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2017 SESSION
WHEREAS, Thomas Michael Bello of McLean, who made service to others the spine of his life as an educator of immigrants and a revered deacon in the Arlington Diocese of the Catholic Church, died on March 29, 2016; and
WHEREAS, Thomas “Tom” Michael Bello grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina, and graduated from Broughton High School; he received a Morehead Scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was elected student body president and studied history and English; and
WHEREAS, upon receiving a Rhodes Scholarship, Tom Bello studied history at Oxford University in England, then attended Yale Law School before deciding to dedicate his life to helping underserved communities; and
WHEREAS, Tom Bello moved to Northern Virginia in 1975 and for more than three decades taught English as a second language to adult refugees and immigrants in the Arlington community, where he began his studies and training to become a deacon in the Catholic Church; and
WHEREAS, after his diaconate ordination in 1987, Tom Bello was assigned to the Arlington Diocese, serving primarily at St. James Catholic Church in Falls Church, where he proclaimed the Gospel, offered homilies, baptized children, led Scripture study groups, and presided at funerals and marriages; and
WHEREAS, in 1983 Tom Bello felt called to join the National Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order to pursue peace, prayer, and active service to others, and he was elected the group’s national minister in 2009, a position he held until his death; and
WHEREAS, Tom Bello had an infectious laugh and a positive influence on all of those who crossed his path; he will be especially remembered for the compassion he showed, whether it be through distributing food to the needy or ministering to those confined to hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons; and
WHEREAS, Tom Bellow will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife, Judy; children, Yeats, Pierce, and Jackie, and their families; as well as countless relatives and friends; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Thomas Michael Bello, a revered deacon in the Arlington Diocese of the Catholic Church and educator in the Northern Virginia immigrant community; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Thomas Michael Bello as an expression of the General Assembly’s respect for his memory.