Chile: Archbishop calls to imitate Saint Alberto Hurtado in social commitment

In August, the Catholic Church in Chile celebrates the Month of Solidarity, in memory of San Alberto Hurtado. At the beginning of this special time, the Archbishop of Santiago, Mons. Fernando Chomali, encouraged young people to get to know the figure of the Jesuit saint and reflected on his legacy.

with the title Saint Alberto Hurtado, worthy of imitationthe prelate shared in an article the story of the Jesuit priest who died on August 18, 1952, at the age of 51. “He was young, however, he had a life like no other,” he said.

In 2005, Bishop Chomali recalled, he was canonized. “He came to be named as Saint Alberto Hurtado”, in whose memory, Solidarity Day is celebrated in Chile every August 18.

This is so, the archbishop explained, “because Father Hurtado gave his life to God and others in an admirable way.”

At this point, he highlighted prayer, spiritual depth and dedication to others. “That dedication was manifested in many areas: the multiple spiritual retreats that he preached; his great interest in social justice; his closeness to the labor movement; having founded the magazine Message, which to this day follows in his footsteps; and, finally, carry out the magnificent Hogar de Cristo that is still fully valid today,” he listed.

“Nothing that happened in the world was indifferent to him,” said Bishop Chomali about Father Hurtado. His action, he assured, was marked by the question: “What would Christ do in my place?”

In that sense, he encouraged that, in addition to being admired, it be imitated. “Following in his footsteps is an excellent path to follow in the footsteps of Christ, transforming the world and leaving it in better conditions than the one we received.”

Likewise, he considered that “today we need, more than ever, his inspiration, his intercession and his teachings.”

“He always looked for good and in certain sectors of society he was misunderstood,” he recalled. “However, he was clear that the testimony of being with the needy, rather than talking about the needy, was doing the will of God,” he remarked.

Hurtado was a deeply happy man. And it was because his life was a constant dedication to others,” he concluded, inviting us to make “August 18 all year long.”

In this way, he stated, “we will discover that there is more joy in giving than in receiving, in thinking more about others than about oneself, and in knowing that the best bread is the one shared.”

Finally, he encouraged the figure of Saint Alberto Hurtado, whose name is “etched in the lives of Chileans,” to awaken a “firm commitment to work for social justice, for a more equitable and fraternal society.”

Advice to young people

Monster. Chomali also used the social network TikTok to encourage young people to get to know the Chilean saint. In a video, he expressed: “In August, in the Month of Solidarity, meet Father Alberto Hurtado, I recommend him to you. Read some biography, some article about him, you will find an extraordinary man.”

“I know that you are looking for what to do with your life, what to do with your career, many times you feel empty, you feel alone, do you want something more? “He can help you,” she assured.

“It changed my life, and I invite you to let the same thing happen with you,” he concluded.

Who was Saint Alberto Hurtado?

Saint Alberto Hurtado was a Jesuit priest born in Viña del Mar (Chile) on January 22, 1901. He founded Hogar de Cristo in 1944, to care for people in extreme poverty in Chile.

Father Hurtado died on August 18, 1952 in Santiago, at the age of 51. Saint John Paul II declared him blessed in 1994, and his successor, Benedict XVI, proclaimed the Jesuit priest a saint on October 23, 2005.

The day after his canonization, Benedict XVI assured that the goal of Saint Alberto Hurtado’s life “was to be another Christ. In this way one better understands his filial conscience before the Father, his spirit of prayer, his deep love for Mary, his generosity in giving himself totally, his dedication and service to the poor.

“In the light of the truth of the mystical Body, he experienced the pain of others as his own and this prompted him to greater dedication to the poor, founding the ‘Home of Christ’ for them,” he said.