Posted: October 24

St. Alberto Hurtado's day in the sun

October 24 (Rome) I spent several days last week trying to devise clever ways of explaining what seemed then to be the inevitable link between canonization ceremonies and rain. A steady drizzle fell on Wednesday and then the skies opened on Thursday for the kind of day-long rains that we normally only see in November. And Sunday was the date for the canonization of Blessed Alberto Hurtado SJ, a Jesuit from Chile. All I could think of was my first experience of canonization, back in October 2000 when I first came to Rome. Several Jesuit martyrs from China were canonized on an equally threatening day. I foolishly presupposed the Pope would hold the ceremony inside St. Peter's, it being a lovely and very large church, with a roof which would keep everyone dry. But no; Mass took place outside as scheduled outside, and we were drenched. It seemed surreal to sit on a chair in the rain, watching the drops bounce off the heads of the bishops and dignitaries not far away from me, while a short distance away was a big, and dry church.

No wonder that I sat in my office watching last Thursday's rain and worrying. But Alberto must be doing well in heaven, because the rain stopped on Saturday and the clouds lifted. What would Sunday be like? Foggy. When I opened the shutters Sunday morning, I saw a low fog sitting on the Sacred Heart Statue at the top of the hill. When I arrived in St. Peter's Piazza at 8:30, the fog had lifted but a little cloud still obscured the cupola of the basilica. By the time Mass started at 9:30, we were in a perfect, absolutely clear fall day. The weather could not have been any better. To quote my brother-in-law Dave Tobey's way of praising a saint, "St. Albert Hurtado, you da man."

The 7,000 person-strong contingent who had come from Chile seemed to be of the same mind. Fr. Hurtado was one of five men recognized by the Church for their holiness, but he got the loudest response whenever his name came up during the ceremony. The Chileños waved flags and banners, and lit up the piazza with their enthusiasm. St. Alberto is fondly remembered there, and his influence is still felt. Besides his great stress on social action and the quest for justice, he also founded the magazine, Mensaje, which continues today. So I am pleased that a Jesuit in the communication is being thus honored. He was also a prolific writer, and the boldness of his words in the 1930s and 40s is still amazing.

On Saturday night I went to the vigil service at the church of St. Ignatius. Visitors from Chile filled the enormous church for a prayer service. We heard readings from the Scriptures and quotes from St. Hurtado. What really struck me though, is that the service featured a slide show with photographs and film clips of Hurtado. He only died in 1952, so he lived within our modern time of images. In that sense he is the most modern saint that I know of. As much as I like the old drawings of St. Ignatius, I responded strongly to the film clips of Hurtado baptizing a baby and walking in a crowd, always with the enormous smile that revealed the warm heart within. It is wonderful to have a saint who really does offer an example to us, who is a man of our times, who lived through political turmoil yet followed the path of the Gospel with creativity and courage.