Alberto Hurtado, S.J.

(1901-1952)

Alberto Hurtado SJ, a Chilean Jesuit, was canonized on October 23rd, 2005.
Fr. Hurtado died in 1952. His faith and engagement with Chilean culture led him first to work with young adults, and later with the poor.

Alberto Hurtado was born in Chile in 1901. After leaving his Jesuit school, he studied law and worked in a conservative Catholic newspaper, El Diario Ilustrado. He also joined the Conservative Party.

He joined the Jesuits in 1923, and studied in Chile and in Europe, preparing himself for work in education. He taught for some years in Santiago, and in 1941 became Student Chaplain for University students throughout Chile. In his work with young adults, his approach was broad and inclusive – he wanted to help form young adults as Human Beings, as Christians and as Leaders. Under his guidance, the chaplaincies grew rapidly – from 1500 students in 50 centers in 1941 to 12,000 students in 500 centers in 1944. This work led him naturally to found an organization to which he invited a smaller group of committed young adults, the Service of Christ the King. Its members committed themselves to dedicate a year of their lives to living out the ideals of Catholic Action. This initiative seemed too full- on to some of his contemporaries.

In 1944 he had a decisive encounter with a sick and starving beggar who asked him to help him. Like Frederic Ozanam, who in many ways his path resembled, this meeting resulted in a change of life. He wrote, “Each of these people is Christ. What have we done for these young people who walk through the streets in the rain, sleep the winter nights in doorways de repente el sacerdote and live their lives frozen. These things happen in a Christian country! We Catholics are like cattle, asleep, untroubled by any social ties with our fellow human beings."

Alberto's conscience awakened, he founded the Home of Christ for poor young people, a movement which grew, and later made technical training for poor young adults available in his homes. His accompaniment of poor youth and practical service to them led him to ask why people were poor. He became interested in Catholic Social principles, and founded a union for Catholic workers, the Acción Sindical y Económica Chilena, which would encourage concerted action according to Christian principles. By this time he had fallen ill, and he died in 1952.