Saint of August 18: San Alberto Hurtado. Catholic Santoral

Every August 18 the Catholic Church remembers a great Chilean: San Alberto Hurtado. This Jesuit priest sought to imitate Jesus in the midst of the simple circumstances of life, that is, in the day -to -day life of an “ordinary life” that God would return in extraordinary.

Alberto chose to live consecrated to the service of the poorest, orphans and helpless. That is why he worried about providing each one with the basic means to have a dignified life. His wish was whenever no one lacks a “home.”

In the popular neighborhoods of Santiago (Chile), next to the working class, this saint became a symbol of strength, generosity and unconditional delivery.

A dream come true

Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga was born on January 22, 1901, in Viña del Mar, Chile, in a Catholic family. His parents, Alberto Hurtado and Ana Cruchaga, lived in the Los Perales de Tapihue estate, near the town of Casablanca. There Alberto spent his first years of life.

When Alberto was four years old, his father died, leaving him and his brother Miguel in charge of his mother. Unfortunately, Doña Ana was not successful in the administration of the family estate and the income was ostensibly reduced. Since it was not possible to maintain and educate her two children in these conditions, the mother sold her lands and moved to Santiago, the capital, where they would be welcomed by her relatives.

In 1909, Alberto entered the San Ignacio school, where he stood out as a good companion thanks to his enthusiasm and joy. Infected by the good spirit that was lived in school and encouraged by his teachers and authorities, the young Alberto began to consider if God was calling him for the priesthood.

However, the precarious economic situation in which his family was prevented, at the end of school, to fulfill the dream of entering the Society of Jesus. He then decided to study laws at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and thus assure his mother and brother a future.

At university he began to live at a thrilling pace. He studied in the morning, worked in the afternoons and, at night, in the few hours that he was free, he collaborated in the Virgen de Andacollo parish.

In those hard years, he did not lose hope of being a priest. In fact, their prayers always kept a special order in this regard.

In 1923, God granted the young Alberto what he asked so much: he could finally enter the seminar of the Society of Jesus. Ten years later, in 1933, he would receive the sacred order in Belgium. He had become a Jesuit priest.

Return to the homeland

The saint returned to Chile in 1936. Immediately, he began to work as a professor in his alma materthe San Ignacio school. There he dedicated himself to guiding children and young people who sought to get ahead, overcome misery and find meaning for their lives.

Alberto became a support and guidance for many people, who used to find their company and advice. His charisma was so obvious that his fame exceeded the limits of the school and was called to serve as an advisor to the youthful Catholic Action.

Together with his collaborators, he toured the Chilean homeland inflaming the hearts of young people, whom he summoned to work “for the glory of God.”

The home of Christ

One night Alberto ran into the street with a homeless. The man was very sick and left to abandonment. On another occasion, he saw a group of children who slept under one of the bridges of the Mapocho River. How was that possible?

These raw experiences would mark it deeply. I had seen in those human beings the face of suffering Christ. He then decided to undertake an effective service path: he asked his parishioners to support him with all the money that was possible. Father Alberto gathered money, jewels and even real estate (houses and land) with which he made the initial “capital” for what would be the great work of his life: “The Home of Christ.”

With enthusiasm he began to travel streets and neighborhoods in his truck. He collected the poor people and abandoned children who found the way, then took them to the “home of Christ” and there they gave them food and refuge: a little hot milk and a bed to spend the night.

Of a restless and generous mind

San Alberto was a very active and ingenious man. It always had a new project in hand: a new host house for children, teaching workshops, more beds for stays. He founded several technical training workshops for young people, so that they can get decent job. Despite the misunderstanding of many, I always found the strength to continue serving Christ in the impoverished brother.

Another very important aspect of his life was intellectual work. He published books and gave lectures on the issues that were passionate about: the priesthood, adolescence, education, social order and Catholicism. He founded a magazine he called “message.” In addition, he collaborated with different types of publications promoted together with Chilean trade union action.

The center of everything

Despite the amount of tasks imposed, he never left the spiritual direction. With his best smile he received and always listening to his “Patronchitos”, as he used to call his directions.

At 51 he was diagnosed with cancer. The disease had arrived with pains that were gradually intensified. Despite this, the Jesuit continued working even from his room at the Clinical Hospital of the Catholic University: the disease would not take away the joy or peace. Fr. Hurtado did not fail to give a word of hope and encouragement to those who needed it. His well -known maxim constantly rumbled in the ears of those who visited him: “happy, sir, happy.”

San Alberto Hurtado would depart to the father’s house on August 18, 1952. Decades later, on October 16, 1994, Pope John Paul II would be beatified by his holiness.

Finally, he was canonized on October 23, 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI.

Christ had been the center of his existence.

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