Saint Alberto Hurtado

Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga was born in Viña del Mar, Chile, on January 22, 1901. His father died when he was four, leaving the family in modest circumstances. He studied law at the Catholic University and, after graduating, entered the Society of Jesus in 1923. He was ordained in 1933.

In Chile he taught, guided young people in Catholic Action and wrote about the Church's social teaching. One cold night in 1944 he met a shivering, sick man on the street, and soon afterward he moved a retreat audience to help him found the Hogar de Cristo, homes that sheltered and fed the homeless, especially children. He also worked for the rights of workers, founding a Catholic labor movement and the magazine Mensaje. Constantly asking himself what Christ would do in his place, he gave himself without limit. He died of pancreatic cancer in Santiago on August 18, 1952, and was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2005.

In Chile his feast is also the National Day of Solidarity, and thousands visit his tomb at the sanctuary next to the Hogar de Cristo in Santiago. Schools and parishes organize food drives and visits to the elderly and the homeless.

The Hogar de Cristo continues his work today throughout Chile.