Alberto Hurtado, SJ

Alberto Hurtado SJ, a Chilean Jesuit, was canonized on October 23rd, 2005. Fr. Hurtado died in 1952. His faith and engagement with Chilean culture led him first to work with young adults, and later with the poor. Alberto founded the Home of Christ (Hogar de Cristo) for poor young people, a movement which grew, and later made technical training for poor young adults available in his homes. His accompaniment of poor youth and practical service to them led him to ask why people were poor. He became interested in Catholic Social principles, and founded a union for Catholic workers, the Acción Sindical y Económica Chilena, which would encourage concerted action according to Christian principles. By this time he had fallen ill, and he died in 1952.