Alberto Hurtado
Blessed (to be saint) 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.
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. He subsequently entered the Jesuit novitiate in 1923 and received Holy Orders in ordination in 1933.
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.
Beatification
Hurtado Cruchaga was beatified on October 16, 1994 by Pope John Paul II. On October 23, 2005, he will be canonized and declared Saint Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga by Pope Benedict XVI. He will be one of the first people and the first Jesuit to be elevated to sainthood during the papacy of Pope Benedict XVI; he will be also the second Chilean saint, after Santa Teresita de los Andes.
External Links
- Padre Hurtado's Official Canonization Website (Spanish)
- "Padre Hurtado" Documentation and Studies Center(Spanish)
- Fundación Padre Hurtado (Spanish)