St. Aloysius College, Antofagasta
| St. Aloysius College Antofagasta | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
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| Information | |
| Type | Jesuit, Catholic |
| Established | 1916 |
| Rector | Alex Pizarro |
| Gender | Coeducational since 2012 |
| Enrollment | 800[1] |
| Mascot | Lion |
| Publication | Boletín San Luisino |
| Affiliation | FLACSI |
| Website | SanLuisAntofagasta |
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St. Aloysius College, Antofagasta, Chile, (Colegio San Luis), was founded in 1916 and offers the traditional elementary and secondary education. It is part of the Jesuit's Ignatian Educational Network of Chile and of the Latin American Federation of Schools of the Company of Jesus - FLACSI. These have a direct presence in four other Chilean schools,[2] and in a Chilean network of 24 educational institutions that strive to instill an Ignatian spirituality, encompassing more than 20,000 students.
History
The Bishop of Antofagasta, Luis Silva Lazaeta, already had Heart of Mary primary school run by the Claretians and a girl's school run by the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods when he recognized the need to create a secondary school. In 1916 he finalized plans and founded St. Aloysius. Its first director was the German Fr. Florián Blümel of the Society of the Divine Word, who arrived along with Fr. Albino Seeger. The College opened in 1916 to 20 students who soon increased, in a house located at 361 Baquedano Street.
In 1917 the Scout Brigade was created and in 1921 the St. Aloysius sports facility (that in 1950 would become the St. Aloysius Center). In 1922 the school moved to a new building built by the architect Cousiño Calavera in Baquedano, though its façade would take three more years to complete. In 1923 Carlos Walker Martínez Literary Academy was founded in the school and published five issues of its magazine Juventud. In 1933 Osvaldo Gómez initiated the Andrés Bello Center of Studies, and the following year Fr. M. Moya founded the Abdón Cifuentes Literary Academy. Juventud was replaced by the Revista del Colegio San Luis, which later became the school Yearbook. Over time, other school activities began, such as painting and philosophy (1941) and several sports. In those years, the enrollment reached a peak of 572 students. The library had 300 books.
In 1935 Fr. Blümel asked the new Archbishop Alfredo Cifuentes Gómez to look for a teaching congregation to take charge of the school. The Society of Jesus accepted and the first teachers arrived the same year. In 1936 they took charge of the College. Blümel, who also organized the German School for Ladies, the future Instituto San María, retired in 1936 and died in Antofagasta on 29 October 1940. He was replaced by Fr. Nicanor Marambio, S.J., who had been a rector for the last ten years. This Jesuit's educational activities were not limited to St. Aloysius, as he also founded the J. F. Blümel High School for poor children with educational problems. In 1988 the municipality of Antofagasta gave the name of Fr. Nicanor Marambio to a complex located in the Bonilla settlement, in the northern sector of the city. The school's anthem, Todos unidos, was composed in 1949 by two Jesuits: Carlos Hurtado wrote the lyrics and Rafael Sánchez wrote the music.
By the middle of last century, the enrollment grew significantly due to the school's success in the baccalaureate exams. In addition, with the presence of the Jesuits, there was a strong increase in pastoral activities, characteristic of their Ignatian spirit. In addition to scouts, reorganized in 1943 by Fr. Marambio, the Eucharistic Crusade of the school (began in 1936 under Fr. Felix Barandera and in 1941 transformed into the Youth Eucharistic Movement), became the Missionary Student League. There were also the Internal Center of Catholic Action of San Luis, formed in 1942 by Fr. Oscar Ghana and two years later integrated with the Missionary League, and the San Luis Gonzaga Vocation League, created in 1943 by Fr. Victor Ghana, with a chief focus on prayer for religious and priestly vocations. Part of the Vocation League's work was the St. Ignatius Workshop which provided liturgical supplies to the poor churches and chapels of the diocese. The work Los Mil Amigos was founded in 1951 by Fr. Mario Vergara to help needy students in other colleges. A new library was built in 1948 and in 1951 a radio station was acquired.
In 1952, the commander-in-chief of the First Army Division, Colonel Guillermo Aldama, wanted to create the Reservist Center that instilled the virtue of patriotism in the students. This initiative generated controversy, since the socialists reproached the school for being a part of the Nazi or National Socialists network, and of well-instructing its students in the goose step.[3]
The Student Council (current CEAL) was established in 1955, the year in which the first issue of the San Luisino Bulletin appeared. Likewise, pastoral activities were reinforced. There was a great effort on the part of the Jesuits to Christianize the city of Antofagasta. Meanwhile, young people organized themselves to carry out campaigns of prayer, street preaching, catechism in Mejillones and various towns in the city, along with construction and repair of houses. In 1960, a five-storey building was built on José Santos Ossa Street and the San Luis Stadium was built, as well as a modern-style chapel with a capacity for 400 people (1968).
After the coup d'état of September 1973, thanks to the personal contacts of Fr. Renato Hasche who was rector at that time, it was possible to exempt San Luis from the branch of National Security Doctrine that had been imposed by the military regime. At this time the school was distinguished for hosting professors exonerated for political reasons. In 1975, the existence of two vice-rectorates was formalized, one academic and one administrative, and the courses were distributed in cycles. The creation of a new library was a feature in those years, as well as renovation of audio-visual rooms, recruitment of university professors, and the formation of an orchestra. In the pastoral area, the Youth Eucharistic Movement (EJS) was formed and the "pioneers", a precursor explorer group of the Secondary Christian Life Communities (CLC) were created. These were initiated in 1982, especially in the formation camps, summer works, and missions in Mejillones, Taltal, Tocopilla, and San Pedro de Atacama.
In the following decades, the College achieved important advances from an academic, pastoral, and infrastructure perspective with the building in 1989 of the gymnasium Osvaldo Gómez Ansieta, in 1991 the Casa de Ejercicios San Luis, and in 1992 the new school yard. In terms of academic life, in 1987 the Civic Education and Art Department was born, the same year as the Union of Workers of the San Luis College. In 1992 and 1995 a new room and computer lab were inaugurated, respectively, the latter for the modernization of education on the basis of computing available to all, and the greater use of audiovisual media. Then, various academic clubs were created, such as philosophy, painting, art, theater, chess, and journalism. Also the pastoral area was consolidated, through the MEJ and the CLC; in 1987 the CLC was created for adults and pastoral and catechetical outreach to families increased. At the same time, sports continued to be promoted, highlighted by 1st place in the national basketball championship in 1995. The school would receive Antofagasta's highest award, the Golden Anchor 2016, for its "contribution to the training of men and their achievements in the educational and sports field."[4]
In the 1990s, two major infrastructure projects were initiated. The first one was the "Padre Gonzalo Errázuriz" pavilion for the prebasic classes (2001). The second was the "Padre Alberto Hurtado" pavilion, a new three-story building located on Prat Street which houses the second cycle; it has an event hall, a multipurpose room, classrooms, and a covered court (2005). In the educational area, new academics were implemented, improving teaching and modernizing educational methods. At the same time cultural features were improved, more participation in contests, use of audiovisuals, and performance of plays. Likewise, pastoral services were growing, with various initiatives from the pastoral department (Popes' days, monthly Masses, Bible workshops, talks and series, etc.). Encounters with Christ, the Spiritual Exercises, and Friendship Camps (first secondary) were added and the number of young people participating in summer projects and factory work grew.[6] After almost a century of dedication exclusively to the training of boys, in 2012 San Luis began the transition to coeducation, starting with girls in prekindergarten.[7]
Prominent alumni
- Andrés Sabella Gálvez: poet, writer, journalist and draftsman.
- Edmundo Pérez Zujovic: businessman and political Christian Democrat, minister under President Eduardo Frei Montalva.
- Radomiro Tomic: politician, was deputy, senator and candidate to the presidency of Chile in the election of 1970.
- Juan de Dios Carmona Peralta: lawyer and politician, parliamentarian, mayor of Antofagasta and minister under Eduardo Frei Montalva.
- Gerardo Claps: founder of the Universidad Católica del Norte.
- Domingo Claps Gallo: lawyer and politician, deputy for Antofagasta, Tocopilla, the Loa and Taltal in 1973.
- Eric Goles Chacc: mathematician, Chilean National Prize of Sciences in 1993.
- Danilo Díaz Núñez: commentator, sports journalist and writer, Chilean National Prize for Sports Journalism 2002.
- Rafael Moreno Rojas: in charge of the 9th subdivision, VI Region of the Liberator Bernardo O'Higgins, between 1998 and 2006.
- Martin Zilic: doctor, academic and political Christian Democrat, mayor of the region of Bío-Bío region during the government of Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle and minister under the presidency of Michelle Bachelet.
- Patricio Jara: journalist and novelist, prize of the National Book and Reading Council 2002 for his novel El Sangrador.
- Pedro Araya Guerrero: deputy for the Fourth District from 2002 to 2014, senator for the Second District for the period 2014–2022.
References
- ^ "Colegio San Luis | Flacsi. Accessed 13 November 2016".
- ^ Saint Ignatius at Alonso Ovalle and at El Bosque, St. Matthew at Osorno, and St. Francis Xavier at Puerto Montt.
- ^ Diario ABC, 5 September 1952
- ^ Soy Chile. Accessed 13 November 2016.
- ^ Rectors. Accessed 13 November 2016.
- ^ History. Accessed 13 November 2016.
- ^ Soy Chile. Accessed 13 November 2016.