St. Alberto Hurtado
Patron Saint of Chile, Poor People, and Street Children
St. Alberto Hurtado was a twentieth-century Chilean Jesuit known for his work helping revive the Church in Chile as well as providing shelter for those in need. In the beginning of his time as a Jesuit, Alberto wrote about the shortage of priests throughout Chile, and he authored a statistical analysis of how his fellow Chileans practiced their faith and what opportunities were open to them for growing in their faith. He noticed that many of the working class and the poor did not have regular interaction with a priest, so he took the challenge upon himself to change that. He founded the Hogar de Cristo to help children who needed food and shelter, and the organization is still operational today, serving over 25,000 people per month.