had been Father Hurtado's students during his school teacher time, like then-Senator Gabriel Valdés.


* The "Hogar de Cristo" he founded still exists, and through its fight for social justice, it has become one of the biggest charity groups in Chile.
==Tributes==
The '''Hogar de Cristo''' he founded still exists, and through its fight for social justice, it has become one of the biggest charity groups in Chile. There are also an avenue and the [[San Alberto Hurtado metro station]] in [[Santiago Metro|Santiago]] (the closest to his main shrine, which also houses the Hogar's headquarters) named after him. [[Alberto Hurtado University]], located in Santiago and run by the [[Society of Jesus]], preserves his name and strives to bring his legacy into contemporary education and social affairs.
* There is also an avenue and the [[San Alberto Hurtado metro station]] in [[Santiago Metro|Santiago]] (the closest to his main shrine, which also houses the Hogar's headquarters) named after him.
* [[Alberto Hurtado University]], located in Santiago and run by the [[Society of Jesus]], preserves his name and strives to bring his legacy into contemporary education and social affairs.
Xavier High School in New York, New York, renamed a hall and [[Seattle University]] has a Residential Learning Community named after him.
* Xavier High School in New York, New York, renamed a hall and [[Seattle University]] has a Residential Learning Community named after him.
Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon, opens its empty classrooms in the evenings to an ESL program called The Hurtado Center.
* Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon, opens its empty classrooms in the evenings to an ESL program called The Hurtado Center.
Belen Jesuit High School has starred the Hurtado Experience for its ninth graders, taking them on retreats to help out the needy in Miami.
* Belen Jesuit High School has started the Hurtado Experience for its ninth graders, taking them on retreats to help out the needy in Miami.
The World Famous Jesuit Boarding School, Clongowes Wood College, Co.Kildare. Ireland, called their Bursary Programme after him in 2007. 10% of the student population are educated free in the interest of the school been socially just. This is not a scholarship but a bursary for students who would benefit most from a Clongowes education in the Jesuit tradition. Currently six years in Clongowes would cost € 100800.00 ( 2011/2012 figures € 16800 per annum ).
* The famous Jesuit Boarding School, Clongowes Wood College, Co.Kildare. Ireland, called their Bursary Programme after him in 2007. Ten percent (10%) of the student population are educated free in the interest of the school being socially just. This is not a scholarship but a bursary for students who would benefit most from a Clongowes education in the Jesuit tradition. Currently six years in Clongowes would cost € 100800.00 ( 2011/2012 figures € 16800 per annum ).
Chilean historian, Marciano Barrios Valdes, considered the Catholic Action movement in Chile to be what sustained the Catholic Church's continued existence in Chile into the 1960s.<ref name="Gertrude M. Yeager 1932. pp. 207-242"/>
* Chilean historian, Marciano Barrios Valdes, considered the Catholic Action movement in Chile to be what sustained the Catholic Church's continued existence in Chile into the 1960s.<ref name="Gertrude M. Yeager 1932. pp. 207-242"/>


==Media==
==Media==

During the 1990s there was a short TV series dedicated to him, named "Crónica de un Hombre Santo" (English: "Chronicles of a Holy Man"). Four actors portrayed Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, from his childhood to his last years; popular [[telenovela]] actor Cristián Campos played the adult Father Hurtado during his ministry.
During the 1990s there was a short TV series dedicated to him, named "Crónica de un Hombre Santo" (English: "Chronicles of a Holy Man"). Four actors portrayed Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, from his childhood to his last years; popular [[telenovela]] actor Cristián Campos played the adult Father Hurtado during his ministry.

He remains very popular in Chile to this day. His Facebook fan page has more than 50,000 followers.<ref name=ignatian/>


==Main works==
==Main works==
Line 87: Line 88:
* ''El orden social cristiano en los documentos de la jerarquía católica'' (English: ''Christian social order in the documents of the Catholic hierarchy''), 2 vol., Santiago (Chile), 1947.
* ''El orden social cristiano en los documentos de la jerarquía católica'' (English: ''Christian social order in the documents of the Catholic hierarchy''), 2 vol., Santiago (Chile), 1947.
* ''Sindicalismo: historia-teoría-práctica'' (English: ''Syndicalism: History-Theory-Practice''), Santiago (Chile), 1950.
* ''Sindicalismo: historia-teoría-práctica'' (English: ''Syndicalism: History-Theory-Practice''), Santiago (Chile), 1950.

==References ==
⚫
{{Reflist}}


==Bibliography==
==Bibliography==
Line 95: Line 99:


==External links==
==External links==
* Padre Hurtado's [http://www.canonizacion.cl Official Canonization Website] (Spanish)
* [http://www.puc.cl/hurtado "Padre Hurtado" Documentation and Studies Center] (Spanish)
* [http://www.puc.cl/hurtado "Padre Hurtado" Documentation and Studies Center] (Spanish)
* [http://www.padrehurtado.com/08_homeingles.htm Padre Hurtado: Some of his writings and his biography] (English)
* [http://www.padrehurtado.com/08_homeingles.htm Padre Hurtado: Some of his writings and his biography] (English)
Line 110: Line 113:
*[[San Alberto Hurtado metro station]]
*[[San Alberto Hurtado metro station]]



== Notes and references ==
⚫
{{Reflist}}


{{Authority control|VIAF=12583358}}
{{Authority control|VIAF=12583358}}

Revision as of 04:30, 13 April 2013

St. Alberto Hurtado, S.J.
File:Saint Alberto Hurtado.jpg
San Alberto Hurtado
Born(1901-01-22)January 22, 1901
Viña del Mar, Chile
DiedAugust 18, 1952(1952-08-18) (aged 51)
Santiago, Chile
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
BeatifiedOctober 16, 1994, Vatican City by Pope John Paul II
CanonizedOctober 23, 2005, Vatican City by Pope Benedict XVI
FeastAugust 18
AttributesJesuit robes, an old green van
PatronageChile, poor people, street children, social workers

Saint Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, S.J. (born Luis Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga on January 22, 1901, Viña del Mar, Chile - August 18, 1952, Santiago, Chile), popularly known in Chile as Padre Hurtado (Template:Lang-es), was a Chilean Jesuit priest, lawyer, social worker and writer of Basque origin,[1] founder of the Hogar de Cristo foundation. He was canonized on October 23, 2005, by Pope Benedict XVI, becoming his country's second saint.

Early life and education

Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga was born in Viña del Mar, Chile, on 22 January 1901; he was orphaned when he was four years old by the death of his father. His mother had to sell, at a loss, their modest property in order to pay the family’s debts. As a further consequence, Alberto and his brother had to go to live with relatives and were often moved from one family to another.[2] From an early age, he experienced what it meant to be poor, and without a home.

Thanks to a scholarship, he managed to study at the prestigious all-boys Jesuit school of St. Ignacio, Santiago (1909–17). During this time, he volunteered at the Parroquia Nuestra Señora de Andacollo, a Catholic parish and school in a poor neighborhood of Santiago.[3] At the parish and school, he assisted in the office and was librarian. From 1918 to 1923, he attended the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, studying in its law school and writing his thesis on labour law. Obligatory military service interrupted his studies, but once he fulfilled this duty he went on to earn his degree early in August 1923.

Rather than starting a career in law, Hurtado entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1923. In 1925 he went to Córdoba, Argentina, where he studied humanities. In 1927 he was sent to Barcelona, Spain to study philosophy and theology, but because of the suppression of the Jesuits in Spain in 1931, he went on to Belgium and continued his studies in theology at Louvain. He was ordained a priest there on 24 August 1933, and in 1935 obtained a doctorate in pedagogy and psychology.[2]

Educator

File:San Alberto Hurtado.jpg
San Alberto Hurtado

Right from the early days of his studies in labour law, and before becoming a Jesuit, Hurtado had his mind and heart set on tackling social issues and problems. Before returning to Chile, he visited social and educational centers in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

He returned to Chile in January 1936, and began his activity as professor of religion at Colegio San Ignacio and of Pedagogy at the Catholic University of Santiago. He was entrusted with the Sodality of Our Lady for the students, and he involved them in teaching catechism to the poor.[2]

There was much social inequality in Chile during this time, and conservative Catholics in the nation had difficulty accepting the Vatican's social teachings. As late as 1931, the official party organ (aligned with the church hierarchy) refused to publish Quadragesimo Anno, and when a group of clergy petitioned Archbishop José Horacio Campillo Infante to remove the editors, he refused and stated it was "necessary to protect Catholics from the imprudent acts of the pope".[4]

In 1936, he authored an article entitled The Priesthood Crisis In Chile, which addressed the problem of the shortage of priests in Chile; his analysis was criticized as 'exaggerated'.[4] He criticized the level of catechism instruction offered in Chile, and wrote that young men often signed up as catechists but lacked the necessary certificate.

Social apostolate

Padre Hurtado

In 1940, he was appointed diocesan director of the Catholic Action youth movement and the very next year, its national director (1941–1944). That same year, in 1941, Hurtado's sociology-oriented mind led to his authoring of the book Is Chile a Catholic Country? The book published statistics revealing a lack of priests assigned to the working class and rural populations, including detailing parishes that had 10,000 laypeople assigned for one priest covering huge geographic areas. His solution was to increase and better educate the clergy, however, this never came to be. Almost half of Chile's clergy were foreigners (including missionaries from the United States and Canada) who did circuits of towns administering the sacraments (i.e., going to one town one week, then another the next week, etc.) Most Chileans regarded devotion to the Virgin and the saints as more important than attending Mass or consuming the Eucharist, which they could not do regularly.[4]

In the book he published the results of a 1939 survey of Chilean religious practices and found that only 9% of Chilean women and 3.5% of Chilean men regularly attended Mass (leaving over 90% as not regularly practicing).[4] Laying open a number of unpleasant realities, the book was heavily criticised by more conservative Catholics, who even accused Hurtado of being a Communist.[5]

Keeping in mind his own origins, and ever grateful for the help he (and his family) had received when they were in great difficulties, Hurtado was led to active social involvement. His strong faith was transformed into action with his founding of an organization similar to Boys Town in the United States. His shelters, called Hogar de Cristo (Home of Christ), took in all children in need of food and shelter, abandoned or not. He also purchased a 1946 green pickup truck and monitored the streets at night to help those in need that he could reach. His own charisma brought him many collaborators and benefactors; the movement was a huge success. The shelters multiplied all over the country. It is estimated that between 1945 and 1951 more than 850,000 children received some help from the movement.[5]

Labor movement and social doctrine of the Church

In 1947, Hurtado entered the labor movement, shepherding Chilean workers. Inspired by the social teaching of the Church he founded the Chilean Trade Union Association, meant to train leaders and instill Christian values in the labor unions of his country. For them he wrote the three books Social Humanism (1947), The Christian Social Order (1947) and Trade Unions (1950). He served as a confessor to the Falange Nacional (the precursor to the modern Christian Democratic Party). To disseminate the social teaching of the Church and help Christians reflect and act on the serious social problems faced by the country he founded in 1951 the periodical called Mensaje ("Message"). He himself published numerous articles and books on labor issues in relation to the Roman Catholic faith.[5]

Death

Deeply spiritual, Hurtado was untiring in his work for the workers and the youth, combining intellectual reflection and practical actions. Ever optimistic and joyful he had also an attractive personality that brought many people to Christ and the Church, young and old, intellectuals and manual workers.[5]

One day in 1952, Father Hurtado was stricken with intense pain and rushed to hospital. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Day after day the media kept the country informed of Hurtado's state of health. Before his death he had become a national hero. True to the faith he had been professing all through his life, he accepted gracefully what was ineluctable. After a brief battle with the illness, he died in Santiago.[1]

Fr. Hurtado's memorable green pickup truck

Veneration

Father Hurtado was beatified on October 16, 1994, by Pope John Paul II and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 23, 2005.[1] St. Alberto was one of the first people to be elevated to sainthood during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI; he was also the second Chilean saint, after Saint Teresa of the Andes.

Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga is one of the most popular and cherished saints in his country, Chile. An indication of his lasting popularity was the presence in Saint Peter's Square, on the day of Hurtado's canonization, of a very large contingent of Chilean people, led by the highest authorities of the country, starting with President Ricardo Lagos and some high-ranking Chilean politicians who actually had been Father Hurtado's students during his school teacher time, like then-Senator Gabriel Valdés.

Legacy

I hold that every poor man, every vagrant, every beggar is Christ carrying his cross. And as Christ, we must love and help him. We must treat him as a brother, a human being like ourselves. If we were to start a campaign of love for the poor and homeless, we would, in a short time, do away with depressing scenes of begging, children sleeping in doorways and women with babies in their arms fainting in our streets. St. Alberto Hurtado, SJ[6]

  • The "Hogar de Cristo" he founded still exists, and through its fight for social justice, it has become one of the biggest charity groups in Chile.
  • There is also an avenue and the San Alberto Hurtado metro station in Santiago (the closest to his main shrine, which also houses the Hogar's headquarters) named after him.
  • Alberto Hurtado University, located in Santiago and run by the Society of Jesus, preserves his name and strives to bring his legacy into contemporary education and social affairs.
  • Xavier High School in New York, New York, renamed a hall and Seattle University has a Residential Learning Community named after him.
  • Jesuit High School in Portland, Oregon, opens its empty classrooms in the evenings to an ESL program called The Hurtado Center.
  • Belen Jesuit High School has started the Hurtado Experience for its ninth graders, taking them on retreats to help out the needy in Miami.
  • The famous Jesuit Boarding School, Clongowes Wood College, Co.Kildare. Ireland, called their Bursary Programme after him in 2007. Ten percent (10%) of the student population are educated free in the interest of the school being socially just. This is not a scholarship but a bursary for students who would benefit most from a Clongowes education in the Jesuit tradition. Currently six years in Clongowes would cost € 100800.00 ( 2011/2012 figures € 16800 per annum ).
  • Chilean historian, Marciano Barrios Valdes, considered the Catholic Action movement in Chile to be what sustained the Catholic Church's continued existence in Chile into the 1960s.[4]

Media

During the 1990s there was a short TV series dedicated to him, named "Crónica de un Hombre Santo" (English: "Chronicles of a Holy Man"). Four actors portrayed Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, from his childhood to his last years; popular telenovela actor Cristián Campos played the adult Father Hurtado during his ministry.

He remains very popular in Chile to this day. His Facebook fan page has more than 50,000 followers.[1]

Main works

  • ¿Es Chile un pais católico? (English: Is Chile a Catholic country?), Santiago (Chile), 1941.
  • Humanismo social (English: Social humanism), Santiago (Chile), 1947.
  • El orden social cristiano en los documentos de la jerarquía católica (English: Christian social order in the documents of the Catholic hierarchy), 2 vol., Santiago (Chile), 1947.
  • Sindicalismo: historia-teoría-práctica (English: Syndicalism: History-Theory-Practice), Santiago (Chile), 1950.

References

  1. ^ a b c d "St. Albert Hurtado, SJ", Ignatian Spirituality, Loyola Press
  2. ^ a b c Biography from Vatican News Service
  3. ^ Hurtado, S.J., Alberto, "Cartas E Informes del Padre Alberto Hurtado, S.J.," Santiago: Ediciones Universidad Catolica de Chile, 2005, pp. 13-29.
  4. ^ a b c d e Gertrude M. Yeager. In the Absence of Priests: Young Women as Apostles to the Poor, Chile 1922-1932. The Americas, Vol. 64, No. 2 (October 2007), pp. 207-242
  5. ^ a b c d "Saint Alberto Hurtado", Sacred Space, The Irish Jesuits
  6. ^ "Christ Stumbles through Our Streets", Ignatian Spirituality

Bibliography

  • CID, F.D.: El humanismo de Alberto Hurtado S.J., Santiago (Chile), 1975.
  • LAVIN, A.: El P.Hurtado, amigo y apostol de los jovanes, Santiago (Chile), 1978.
  • GILFEATHER, Katherine A.: Alberto Hurtado, a man after God's Heart, Santiago (Chile), 2004.

See also


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