St. Matthew College, Chile

The first school in Osorno, which was named San Mateo and was founded in 1835, is the oldest historical antecedent of the current school that the Sanmateans record. However, the little school had an ephemeral life, because it closed after two years, destroyed by the earthquake of November 1837. A half century later, in 1890, it reopened under the direction of the Fr. Francisco Bohle, but there is no data to confirm that it was in continuity with the original San Mateo. The missionaries of the Divine Word took over direction of the school in 1913, when it acquired the name of the German Liceo de Osorno. A fire reduced it to ashes in 1927 and five years later, in 1932, it reopened its doors as the St. Matthew Institute at the same address on Mackenna Street. In 1958 the German priests of the Divine Word communicated to Bishop Francisco Valdés Subercaseaux that they could not continue running San Mateo. He asked the Jesuits to take charge which they did. In 1959 John Henry, Henry Haske, Joseph O'Neill, Frank Nuggent, James Mc Namara, and Bernard Boyle came from the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus in the United States.

After the 1960 Valdivia earthquake, John Henry became director and the school was now called St. Matthew College. The Jesuits opened a new building in April 1965 on Barros Arana Street. They also undertook to integrate poorer children from the city and from rural areas, with money received from Maryland. In 1981 the primary school was located at Wenceslao Ramos Street. The three divisions, preschool, primary, and secondary, currently occupy 11 acres and 3 acres respectively.

Though male from its founding, San Mateo began admitting girls in 2005. In 2010 it became a private educational establishment and in 2011 stopped receiving a state subsidy, although it grants scholarships to needy students.

The rectors of the school were all Jesuit priests until 2009, when José Reyes Santelices, a layman, became rector.[2] In 2005, Juan Miguel Leturia was found guilty of sexual abuse during his time as rector.[3]

• John Henry (1960 - 1965)
• Henry Haske (1966 - 1968)
• Bernard Boyle (1969 - 1974)
• Carlos Hurtado (1975)
• Carlos Aldunate (1975)
• Bernard Boyle (1976 - 1981)
• Fernando Salas (1982 - 1987)
• Juan Miguel Leturia (1988)
• Thomas Gavin (1989 - 1996)
• Alejandro Pizarro (1997 - 2003)
• Juan Pablo Cárcamo (2003 - 2009)
• José Reyes Santelices (2009 - 2014)
• Alejandro Aguirre Moraga (2015)

• Álvaro Gómez, actor