Berardelli, John Anthony, FSC, Brother (Dominic Aquinas), 1938-2017
Dates
- Existence: 1938 - 2017
Biography
Brother Dominic was born John Anthony Berardelli on January 6, 1938, in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He attended Central Catholic High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and upon graduation, entered the Novitiate for the De La Salle Christian Brothers at Ammendale, Maryland. He received the habit on September 7, 1955, and took the name Brother Dominic Aquinas.
After completing the Novitiate, Brother Dominic attended the Scholasticate at Elkins Park in Philadelphia, earning his Bachelor's degree from La Salle College, Philadelphia, in 1959. He received his Master's degree in Theology just one year later from La Salle College in Philadelphia. Later, in 1999, he received an honorary Ph.D. from La Salle University in Obregon, Mexico.
Teaching at a Virginia High School for just one year, Brother Dominic then went to the Philippines, where he spent nearly ten years teaching at three Lasallian apostolates in the Philippines. After serving in the Philippines, he was assigned to several high schools in California. Technically a Brother from the Baltimore District, Brother Dominic officially transferred to the San Francisco District in 1975. He had been teaching at La Salle High School in Pasadena before his official transfer. After transferring to the San Francisco District, he became Superintendent of School in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
In 1980, Brother Dominic became the San Francisco District Director of Education and four years later served as the San Francisco District Treasurer. After this, he was called to Rome, Italy, in 1986 to serve as co-Director of SECOLI, an International program run from the Lasallian headquarters in Rome, Italy. Brother Dominic spent eight years at this post before spending some time in Australia and the Philippines before returning to California in 1995.
Except for serving in the Provinvialate and De La Salle North Catholic High School for a few years in the early 2000s, Brother Dominic spent the rest of his career at Saint Mary's College in Moraga, California. Working as a Special Assistant to the President, and in Parent Relations, Major Gifts, and the Development department, Brother Dominic was a well-known figure around campus. Known for his love of his Italian heritage, he frequently drove around campus in a golf cart with a large Italian flag and plates that read 'Bromobile.'
Brother Dominic retired to the Holy Family Community at Mont La Salle, Napa, California, in July 2017. He died on December 28, 2017, at the age of 79. Brother Dominic is buried at the Brothers' cemetery at Mont La Salle, Napa, California.
