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===Louis Rosania===
===Rocco Cappiello===
===Joseph Rannelli===
===Nunzio Pizzulli===
===Francis Carboni===
==Assembly Histories==
===1941: Hoboken, NJ===
===1942: Jersey City, NJ===
===1928: Danbury, CT===
===1927: Hartford, CT===
===1928: Bristol, CT===
===1940: New Haven, CT===
===1933: Poughkeepsie, NY===
===1933: New Rochelle, NY===
===1934: South Brooklyn, NY===
===1945: Mechanicville, NY===
===1945: Bronx, NY===
===1936: Methuen, MA===
===1939: East Boston, MA===
===1938: Worcester, MA===
===1937: Springfield, MA===
===1931: Detroit, MI===
===1937: Toronto, Ontario===
===1927: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario===
===1912: Vancouver, BC===
===1932: Portland, OR===
===1933: Monterey, CA===
===1958: Disunity===
no edit summary
==Italian==
The majority of the following information about the Italian-speaking assemblies comes from the final issue of La Voce Nel Deserto and from personal correspondence with Mr. Michael Rannelli, the co-editor of that magazine. In some of what follows, I use Mr. Rannelli’s own words. Others have also supplied information about the Italian work.
He next organized a three-day conference over the Memorial Day weekend of 1920, which was held in the Mariner’s Temple in New York City. Those who took part were C. Patrizio, F. P. Diorio, J. Compitello, E. Fiorella, and P. Bartolomeo. Ralph West, who took the Sunday School, was the only English speaker. It was at the last day of this conference that Nunzio Pizzulli was saved.
===Louis Rosania===
Louis (Luigi) Rosania was born in Calitri, Italy in 1895 and emigrated to the United States when fifteen years old. In 1916 he was living in Newark, NJ where he met a young man who invited him to the English-speaking Newark Gospel Hall and it was there that he was saved. Later he moved to Waterbury, CT where he opened a tailor shop. The Italian believers in Waterbury were meeting then with the English-speaking assembly at the Waterbury Gospel Hall. But Mr. Rosania was exercised as to full time service among Italians and sold his tailor shop. In February 1921 he was commended to the work of the Lord and became a co-worker with Cesare Patrizio. Though he continued to live in Waterbury, like Patrizio his ministry extended to the Italians wherever they were.
===Rocco Cappiello===
In 1919, a young man named Rocco Cappiello was invited to some Gospel meetings in Waterbury, CT. The first time Mr. Cappiello went, he was so impressed with what he heard from the Bible that he told others there that he was going to get himself a Bible even if he had to steal one. After the meeting the believers gave him a Bible which he embraced as if someone had given him a bag of gold. He was soon saved.
In Orange, NJ, an English-speaking assembly had rented a store in the Italian section to get an Italian work started. The work was extremely difficult and they were able to get only a few out to the meetings. In 1921, Rocco Cappiello moved to Orange and found a room in the home of the in-laws of Salvatore Iatesta. Mr. Iatesta saw the new boarder reading a book and asked what he was reading. Mr. Cappiello told him it was the Bible, God’s Word. Mr. Iatesta was gloriously saved.
===Joseph Rannelli===
Mr. Cappiello called for two of his brothers from Italy, and the Lord saved them. He met Joseph Rannelli who soon accepted Christ. Others were saved and started witnessing. Mr. Cappiello recruited Vito Soccurto of Waterbury, CT to help at Orange, and asked Louis Rosania to come over. As souls were saved they joined with the English-speaking assembly at Orange until 1922, when they met together to Remember the Lord in Italian for the first time.
The assembly at Orange prospered and in June 1955 purchased its own building, called the Clinton Street East Orange Assembly. In 1984, the Orange assembly purchased eight acres of land in Livingston, NJ and built the Livingston Gospel Hall. By that time, the assembly was using English as its language for the meetings.
===Nunzio Pizzulli===
Nunzio Pizzulli at first fellowshipped with the Italian assembly in Brooklyn. Later he moved his family to Long Branch and became identified with the Asbury Park English-speaking assembly. Joseph De Carlo of Brooklyn visited the Pizzulli family to encourage them and help Nunzio Pizzulli in the per¬sonal work he was doing for the Lord in Long Branch. In 1925, four believers started to meet in the home of Mr. Pizzulli to Break Bread. In 1927 the assembly had grown to about 30 believers so they rented an upper room at Branchport Avenue. In 1928, C. Patrizio and L. Rosania erected their tent in the town and others were saved. The assembly erected the Long Branch Gospel Hall on Art Street and formally opened it in August 1932.
After the Italian assembly in Long Branch was started, Frank Pizzulli, the son of Nunzio, became active in children’s and young people’s work and started a large Sunday School. In June 1938, he was commended by the Long Branch assembly for full-time service.
===Francis Carboni===
Another servant of the Lord who played an important part in the formation of Italian assemblies was Francis Carboni. He heard the Gospel preached for the first time by Frank Diorio and Mr. Compitello in a little store that these brethren had rented for meetings in Dumont, NJ. Mr. Carboni was commended to the Lord’s work by the assembly at Tenafly Hall in New Jersey and by the Italian-speaking assemblies.
Thus in 1952, there were Italian-speaking assemblies in 23 cities on the continent. Today there are no assemblies on the continent which use Italian for their services, though there are many assemblies composed primarily of people of Italian descent.
==Assembly Histories==
Now we turn to the history of specific Italian-speaking assemblies, many of which have already been mentioned.
===1941: Hoboken, NJ===
Hoboken, NJ This was the first Italian assembly established in the United States. In 1941, the Hoboken Assembly purchased their own hall on Bloomfield and Seventh St.
===1942: Jersey City, NJ===
Jersey City, NJ The assembly was started here in March 1942 by families that belonged to the Hoboken assembly. Most of the believers in that assembly lived in Jersey City and wanted a testimony in their neighborhood. They purchased their own Jersey City Gospel Hall on Paterson Plank Road in 1946.
Red Bank, NJ Frank Pizzulli had tent meetings in Red Bank, but no Italian-speaking assembly was established. The few believers went to the Long Branch Assembly.
===1928: Danbury, CT===
Danbury, CT When R. Cappiello was commended to full time service for the work of the Lord he moved to Danbury in November 1926. He started visitation work with encouraging results. In 1927, L. Rosania came to help and in 1928 a small store was rented and the Danbury Assembly met for the first time. The assembly moved into larger quarters later, but was still called small in 1946 when F. Pizzuli labored there.
===1927: Hartford, CT===
Hartford, CT Through Anthony Barbati, the seed of the Gospel was carried to Hartford. Several Italians were interested, so Messrs. Patrizio and Rosania pitched their tent in the summer of 1927. In August six believers were baptized. In 1931 the Hartford Italian Assembly met for the first time in the home of Joseph De Luca. When George and Matthew Brescia moved to this city there was a revival. After meeting in rented quarters for many years they purchased their own building, which was opened June 1946.
===1928: Bristol, CT===
Bristol, CT In 1928 Anthony Barbati moved from Hartford to Bristol and through his testimony many became interested and were saved. Mr. Patrizio visited Bristol for Gospel meetings and others were saved. In April 1929, the assembly gathered for the first time to Remember the Lord. The assembly continued to prosper and built their own Bristol Gospel Hall, which was opened in September 1944. About 30 were in fellowship in 1946.
===1940: New Haven, CT===
New Haven, CT R. Cappiello began the Italian work in New Haven in about 1940. In 1945, some 13 were in fellowship in the Italian New Haven Assembly.
===1933: Poughkeepsie, NY===
Poughkeepsie, NY A. Correnti moved to this city and started to sow the good seed of the Gospel. R. Cappiello and others helped and interest was aroused. In June 1933 the Italian Assembly of Poughkeepsie was opened.
===1933: New Rochelle, NY===
New Rochelle, NY The work in this city was started by two Italian brethren who were in fellowship with the Yonkers, NY assembly. With the cooperation of brethren from the Brooklyn assembly, they started having open-air meetings. In July 1933 the Gospel tent was pitched by Messrs. Patrizio and Rosania, and in September 1933 the Italian New Rochelle Assembly started.
===1934: South Brooklyn, NY===
South Brooklyn, NY Frank Diorio started meetings once a week in the home of V. De Filippis in South Brooklyn. Soon other believers joined with them, and several others were saved and baptized. In March 1934 an assembly was started at 565 5th Avenue. The assembly later purchased their own building at 17 E. 7th Street, Brooklyn. L. Montalvo of Puerto Rico learned to speak the Italian language acceptably and helped various assemblies when he came to the U.S. He was later commended to the Lord’s work among the Spanish speaking population of New York City and Brooklyn by the South Brooklyn Italian Assembly.
===1945: Mechanicville, NY===
Mechanicville, NY The work here started as a result of some servicemen returning from World War II, who had found Christ and were dissatisfied with their former association with the Pentecostal Church. One of the servicemen, Andy Marinello, began a Bible study in his parent’s home. At the same time, an invitation was given to Louis Capeci to come to a series of Gospel meetings led by the Canadian evangelist Mun Hope at the English-speaking Albany Gospel Hall in March of 1945. Louis Capeci was the first of many Italians who would come to know Christ through Mun Hope’s efforts.
Messrs. Pizzulli and Rosania pitched their tent in Mechanicville in the summer of 1946 and blessings were seen. At first the adversary raged. The Chief of Police together with the local priest ordered the property owner to have the tent removed from his property. When the Lord opened another location for the tent, the Chief of Police ordered that no tracts or leaflets could be distributed. The brethren were not discouraged and patiently went to the State Capital in Albany, and the Attorney General had the de¬cision reversed. Mr. Pizzulli rented the Masonic Temple every Lord’s Day eve¬ning for Gospel meetings, and the believers met in homes for Bible study during the week. Some Broke Bread in Albany and some in Schenectady. In 1946, some 20 Italian believers were in fellowship in the Albany Gospel Hall. The believers met in assembly capacity for the first time in Mechanicville the first Sunday of December 1946. By January of 1947, there was a group of about 36 in fellowship. The believers started building their own hall in the summer of 1948, and the Mechanicville Gospel Hall was opened in February 1949.
===1945: Bronx, NY===
Bronx, NY Louis Rosania preached twice a week in Italian at the English-speaking Bronx Gospel Hall on 162nd St. and Teller Avenue in 1945. Frank Pizzulli did door-to-door visitation there in 1946. Mr. Rosania had a baptismal service for some Italian believers in fellowship with the English brethren in the Bronx, but no Italian-speaking assembly was established in the Bronx.
===1936: Methuen, MA===
Methuen, MA While gospeling in this city, R. Cappiello came in contact with the Carlo Cavallero family, who had been in the assemblies of Italy but were now associated with a denominational church. After some visitation ground work by Mr. Cappiello, the Cavalleros requested Messrs. Patrizio and Rosania to pitch their Gospel tent in the summer of 1935. In August 1936 the tent was erected by F. Carboni and G. Johnston. The Italian Methuen Assembly was opened in January 1937, and a hall was built and opened in March 1942.
===1939: East Boston, MA===
East Boston, MA While R. Cappiello was visiting villages in the vicinity of Boston he met Frank Procopio Sr. who was interested in seeing a work develop among the Italians of East Boston. Some from the Methuen assembly assisted. In the early part of 1939, they started to have meetings in a home. In July, F. Pizzulli and F. Carboni visited East Boston and pitched their Gospel tent, and did so again the next summer. An Italian assembly was established in May 1941. They built their own East Boston Gospel Hall, which was opened in December 1945; an addition was built in 1964.
===1938: Worcester, MA===
Worcester, MA R. Cappiello moved to this city so that he could better reach the people and started his usual house-to-house visitation. In July 1938, the Italian Worcester Assembly was opened.
===1937: Springfield, MA===
Springfield, MA Various brethren had visited Springfield since 1937. In the summer of 1939, C. Patrizio and L. Rosania pitched their tent there. In November 1942, the Italian Springfield Assembly was established.
===1931: Detroit, MI===
Detroit, MI H.A. Cameron moved to Detroit after laboring among the Italians with Cesare Patrizio in Waterbury. A few Italians were in fellowship at Central Gospel Hall in Detroit. Mr. Cameron invited Messrs. Patrizio and Rosania to come, and they pitched their tent on Grandy Avenue in 1931. A store was rented nearby and in November an Italian-speaking assembly was formed. The store became inadequate and in 1938 the assembly purchased a cottage which was converted into a hall into which they moved in Septem¬ber 1938. The assembly continued at that location until 1949, when they purchased the old East Side Gospel Hall in Detroit. After that another building was built at Pinewood Avenue and Schoenherr Road. Most of the Italian believers later scattered to various English-speaking assemblies throughout the city.
===1937: Toronto, Ontario===
Toronto, Ontario, Canada Many Italian immigrants came to Toronto, necessitating a more definite work among them. In 1937 F. Carboni and G. G. Johnston pitched a tent there. C. Patrizio labored there from house to house for several years. The Italian Toronto Assembly eventually purchased their own hall. Mr. Johnston learned the Italian language and labored acceptably for many years among the Italians with blessings.
===1927: Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario===
Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada Some Italians were received into the English assembly as early as 1927. In 1934, L. Rosania had special gospel meetings for two months. Carboni also visited in 1937 for special meetings. The Italian believers continued to fellowship with the English assembly.
===1912: Vancouver, BC===
Vancouver, BC, Canada A British businessman, William S. Hall, arrived from Italy at the close of 1912. Being fluent in Italian, he contacted Italians in Vancouver and various places in the Fraser Valley. In 1917, two Zarelli brothers were converted in Vancouver. In 1919 the witness spread to Victoria, BC where there was a group of about 20 Italian Victoria Assembly believers by 1925. The Italian Vancouver Assembly met for the first time in Vancouver in 1933. In 1952, the assembly there consisted of about 30 members. The assembly sent many thousands of dollars to Italy for the Lord’s work and supplied hundreds of thousands of tracts, hundreds of Bibles, New Testaments, and various booklets. Supplied with an old press, an Italian brother in Vancouver ran off tracts in Italian after his day’s work, many of them written by Hall.
Hall commenced an aggressive itinerate witness in 1925, covering Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and part of Northern California. A partial coverage was also made of Ontario and Quebec. In a few places the number of Italian converts was large. As Italians were saved, cottage meetings were begun in homes.
===1932: Portland, OR===
By 1932, through the visits by Hall, many in the Portland area had been saved, including three families at Linnton, a suburb. The Corkums devoted their efforts to shepherding the little Italian assembly begun that summer. Cheered by Will Hall’s steadfast example, the Linnton Gospel Hall stubbornly weathered difficult years. It became for the most part an English-speaking assembly with a flourishing Sunday school. Linnton well demonstrated the feasibility of a gradual development of an Italian assembly into an English-speaking assembly where there is little new immigration of those speaking only Italian.
===1933: Monterey, CA===
Monterey, CA A few Italian believers met together in Monterey in 1933. The next year the group became established as an assembly, and in the following year three of the members built the Monterey Gospel Hall. In the 1930s the salvation message was broadcast in Italian from radio stations at Monterey and Oakland in California; Portland, Oregon; Tacoma, and Seattle in Washington; Vancouver and Trail in British Columbia; Lethbridge, Calgary, and Edmonton in Alberta; and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
===1958: Disunity===
A work so evidently of the Lord is the special target of Satan. The end of the Italian work as a united effort came in 1958 when some of the leaders of the Italian work, along with some of the assemblies, broke fellowship with one another.
Sources:
*La Voce Nel Deserto (The Voice in the Wilderness), October 1965, p. 10, by M. Rannelli
*Letters of Interest, November 1945, p. 15; March 1946, p. 20; November 1946, p. 19; July 1952, p.18