'Why? Why?': A grieving community mourns the loss of Bella

By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald

Father Lee Poché, pastor of St. Matthew the Apostle Church and School in River Ridge, knew that his people – including the 510 kids at St. Matthew Elementary School – were hurting in a way they may never have hurt before.

"Today, we were supposed to be having a field day outside," Father Poche told 600 grieving men, women and children who gathered Friday afternoon, April 28, inside St. Matthew the Apostle Church. "I told those at Mass this morning that I should be apologizing to everyone about the noise outside with music and kids yelling and screaming. But, listen to the silence."

Instead, Father Poché said, the St. Matthew the Apostle community was mourning in silence and utter disbelief that 6-year-old kindergarten student, Bella Fontenelle, was murdered on Tuesday night.

Jefferson Parish officials have charged Bunnak "Hannah" Landon, 43, the girlfriend of Bella's father, with first-degree murder. Deputies said Landon killed Bella and then placed her body in a 12-gallon bucket and wheeled the body to the front lawn of her biological mother, who lived just a block away.

"Why? Why?" Father Poché asked, speaking for the entire community at a one-hour prayer service. "People have been asking God the 'why' question for thousands upon thousands of years. I asked the 'why' question when my wife died eight years ago so I could explain it to my children and grandchildren.

"But there is no answer for an early death. There is no answer for a tragic death. Oh, there is an answer for the cause of death, but there is no question as to why God allows it. ... At least (there is) no answer while we are living on this earth.

"We trust that Bella, at her young age, now enjoys the wonders of heaven and is truly at peace with our God. How fortunate is Bella that by virtue of her innocence – in that she was baptized and had not yet reached the age of reason to knowingly commit a sin and to know the consequences of sin – gets a free pass to heaven."


Many school parents attended the prayer service with their children and wiped away tears. Bella's father and mother, along with her older sister and dozens of relatives, were in the front pews and greeted Bella's classmates after the service.

St. Matthew principal Tony Bonura canceled classes on Thursday and Friday and offered counseling for students and teachers, which was provided by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New Orleans' Department of Catholic Education and Faith Formation, several Catholic schools, the Catholic Counseling Service and permanent deacons.

School will resume Monday as scheduled, but Bonura said he and his staff will remain vigilant to help anyone in the school community. Funeral arrangements are pending.

"My role as the religious leader in the school is to lead people in faith and bring them together in community and support the family at the same time," Bonura said. "We've got a little ways to go before we can get to that joyous part, but my job to is to get them through the mourning and get to the joy."

Bonura said he will never forget Bella's wide smile.

"I call it magnetic shyness," Bonura said. "There was a shyness about her, but at the same time, she was going to give you a hug or she was going to draw you in. That shyness didn't prevent her from engaging with you. Her smile was just unmistakable, and her pure spirit of heart."

Bella's pre-K3 teacher from two years ago, Elizabeth Melan, said she is trying her best to process the unthinkable tragedy.

"She was just sweet and angelic," Melan said. "If you could just picture those two words, sweet and angelic, that's who she was."
Father Poché said tragedy can cause polar opposite reactions.


Father Poché said tragedy can cause polar opposite reactions.

"When tragedy happens, we can go in one of two directions – either closer to God or further away from God," he said. "We can lose faith and run away from God and let the 'whys' keep haunting us and let the worldly pleasures draw us away from God. Or, we can let our hearts tell us to run toward God.

"Allow God to help you through the 'whys' of this tragedy and to the trust in God providence. God did not will this tragedy, but he can certainly, in his providential way, cause good to come from it. Don't waste this tragedy. Allow yourself and your family to grow closer to God. As we can see, life sometimes can be too short."

“It is a blessing to be in such a strong faith community,” said Dr. RaeNell Houston, superintendent of Catholic schools. “The blessing I see is just the community coming together top support the family and support one another."

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