When Dr. and Mrs. Richard Belleville first started sending their four children to Christendom College in the 1980s, they had no way of knowing that the decision would shape their family for generations to come. That decision, made nearly forty years ago, resulted in three generations of Bellevilles uniting in a shared pursuit — of rigorous academics, yes, but in a deepening of their shared Catholic faith most of all.
The Bellevilles are originally from Massachusetts, where Dr. Richard Belleville worked as a college professor. That made in-state college, with its free tuition and proximity to home, an easy sell on paper. But the second oldest Belleville daughter, Michelle, asked a question one day that would define their family for the next forty years.
“My father was a college professor and could send me and my siblings to any Massachusetts state college for free,” recalls Michelle (Belleville) Kopeck (’90). “I asked him to take me for a visit to Christendom in the summer of 1986. From the minute we arrived, we were both hooked. Christendom was exactly what I was looking for.”
At the time, Christendom was still a young college, making the decision to consider it something of a leap of faith. For Dr. Richard Belleville, the decision to ultimately not just visit but enroll his daughter, Michelle, at Christendom was driven by a desire to find a college that would faithfully form his children during an increasingly turbulent cultural moment.
“We chose Christendom College because the threats to the Catholic Faith for our children required a college that would present the traditional Catholic Faith with authentic magisterial teaching,” he says. “The reality of a college defending the life of the unborn, the support for the beauty of large families, the love for Latin and classical literature, art and music, and the role of Our Lady of the Rosary were reasons for encouraging our children to attend Christendom.”
Michelle (Kopeck) Belleville and her family.
Michelle loved Christendom from the very first visit — a feeling that never changed across her next four years at the college. She credits the school not only with preparing her intellectually, but with shaping the person she would later become.
“Christendom taught me that if you work hard, you can feel good about your accomplishments,” she says. “The students were academically motivated, and the teachers were so willing to engage in meaningful conversation. Furthermore, I met my future husband, whose family had similar values as my own. I came away from Christendom feeling very grounded and ready to take on life.”
After Michelle enrolled, each of the Bellevilles’ remaining children followed in her footsteps, with all four children graduating from Christendom. Each met and married a fellow Christendom graduate as well, and, recognizing the vibrant Catholic community taking root in Northern Virginia, chose to remain in the area to raise their own families. Dr. and Mrs. Belleville soon followed, relocating to Virginia and founding Holy Family Academy in Manassas in 1993.
Over the years, the relationship between Holy Family Academy and Christendom has grown remarkably close. Dr. Belleville intentionally hired Christendom graduates to help build the school’s faculty, while, year after year, more than 80 percent of Holy Family Academy’s graduating class has continued on to study at Christendom.
“Holy Family Academy has been well pleased with Christendom-formed teachers,” says Dr. Belleville. “They are not only intellectually formed but possess a genuine love for helping young people grow in knowledge and wisdom.”
Today, forty years after the first Belleville enrolled at Christendom, the Belleville grandchildren are making the same choice their parents once did. Twenty grandchildren have already attended Christendom, six have married fellow alumni—with a seventh wedding taking place this fall—and the family’s fourth generation is already beginning to grow.
Peter Belleville and his family.
Although a Christendom education represents a significant financial investment, the Bellevilles continue to see its value.
“My children learned how to think critically at Christendom,” she says. “Christendom gave them the tools for life that they would not get at other colleges. In my experience, Christendom has strengthened my children’s faith and given them the tools to truly succeed in life.”
For Frank Woltering, son of Michelle’s sister, Denise (Belleville) Woltering, and a current Christendom student, the family’s connection to Christendom was something he grew up hearing about long before he ever stepped onto campus himself. Stories from his parents, aunts, uncles, and grandparents gave him a picture of a college where rigorous academics, a vibrant Catholic culture, and lifelong friendships all came together.
“Both of my parents majored in history and took classes with Dr. Warren Carroll, who taught them way more than just facts,” says Woltering. “It seemed to me like they learned about the greater story of why we’re here, God’s overarching plan for humankind, and every individual’s role to fight and strive to do their part. Growing up, so many of my parents’ friends were Christendom grads, and honestly, many of the people I’ve looked up to most in my life went to Christendom.”
Now experiencing Christendom for himself, Woltering says he understands why generation after generation of his family has chosen the college.
Denise (Belleville) Woltering and her family.
“The greatest value of my Christendom experience has been developing the friendships I have, studying things that are so invaluable and important, and overall growing as a young man in such a great atmosphere,” he says. “My parents really believe in education. Both of them majored in history—my mom was actually a double major—and they both went on to get their master’s degrees and become teachers. They believe it’s important for everyone to receive an education, and it was definitely important to them to pass that belief down to my siblings and me. Beyond that, being able to pursue an education is just an absolute gift. I think my family as a whole continues to believe Christendom is worth the investment because of the good people you’re surrounded by, the opportunity to grow as a young person, and even the opportunity to potentially meet your future spouse. Ultimately, education and formation in subjects that really matter is a gift, and it’s important to take advantage of that.”
Looking back all these decades later, Dr. Belleville believes the greatest fruit of that original decision in 1986 has been watching the Catholic faith, so dear to him and his wife, flourish across multiple generations.
“The greatest fruit has been witnessing the practice of the Faith by our children and the families they have formed,” he says. “Their love for the Eucharist, the sacraments, and Holy Marriage—and their desire to hand on that same unchanging Faith to their own children and grandchildren—is the greatest blessing we could have hoped for.”
As another generation arrives on Christendom’s campus, the Belleville family’s story continues to grow. What began with one family’s confidence in a newly founded Catholic liberal arts college has become a testament to the lasting value of an education rooted in Truth—one whose fruits continue to be seen nearly four decades later.