Segundo Llorente facts for kids

Segundo Llorente Villa (born November 18, 1906, died January 26, 1989) was a Spanish priest, writer, and thinker. He belonged to a religious group called the Jesuits. He spent 40 years working as a missionary in the faraway parts of Alaska. He lived among the Yup'ik people. In 1960, he made history by becoming the first Catholic priest elected to a state government. He won a seat in the 2nd Alaska State Legislature. He was a "write-in candidate," meaning people wrote his name on the ballot. Llorente wrote many books and essays about his time in Alaska. He is known as the "favorite son" of his hometown, Mansilla Mayor, in Spain.

Early Life in Spain

Childhood and Youth

Segundo Llorente Villa was born on November 18, 1906. His hometown was Mansilla Mayor, a small place in the Province of León in northwestern Spain. He was the oldest of nine children. His parents, Luis Llorente and Modesta Villa, were farmers.

When Segundo was 13, he started studying at the local church school, called a diocesan seminary. He felt a strong desire to join the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits. In 1923, at age 17, he began his training to become a Jesuit. This training took place at the Jesuit seminary in Carrión de los Condes. His brother Amando also studied there later. Amando became a teacher and even taught Fidel Castro.

Becoming a Missionary

During his early training, Llorente became very dedicated to his chosen path. He was young and full of energy. He became very interested in the Territory of Alaska. At that time, Alaska was seen as the most isolated and challenging place for Christian missions.

His leaders first suggested he go to a mission in Anqing, China. But Llorente said no. He wanted to go to Alaska. So, he had to wait for his chance. While studying in Salamanca (1926) and Granada (1927), he had many deep talks about religion and ideas. Finally, in 1930, when he was 24, he got permission to go to Alaska. His strong will and patience paid off.

Life in the United States

Learning and Becoming a Priest

After arriving in America, Llorente went to Gonzaga University. This is a Jesuit school in Spokane, Washington. He went there to learn English. He quickly became very good at it. Then, he started teaching at Gonzaga Preparatory School in the same city. At the same time, he began writing his first articles. These articles were published in a religious magazine called Century Mission.

In 1931, he studied theology (the study of religious faith) at St. Mary's College in Kansas. In June 1934, at age 28, he became an ordained Roman Catholic priest. He then traveled to Alma, California. There, he continued his religious studies at Alma College and Santa Clara University.

Working in the Arctic Circle

In the fall of 1935, Llorente finally arrived in Alaska. His first mission was in Akulurak. This place is on the south bank of the Yukon River Delta, near the Bering Sea coast. Here, he faced many challenges in the frozen arctic tundra. He had to learn the very difficult dialects of the Yup'ik language. He also had to explain the idea of God to people whose way of thinking was very different from Europeans. But these were exactly the challenges that had drawn him to Alaska. In this area, Llorente traveled along the Kuskowkim River. He served in places like Bethel and as far upriver as McGrath.

In 1938, he was sent to a mission further north, in Kotzebue. This town is on the Baldwin Peninsula in Kotzebue Sound. In 1941, he returned to Akulurak and became the leader there. He stayed until 1948. For the next three years, Llorente served many remote church areas based in Bethel. He returned to the Akulurak area in 1951. After 21 years in Alaska, he became a U.S. citizen in Nome in 1956.

Many of Llorente's well-known stories about his time in Akulurak, Alakanuk, Bethel, and Kotzebue are in his books. These include Memoirs of a Yukon Priest and Cuarenta años en el círculo Polar (which means "Forty Years in the Arctic Circle"). In October 1952, he was chosen to attend the Third Congress of Missions in Monterrey, Mexico. He wrote about this experience in his book Trineos y eskimales ("Sleds and Eskimos").

Becoming a State Representative

In 1958, the Territory of Alaska became the 49th state of the United States. This happened after the U.S. Congress passed the Alaska Statehood Act. New elections were called for state offices.

The second state elections happened in 1960. Father Llorente was already helping his community in the remote Wade Hampton electoral district. Most of the people there were Eskimo. Because he cared so much for Native Alaskans, they decided to elect him as their state representative. They chose him as a write-in candidate, even though there were other candidates from political parties.

Father Llorente's election was a big surprise. His religious leaders agreed to let him serve. He became the first Catholic priest ever elected to a state government. His time in office was at the same time as John F. Kennedy, who was the first Catholic president of the United States. Some people wondered if the Catholic Church had influenced his election, but nothing came of it. Llorente’s election was seen as one of the first times that Native Alaskans' political wishes came true. News about his election spread around the world through organizations like the Associated Press and Time magazine.

Later Life and Death

Father Llorente returned to Spain only once, in 1963. This trip was to encourage more people to become priests. He wrote twelve books about Alaska during his life. All but one were in Spanish, even though he spoke English perfectly. He could also speak some Yupik, but he said it was just "patter."

His last jobs took him to places like Nome, Cordova, and Anchorage. He retired at age 68 in 1975. He had served the Alaska missions for 40 years. After retiring, he moved to Moses Lake, Washington. There, he worked with the local Hispanic community. In 1981, he became an assistant pastor at St. Joseph's Church in Pocatello, Idaho. Three years later, he worked as a chaplain at St. Joseph's Hospital in Lewiston, Idaho.

Llorente died at Jesuit House in Spokane, Washington on January 26, 1989. He was 82 years old. He was buried in a Native American cemetery in De Smet, Idaho. He was buried there on January 30, 1989, as he had wished.

See also

In Spanish: Segundo Llorente para niños