NORTHEAST BAKERSFIELD PRIEST DIES

A Bakersfield priest who led Our Lady of Perpetual Help church and school has died. A statement from OLPH says Father Bert Mello passed unexpectedly on Wednesday but did not provide details, noting only that his legacy was in the faith and enthusiasm he imparted to the community, and the colorful murals he commissioned on the campus. Father Mello took over at OLPH when Monsignor Braun retired in 2016. He was 64.

Suzanne Grant