Alberto Hurtado

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Saint Alberto Hurtado
San Alberto Hurtado
Born	January 22, 1901, Chile
Died	August 18, 1952, Chile
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Beatified	1994 by John Paul II
Canonized	2005, Benedict XVI
Feast	August 18
Saints Portal

Saint Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, born Luis Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, popularly known as Padre Hurtado (January 22, 1901 – August 18, 1952), was a Chilean priest of the Roman Catholic Church religious order of the Society of Jesus. He was canonized on October 23, 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI, becoming his country's second saint.

1 Biography
2 Life and work as a Jesuit
3 Beatification and Canonization
4 External links

[edit] Biography

Hurtado Cruchaga was born in Viña del Mar, and grew up fatherless and impoverished. His father died when he was only four years old. He was taken away to be educated by the Jesuits in Santiago where he developed a calling to ministry. Through 1918 to 1923, he attended to Law School at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, doing his thesis on labour law. He subsequently entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1923, trained in Belgium and received Holy Orders in ordination in Belgium in 1933.

[edit] Life and work as a Jesuit

Hurtado Cruchaga's ministry included pastoring to the Chilean poor, especially with young and young adults. He was a professor of religion and later educated future teachers in the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Hurtado's sociology-oriented mind led to his authoring of the book, Is Chile a Catholic country? in 1941. That same year, Hurtado was called upon to become chaplain of the Catholic Action youth movement. Hurtado Cruchaga's faith was transformed into action with his founding of an organization similar to the present-day Girls and Boys Town in the United States. His shelter, called Hogar de Cristo, took in abandoned children from poor families.

In 1947, Hurtado Cruchaga entered the labor movement, shepherding Chilean workers. That year he founded the Chilean Trade Union Association, meant to instill Christian values in the labor unions of his country. In 1951, Hurtado Cruchaga created a relative publication called Mensaje. Thereafter, Hurtado Cruchaga published numerous articles and books on labor issues in relation to the Roman Catholic faith.

One day in 1952, Hurtado Cruchaga was stricken with intense pain and rushed to hospital. Soon after, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and after a brief battle with the illness, he died in Santiago.

[edit] Beatification and Canonization

Hurtado Cruchaga was beatified on October 16, 1994 by Pope John Paul II and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on October 23, 2005. 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 Chile. The 'Hogar de Cristo' is still working actively in its fight for social justice, and there are an avenue and a subway station in Santiago named after him. During the 1990s there was a short TV series dedicated to him, named "Crónica de un Hombre Santo" (Chronicles of a Saint Man), where popular telenovela actor Cristián Campos played Hurtado Cruchaga in his most active years.