Achille Anthony 'Anthony' Caprino

Achille Antonio 'Anthony' Caprino was born on 27 April 1915 (his AGUSA ministry certificate notes it as 15 April) in Brooklyn, New York, the oldest of three children born to Gaetano Caprino (18 October 1893, Messina, Sicily -1973), tailor, and his wife Elena Aliotta (3 November 1893, Caltagirone, Sicily -). Gaetano had migrated to the USA, arriving in New York on 18 January 1909, with the intended initial initial location of Hazelton, PA; Elina migrated from Milan, arriving on 13 June 1913. Their second child, Nicolo, was born in 1917, and the third, Elvira, in 1926.

In 1935, Anthony married Michelina 'Margaret' nee Tiscione (6 Nov 1913, Jersey City-March 1994), the daughter of Matteo Tiscione (b. 24 July 1888, Casagiove, Caserta–19 Feb 1961, New York City), sanitation worker, and Nicolina Mingione (1884, Casagiove, Caserta–1959, New York). The couple moved to 505 East 184 Street, New York, near where Anthony had been ordained into the pastorship by Michele Palma and Olympus Angelelli in 1938 at 'Christian Assembly' CCNA church, 659 East 188 Street, New York. By 1941 he identified as an 'evangelist', pastoring the AGUSA Italian Branch church in Camden, New Jersey.

Caprino was an autodidact - after high school, he did study at the Bible College of Philadelphia (ThB) and Philadelphia Seminary (studying towards a BD), but that took place after he had already entered ministry. He would later study for the Bar in California. While pastoring and teaching at the Metropolitan Bible Institute, Caprino commenced a book store and publishing department in the Church called 'Light Bearers'. From there, he worked with Italian colleagues to produce a range of introductory evangelistic and theological resources in Italian to support the work of the District. (At the time of writing, his Viaggiando con Paolo remains in print with Editrice Uomini Nuovi.)

In 1948 Caprino transferred his ordination to the AGUSA. He also published a book on Christian doctrine, with a preface by Roberto Bracco.

In 1950 he 'responded' to the call of ADI leaders in Italy, visiting Rome without any formal tie to AG Foreign Missions [PE 1872, 25 March 1950, p. 10] and preaching in various churches, including in Palermo and Catania. He reported a "great hunger" and a potentially vast harvest as people stood on the street, or at altar calls for hours at a time. The Roman Church was 'idolatrous' and oppressive in his reports, and the threat of communism had made the dangers of a new war very close. The missionary task was thus all the more pressing. [PE no. 1899, 1 October 1950, p. 7] On his return to the USA, he toured the USA with film and photographic illustrations, raising money for the ADI, which he claimed had 100,000 members, in addition to which there were other Pentecostals. He created a splash in local newspapers by advertising his lectures on themes such as 'Will Italy Go Communist?' [Camden Courier-Post, 9 September 1950, 14] In 1952 he was among the leaders in the Italian district protesting to the American government about treatment of the pentecostal believers in Italy. [Washington Evening Star, 23 September 1952]

From 1953 he sat on the Italian District executive; organizing the Italian 'Branch' Annual conference of this year where Noel Perkin was the invited speaker. He spoke about foreign missions, in particular the collaboration with the ADI in Italy. Later that year, he resigned his position at Camden, making plans to move to California.

In 1955 Caprino seems to have dropped out of ministry - at least in terms of holding credentials with the AGUSA - as the 1958 Ministers' Letter in the AGUSA listed him as 'reinstated' when he moved to Niagara in 1957. Sam Totaro informed J. Roswell Flower that the move to California had not gone well, with Caprino telling the AGUSA Italian Branch that he 'felt out of the will of God' in his attempt to forge a different life there.

Between 1957-1963 he moved from Camden to run the Italian Christian Church, at 631 19th St., Niagara, the church founded by Massimiliano Tosetto in 1916 (demitted 1944). This was one of the founding churches of the CCNA movement, the church in which Anthony and Frank Foti [qv] and other future ministers grew up, something which showed Caprino's increasing standing in Italo-American Protestant community. In 1958, he committed the church to a building program, with a new church being built on the corner of Walnut Avenue & 28th St. (601-28th St.), where it remains to this day under the name 'Walnut Avenue Christian Church'. Caprino was remembered as someone who was 'ahead of his time as far as health and nutrition and said that you shouldn’t eat sugar.' [WACC 2016]

In 1962 he was named Assistant Superintendent of the AGUSA Italian Branch, under Sam Totaro, transferring his mailing address to Washington DC and working as an office manager while supporting the work of the Italian Branch.

In 1964 he took over the successor church to the original Italian Pentecostal church in America, the Assemblea Cristiana/ Christian Assembly, from Andrew Parenti. The family moved into the manse at 6855 W Cortland St. In 1967 the 150 member Church renamed itself as Belmont Evangelical Church (6120 E. Belmont Ave.) to broaden its' impact and recognize the need to reach beyond the Italian community. Caprino stretched the church to establish a new building. The old building at 6435 Belmont was sold to a congregation known as Good Shepherd Church and a new facility was built at 6120 West Belmont Avenue at a cost of $250,000. Caprino finished in 1969 amidst some turmoil and a case brought against him by members of his congregation. His successor, Michael Ciociola (pastor 1970 - 1976) took the church out of the Italian District and directly into connection with the AGUSA local district.

In 1991, the couple retired to Glendale, Arizona. His wife Margaret (1913–1994) predeceased him on 2 March 1994. Anthony died in Peoria, Arizona in 2001. They were survived by their three daughters (Helen, b. c. 1937; Violet, b. 1940; and Carolyn) and two sons (Samuel and Richard), and seven grandchildren.

Works:

1947: La Sana Dottrina alla luce delle Sacre Scritture

?: Viaggiando con Paolo

Sources:

Ancestry.com.

Pentecostal Evangel [PE].

Walnut Ave Christian Church [WACC], Event prospectus, The 100th Anniversary Celebration of the Walnut Avenue Christian Church, 709 October 2016.