In our day, it has become widely accepted for people of all Denominations
to discover a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and to experience the Baptism into the Holy Spirit. Indeed, beginning in 1967, there has been a powerful Pentecostal Movement within the
Catholic Church, which has swept many into the Holy Spirit Baptism and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
In earlier times, such was not the case!
Indeed, it was very difficult for Denominational Folk to be exposed to such, much less to be in a position to receive! Such was the case with a dear Italian mother, who truly loved the Lord, and was given
to prayer as much as possible, within the framework of her religious tradition.
By a strange set of circumstances, she was befriended by other recent Italian immigrants, who had discovered a living
and vital experience in God, known as being “Born-Again,” and being “filled (Baptized into) with the Holy
Spirit.” Of course, this was not encouraged by their traditional churches,
but was often frowned upon and denigrated. Yet, these dear Italian ladies were
full of faith and zeal, and felt themselves called to be missionaries, to win others to Christ and to the Pentecostal experience. There had been, in fact, a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon those early Italians,
for a period of some twenty-five years; to the extent that a large and significant Denomination had evolved around these Believers.
The Pentecostal Fellowship of North America, and later, the Italian branch
of the Assemblies of God had been raised up, specifically to supply the need for local churches, to minister to these dear
folk; many of whom spoke only Italian or very minimal English.
Anna Del-Vecchio listened carefully to the fervent testimonies of her friends. Somehow, a strange longing entered her heart, to know her Lord in a greater and more
powerful way. Then came the appointed time: Her mind was made up: She would go
to see for herself. Praise the Lord! God
met her there, in 1939, at that humble little church in Malaga, New Jersey. Most
of those in attendance were farm workers and laborers in the great agricultural industry, which flourished in those years,
in South Jersey. The power of God came upon Anna, and before long, her life was
transformed and revolutionized as the Holy Spirit came upon her with mighty unction, giving birth to what surely must have
been, one of the greatest prayer and intercessory ministries of those years, and which followed her throughout her life.
Before long, she had prayed-in her entire family. Her husband: Donato; her sons: Leonard, James, Danny; and daughters: Mary, Camilla, and Erma (Anna's daughter,
Camilla, after being baptized into the Holy Spirit, was unable to speak English, speaking only in other tongues for five days
and nights). This family soon became a powerful force to be reckoned with in
their community of friends and neighbors. They would witness to folk bravely
and fearlessly, and then put “Mom” on the job, interceding and praying.
Well, you can imagine the answer: One after one, folk were prayed-through to salvation and to the Pentecostal experience! Even “hard-cases,” seemingly could not stand up for long under Mom Del-Vecchio’s
prayers! Donato had a mighty conversion and became a new man: A broken, humbled
man, who wept freely in the presence of God. All the children served the Lord,
married Believers, and went-on to live exemplary Christian lives. But, Mary,
who became a great intercessor; James, who became a pastor; and Danny, who became a great missionary, all seemed to have a
special touch of the Lord upon their lives. (It was James, who Pastored: Riverside Assemby of God Church, from early
1957 until September, 1961; who was my Pastor from June 1959 until September 1961. It was he who led me into the Pentecostal
experience, and who set my feet on a good and firm foundation in Christ.)
Brother Dan grew up in a home of prayer and intercession. His dear mother never spent less than five hours a day in prayer.
Many times she would pray six hours a day, even into her old age! One
of her great intercessor friends was a dear mother in the Lord, named: Evangeline Cataldo, who even in her nineties, would
pray and intercede with Mother Del-Vecchio for five and six hours a day. This
great ministry of prayer came down upon several of her children, and is said to have now come down upon Dan and Rhoda's daughter,
who ministers with them.
I am a personal witness that this unusually intense anointing for prayer was
resonant in my Pastor, James (Brother Jim, as most folk addressed him). He prayed
often; intensely; and at times, for a long duration. I vividly recall one occasion:
Upon a particular Sunday morning service, Brother Jim said: "My dear friends, I am so concerned for this town, and to see
souls come to Christ. We are not doing enough praying. We really must be more faithful in our prayer-lives. I will
take my family back home to Medford, after this service, and then I will return to pray all afternoon, for the evening service. With the Lord's help, I will do this every Sunday, and I sincerely welcome any of
you who can join me during the afternoon prayer session. I feel it is very important." Well, I was just a boy of fifteen years, and had not yet been baptized into the Holy
Spirit, although I was saved. His appeal seemed so sincere and so pitiful, that
I could not help, but realize that I, too, should be there, helping my Pastor to pray for the growth of the church, and for
the salvation of souls. I met up with a young friend, who had come several times
to meetings there, and asked him if he would accompany me to the prayer time. He
agreed, and we walked across town toward the humble little church edifice. It
was extremely hot that afternoon, and in those days, smaller, poor churches could not afford air conditioning, so the windows
were raised, and the double-doors on the little steeple were open and hooked back. As
we ascended the stairs, and entered the vestibule, I heard a sound, which was strange to my experience. It was a groaning and moaning of sorts, intermingled with low sobs.
I looked around, but could see no one in the church. Still the groaning
continued. My friend’s eyes became large, and he froze in his steps. I being more adventurous, and curious, stepped slowly and carefully down the aisle,
looking from left to right. Finally, near the front, I looked, and there sat
Brother Jim on the floor; between the seats; unaware of our presence. He was
in a deep travail and seemed lost in the Spirit. The seating there was old-fashioned
theater seats of wood, and where he had been praying, his tears had continuously dropped on the seat, and had rolled down
to the floor. I cannot begin to tell you how awed I was at my first sighting
of someone praying in the Spirit: lost in the Spirit of deep intercession and travail.
His white shirt was soaked. The seat where he prayed was drenched, and
there was a puddle of tears on the floor, about two feet in diameter. I have
never been able to shake that image, nor shall I ever wish to forget it. In later
years, whilst reading classic Holiness and early Pentecostal writings, I could better understand the meaning of their references
to the “altars running down with tears,” or to “tears flowing like a river.” It is a sad commentary that by 1959, even in Pentecostal churches, such was very seldom the case. Yet, I am reminded of the verse in Hebrews 5:7, referring to our Lord Jesus: "Who
in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was
able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared." Surely, our Lord
was a man of sorrows, and One acquainted with grief! My introduction to Brother
Jim, Mom and Dad Del-Vecchio, and Brother Dan, ushered me in to a manner of prayer, well-seasoned with tears. I learned immediately, that when praying with these dear folk, it was very serious business, and not a
recreational time. As soon as any of them knelt, they would begin to weep and
pray in tongues. Of course, this was very new to me, having been raised in a
Moravian church, but, before long, that impartation came upon me, and I found myself given to the same manner of prayer. It has also been a great blessing to me, through the years, that in meeting those
very yielded and dedicated persons, who are much given to prayer, there seems to be that same manner of brokenness and humility
before Christ, when they engage in prayer. How I thank God for the blessed Del-Vecchio
Family, and for the great influence they have had upon my life and Christian experience!
The calling of God came upon Dan at a very early age, to minister especially
to the Spanish-speaking world. A brilliant lad; a self-trained artist, writer,
and musician, he taught himself to speak fluent Spanish. At age twenty, he fell
under a heavy burden for the nation of Cuba. This intercession lasted for months. He was raised to know the voice of God and to obey it, so there was nothing, but for
him to go to Cuba, which he did. The Lord moved mightily in, and through him,
and poured out Revival in every place he ministered. Disciples were raised up,
and churches were established. Of course, this was not accomplished without severe
persecution and trial. After laboring there for some time amidst most difficult
circumstances, Dan began to feel un-well. Of course, he was fasting often, and
the heat, stress, and hard work took their toll. Still he pressed on, and kept
asking the folks back-home, to hold him up in prayer. Before long, the crisis
came, and Dan was stricken with acute gall bladder problems, which nearly proved fatal.
His mother and his brother James, flew to Cuba, to be with him and to help pray-him-through the crisis. The Lord Jesus mercifully intervened and his life was spared.
By late 1958, it became apparent that Cuba was in a Revolution, which, undoubtedly,
would bring in a new regime. This happened, and by early 1959, all missionaries
were expelled. Dan returned to America and began to minister with great success
amongst the local churches. He moved under a powerful anointing, preached the
Word of God with authority, and was used mightily in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit! It
was during this time that he met his beloved wife, Rhoda, who was then a senior at Northeast Bible Institute. After her graduation, they were happily married and continued in evangelistic work.
The Lord was dealing strongly with them concerning the Spanish people. Of course, by then, Cuba was entirely closed to the Gospel. Soon, Dan and Rhoda, were led dramatically of the Lord to establish a ministry in Mexico, where they labored
faithfully for a number of years. The call then came for them to go to the nation
of Spain, and raise up churches, and to make Disciples. (Volumes could be written
concerning their life in the service of our Lord!)
Spain would indeed be a great challenge, because at that time, there was,
in that nation, great persecution against the Full Gospel Message! Dan and Rhoda
realized that their lives would indeed have to remain upon the altar of service, and possibly even upon the altar of sacrifice,
should they obey the Lord in preaching the Pentecostal message there!
Yet, thank God, they obeyed the call, and only eternity can reveal the results
of their obedience! Many churches have been raised up; many thousands of Believers
have been established in Christ; the Gospel has been preached all over that nation, in the power and demonstration of the
Holy Spirit; by television, radio, and the printed page; as well as in great open-air campaigns, and by the faithful witness
of the many thousands of strong Believers who evangelize faithfully from their local church bases.
Dan and Rhoda, as part of their great ministry, have reached-out to the poor
and the downtrodden, the broken and crushed, the forsaken and forgotten! They
have indeed ministered as did the Good Samaritan of old, reaching out to the fallen by the way: To the ones rejected, and
scorned by even the religious leaders! They have had tremendous results in dealing
with alcoholics, drug-addicts, and others whose lives are broken and shattered by sin, addiction, and tragedies beyond our
comprehension. I weep as I write this, for the Spirit of the Lord is heavily
upon me! Is not this the true Gospel? Are
they not walking, living, and ministering in Isaiah 58? Oh, Hallelujah ! !
! Praise His mighty name ! ! !
Please ! ! ! Our beloved friends
and brethren around the world; wheresoever this is read: Please keep Dan and Rhoda and their precious daughter who ministers
with them, upon your prayer lists, and upon your hearts, and let their names be upon your lips every single day, as
you bring them before the Lord. Dan is now seventy-seven years old, and Rhoda,
some years younger. They have labored faithfully for all these years, and the
Lord, in His mercy, has kept them on the front lines of battle, but they have, for some years, endured physical trials, which
have not been easy to bear. Dan recently told me that, at times, they have to
go and come from the Field with assistance; even, at times, with the aid of a wheelchair.
Such dedication and commitment should put to shame every young and able-bodied person who feels called to the ministry,
but yet, who will not go. To see such faithful souls, giving everything they
have for so many years, and even the last ounce of strength in their bodies, at times, so others may come to Christ, is indeed
an indictment against all who “should, but won’t,” and who “could, but don’t.” Amen and Amen!
Your servant and friend:
Michael O’Connor
