Our History

In those early years, from 1929 to 1933 and then later from 1940 to 1946, Costanzo Di Staulo served as pastor. Antonio Di Biase was pastor from 1933 to 1937 and Enrico Valente from 1937 to 1940. The men who served as pastors in those early years had to support themselves with full-time jobs while serving the church to the best of their ability. On the nights when midweek services were held, they would leave home in the morning with both lunch and supper packed under their arms. From work they would go straight to the place of worship and preach “as the Holy Spirit led them”.

 They may not have been well educated and though they were very simple men, they were full of the fire of the Holy Ghost. Despite their limited resources, they searched the Scriptures and read whatever material they could lay their hands on. In those days, no preacher would dare mount the pulpit with prepared notes (to do so was considered denying the leading of the Holy Spirit). They relied wholly and uniquely on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Transportation was a major problem in those years long before the existence of a subway system and expressways. Pastor Di Biase would often assemble the worshippers, driving them all to church in his pick-up truck. Many of the believers would endure a two hour streetcar ride to get to Fabre Street Church on Sunday morning. They would return home for a 3PM service in Ville Emard and then return to Fabre Street Church for the evening service.

Even in those early years, Sunday School played an important role in moulding young lives for service to Christ. The first Sunday School Superintendent was Danny Pizzuto. He and his wife, Lily, along with Dominic Cianflone and Carmela Malandro were amongst the first Sunday School teachers. Later on, Dominic Cianflone took over as Superintendent, a position that he would hold for over 25 years.

 In 1946, Alberico De Vito took over as Pastor. At the same time, the first church committee was formed made up of Pastor De Vito as President, Dominic Cianflone as Secretary and Emilio De Vito, Treasurer. This committee would see the church through the purchase of land and the building of a place of worship in 1954.

With Fabre Street Church guaranteeing the mortgage and with loans from Frank Cristofaro, Carmela Anselmi (although not a member of the church, she was Dominic Cianflone’s sister) and Antonio Carloni (who refused any interest payments), construction was begun and completed in 1954. Unusually, for this type of building, the structure was of steel and cinder block rather than wood, making construction significantly more expensive. Total cost to build the church was $17,000.

On October 24, 1954, the first service was held at the Italian Pentecostal Church of Ville Emard located at 2725 Springland Street. This place of worship would serve the congregation for over 30 years. From this location, the church of Ville Emard established a reputation for faithfulness, spiritual maturity, and Christian love. Visiting pastors often referred to the church as Vill’amore due to the generosity and kind hospitality of its members.

In 1954, Pastor De Vito left Ville Emard, where he had first received the gospel in 1932, to become pastor of Fabre Street Church.  In May, 1955, John Vincelli was invited to pastor the church. He was the longest serving of the pastors who have ministered in the church, holding the pastorate until his untimely death in 1977.

Pastor John Vincelli presided over the Sunday morning service along with 2 midweek services. He did so while holding a full-time job with the Montreal police force since the church could not properly support a full-time pastor. Despite living a considerable distance from the church, he and his wife (Rose Vincelli) faithfully visited members of the congregation on a regular basis. They were usually the first to arrive in church. While Pastor Vincelli would busy himself in his tiny office at the back of the church in preparation for the service, Rose Vincellli would play the piano, setting the mood for worship. No one who knew them, would ever deny the love that John and Rose Vincelli had for God’s people and for God’s work.

In 1956, the church received a tremendous boost. A small group of worshipers from Caughnawaga (Kahnawake) joined the church and invigorated it with their friendliness and openness. Two car loads of people were all that it took for the Sunday School to double in size. That year, Ville Emard Church brought home the banner for the Sunday School experiencing the greatest percentage increase in growth in the Montreal area. Those were the days when all the Pentecostal churches in Montreal would meet once a year for an Annual Rally which was held first at St. James United Church and then later at Closse Street Church (now Evangel Church). Very special friendships were formed at that time which have continued to this very day.

In less than 5 years, the church was able to pay off its entire mortgage. Now it was time to renovate! A major refurbishment of the entire building was undertaken in the early 1960’s. This was a special time for the church. Everyone pitched in. People gathered in church enjoying the fellowship, all the while wielding a paint brush or a hammer or just to watch everything that was going on.

The church purchased the very best oak pews. Special funds were established toward the purchase of an organ, an air conditioner (the church was one of the first to have air conditioning), a communion table and chairs for the platform. Almost all the work was done on a voluntary basis.

All this work was completed without incurring any debt. Immediately, the church committee established a building fund with an eye to future growth. That humble building fund, established at a time when the church had just completed renovations and paid all its debts, would eventually open the way to purchase the building now know as Rockfield Pentecostal Church.

The church grew in stature and was recognized as a firmly established work. It was now a fully autonomous work which would no longer have to rely on outside assistance. In fact, the church became a strong supporter of missions both in Canada and abroad, thus extending its ministry and influence. In adopting a new constitution, the church proclaimed its autonomy while remaining a strong and faithful supporter of the IPCC (Italian Pentecostal Church of Canada now known as Canadian Assemblies of God).

The early converts now had grown children who began to take over the leadership of the church. Many of these would heed the call to ministry. Eli De Vito, Danny De Vito and Henry De Vito all went to Bible School and then went into ministry. They were followed by Pasquina Di Michele Trenholm and Dina Fragapane Ciambella. Hardly a year went by that Ville Emard Church didn’t have a student in attendance at Eastern Pentecostal Bible College. Many are the names of those who grew up in the tiny church of Ville Emard and who now hold positions of responsibility in churches across Canada.

In 1977 the church was shocked by the sudden and unexpected passing of the dearly loved Pastor John Vincelli. The sitting committee members would have to call upon all their maturity and experience to see the church through its time of sorrow. But above all, they would call upon their God, who had proven faithful so many times prior, to hear the prayers of His people.

For the first time in its history, the church seemed positioned to support a full-time pastor. The committee recognised the need for a pastor who would bring maturity and stability to the pulpit. God had already prepared the way and made someone available.  Thus it was that the church invited Pastor Alberico De Vito to return to the pastorate of Ville Emard Church after an absence of 23 years. Pastor De Vito would lead the church until he retired in 1986.

Realizing that he was approaching retirement, Pastor De Vito convinced the church of the need for a young man to be groomed for the pastorate. In 1982, he recommended that David Mortelliti be invited to work in the church as Assistant Pastor. It was a bold decision. Within a span of 5 years, the church had progressed from scarcely being able to pay one pastor to now having 2 pastors on the payroll, albeit with very modest incomes.

Pastor David Mortelliti came to North America from Italy in order to study English. He had previously completed his theological studies in Rome, Italy. He came from a very devout and dedicated family with both his parents and grandparents having pastored churches in Sicily.

By the grace of God, in 1984, the pastors and committee felt that due to the numerical increase in the church, that it was time to look for a larger place of worship.

One morning in 1985, Pastor Mortelliti along with Mike Fuoco saw a beautiful building situated at 415 St. Jacques in Ville St. Pierre (Lachine). Although there was no sign indicating that it was for sale, they made inquiries resulting in negotiations that eventually led to the purchase of what was then Rockfield United Church. The price agreed upon for both the church and a two-story manse located adjacent to the church was $165,000.

Truly this was a miracle from God. Its location was ideal. The building, while quite old was very beautiful. Its size suited the congregation perfectly. With the sale of the much loved property on Springland Street and a building fund that had grown to over $100,000 in twenty years, the congregation was able to move into the new location after putting in more than 80,000 in renovations, once again, without incurring any debt.  The first service at Rockfield Pentecostal Church was held September 29, 1985. The dedication service was held October 27, 1985.

In 1986, Pastor De Vito decided that he wanted to dedicate himself more fully to his responsibilities as Superintendent of the Italian Pentecostal Church of Canada. He had prepared the church and his successor well. It was a very smooth transition as Pastor David Mortelliti now took over the pastorate. He was mature well beyond his age.

In 1993 Pastor Mortelliti was invited to be Associate Pastor of Fabre Street Church.  He was followed by Pastor Lorenzo Della Foresta who had been his assistant for a number of years. Pastor Lorenzo left in 2002 to found River’s Edge Church in NDG.

Then in September 2003, the church elected Joseph Loria to the pastorate. Born and raised in Metz, France, Pastor Loria moved to Belgium in 1981 to study at the Continental Theological Seminary in Brussels, where, four years later, he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Theology. In 1988, Pastor Joseph and his wife Tonie moved to the Island of Malta where they served as missionaries. They helped establish the first Maltese Assemblies of God Church in Paola. In 1992, Pastor Joseph and his family moved to Montreal, Canada, where he served on the pastoral staff at Emmanuel Pentecostal Christian Church for 11 years first as Youth Pastor and later as Associate Pastor. In 2002, he worked as Associate Executive Director at Welcome Hall Mission, a non-profit organization providing a variety of community services to the needy of Montreal. Pastor Joseph and his wife Tonie have two children, Melody and Jordan Alexander.

In October 2016, Pastor Loria announced that he would be leaving the pastorate of Rockfield Church the following February. His last service as pastor was February 26, 2017.

The church prayerfully engaged in seeking the Lord’s will to determine and reveal who would be the next pastor of Rockfield Church. In the meantime, Pastor David DiStaulo accepted the invitation of the church board to work as Interim Pastor.

Finally, after many long months, the church extended an invitation to David Mortelliti to return to Montreal from Italy where he was pastoring the church of Perugia. He assumed the pastorate in July 2018, but less than six months later, he was diagnosed with a rare and serious form of cancer. He went to be with the Lord on April 17, 2019.

Because of Pastor Mortelliti’s illness, Dino Cianflone had begun to fill in for him by the end of December 2018. He was later confirmed by the church committee as Interim Pastor until a new Lead Pastor could be found. 

Dino Cianflone was born and raised in Montreal. He grew up in the Ville Emard Church and when the church transitioned to Rockfield, he held various ministerial positions throughout the years; assisting wherever and whenever needed.