Category Archives: Unmasking the Archives (2018)

Post written in association with the 2018 conference

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

Looking forward to Envisioning the Future of Catholic Religious Archives

The Boston College conference is an opportunity for religious leaders, archivists and historians to discuss the preservation of Catholic religious archives. Directed toward archives managed by a congregation or in transition to another institution, the meeting will provide valuable information and practial guidance.

Unlike previous conferences, this is a working conference, where time will be set aside for participants to listen, respon, and network in order to begin the process of finding solutions. This participatory aspect will enable attendees to share their expertise and knowledge and shape the conference dynamic and outcomes. Our aim is to suggest solutions to resolve archival issues regardless of their current or future deposition. Religious archives are the heart and soul of the Church’s history. This conference will mark the first step toward ensuring that the work of Catholic religious communities endures.

Malachy McCarthy

Conference Co-chair
Province Archivist,
Claretian Missionaries Archives USA-Canada