Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga
- International
- August 18, 2012
When Pope John Paul II canonized the Jesuit priest Albert Hurtado in 1998, the whole Chilean parliament was present in Rome for the ceremony. So great was the esteem in which Father Albert was held by his countrymen, that a city is named after him in central Chile – Padre Hurtado.
Who was this remarkable priest, who achieved so much in his short life of 51 years?
Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga was a pioneer in many ways. In Latin America he focused the Church’s activities in favor of the working poor. He experienced poverty himself as a young boy when his mother was forced to sell the family farm after his father’s death. However, a scholarship allowed Hurtado to study at the Jesuit school in Santiago.
He joined the Jesuits in 1923. He was sent to study theology in Spain, but the anti-clerical government dissolved the Society of Jesus in 1932 while he was there, so he finished his studies in Belgium where he was ordained. On returning to Chile, Hurtado exercised the typical Jesuit ministry of teaching and giving retreats.
His concern for the poor eventually led him to become director of Catholic Action. In this he came in direct contact with the urban poor, who were unemployed and without shelter, in all the major cities of Chile.
In 1944 he asked some women on a retreat to think of the men, women and children who were without a home to live in. They responded generously with donations, which Hurtado used to open a hospice, first for young men and then one for women and children. This was the beginning of El Hogar de Cristo. "Hogar" means home, and the name signifies that people were welcomed into Christ's home. The movement spread beyond Chile and throughout South America.
In 1947 he founded Asociación Sindical Chilena, a trade union movement. Hurtado also wrote three books on social issues and in 1951 started a monthly magazine, Mensaje, or "Message", that explains the Church's social teaching and addresses social issues. He died of exhaustion in 1951, but more than fifty years later, his message lives on.
Who was this remarkable priest, who achieved so much in his short life of 51 years?
Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga was a pioneer in many ways. In Latin America he focused the Church’s activities in favor of the working poor. He experienced poverty himself as a young boy when his mother was forced to sell the family farm after his father’s death. However, a scholarship allowed Hurtado to study at the Jesuit school in Santiago.
He joined the Jesuits in 1923. He was sent to study theology in Spain, but the anti-clerical government dissolved the Society of Jesus in 1932 while he was there, so he finished his studies in Belgium where he was ordained. On returning to Chile, Hurtado exercised the typical Jesuit ministry of teaching and giving retreats.
His concern for the poor eventually led him to become director of Catholic Action. In this he came in direct contact with the urban poor, who were unemployed and without shelter, in all the major cities of Chile.
In 1944 he asked some women on a retreat to think of the men, women and children who were without a home to live in. They responded generously with donations, which Hurtado used to open a hospice, first for young men and then one for women and children. This was the beginning of El Hogar de Cristo. "Hogar" means home, and the name signifies that people were welcomed into Christ's home. The movement spread beyond Chile and throughout South America.
In 1947 he founded Asociación Sindical Chilena, a trade union movement. Hurtado also wrote three books on social issues and in 1951 started a monthly magazine, Mensaje, or "Message", that explains the Church's social teaching and addresses social issues. He died of exhaustion in 1951, but more than fifty years later, his message lives on.
