Medardo Brualla, CMF

Medardo Brualla

Medardo Brualla, CFM. Courtesy of Claretian Archives USA-Canada.

Father Medardo Brualla, a Claretian Priest serving the Mexican Community at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Los Angeles, California became the point person working with public heath personnel during the 1924 bubonic plague in this Mexican enclave. A quarantined area was established to prevent outsiders who wanted to profit from the community’s abandoned property. Father Medardo protected the Mexican community from disaster and lost his life in the process. Only fifty Mexicans died due his heroic efforts. Professor Jeffrey Copeland’s forthcoming book documents this final bubonic plague in the United States.

Malachy McCarthy, Province Archivist
Claretian Missionaries Archives USA-Canada