Colleagues in Italy
We refer to our co-laborers in Italy as "colleagues" because they are generally
not employed by RCM. If they are, it is usually as a translator.
Beyond those below, there are many who are friends of RCM, but it is not
possible to mention them all here, so we concentrate on those who are most
integrally involved in various ways.
Mr. Giorgio Modolo — RCM Interim Director
Mr. Andrea Modolo — Pastoral student of RCM
Rev. Paolo Castelina — Translator
Mr. & Mrs. Giorgio Modolo
Vittorio Veneto, Italy
 Mr.
& Mrs. Giorgio Modolo have been long-time friends of Rev. & Mrs. Rudy Poettcker
(see explanation in news letter). After the Poettckers joined RCM in 1994, the
Modolos supported their work over the years. After RCM began working in Italy,
eventually they met Rev. & Mrs. Donnan on a trip to Italy in 2003. This trip
led to the introduction of their son, Andrea Modolo, to his wife Piera (see
details in newsletter) who moved to the Torino area after graduating from law
school.
Giorgio and Sabrina moved to Canada in 1975 where they were converted to Christ
in 1976. Giorgio's mother had moved there (and still lives there) some years
earlier. Having a communist background, Giorgio refused to have his son Andrea
baptised in Italy, which led to many problems. After their conversion they in
Calgary, they began attending a Reformed Presbyterian Church (Evangelical Synod)
church where they and their son, Andrea, were baptized. In 1981, the Modolos
decided to return to Italy and raised their family (having one more son and a
daughter) in the Reformed faith without the aid of any Reformed presence in the
country. For some years they attended a "reformed baptist" type church which
after ten years decided they could no longer attend.
Throughout this time, Giorgio sought to be trained for the pastoral ministry,
but between family responsibilities and problems with the lack of truly reformed
churches, he gave up his formal studies, though continued on a self-study basis
having acquired a wealth of Reformed reading material in English.
After several visits and the death of Franco Maggiotto in 2006, the Modolos
began meeting with several other Italian families who gradually became committed
to the Reformed faith and began what is now called Chiesa Riformata di Cristo Re
(Reformed Church of Christ the King) in Vittorio Veneto area north of Venice.
Like all Reformed churches, it is extremely small, but has two elders and
several other families meeting together.
After the death of Franco Maggiotto, we asked if Giorgio would serve as our
Interrim RCM Coordinator for Italy and be our contact person in Italy for any
Italians with whom contact might be developed. He agreed and has served in that
capacity since January, 2007.
 Giorgio
and his wife have operated a family business for many years which does fine
finishes on residential and commercial wood furniture. The economy in Italy
has had its ups and downs and Giorgio would like very much to retire, if it was
economically feasible, so that he could devote his full time to church
development and spreading the Reformation in Italy. He is truly a man committed
to Reformation of his nation.
Geoff & Nancy Donnan (far left); Giorgio and Sabrina Modolo (center); Rudy and
Sharilyn Poettcker (right) during a visit of the Modolos to Florida over
Christmas and New Years 2006-2007.
A Love Story and More
This is a unique and true story of God's providence in the lives of two people
in Italy who met as a result of a bizarre set of "coincidences" (as the world
would see it), through the instrumentality of Reformation Christian Ministries.
This is the story of how two people ended up getting married because of events
that took place thirty years earlier which would steer people in a direction
that would eventually cause them to be introduced.
Story of Andrea and Piera Modolo and also of friendship between Rudy and
Sharilyn Poettcker (of RCM) and Giorgio and Sabrina Modolo.
 Download
"A Love Story and More" PDF
Mr. & Mrs. Andrea Modolo,
Alpignano, Italy (near Torino)
 Andrea
Modolo is the son of
Giorgio and Sabrina Modolo. He graduated from law school in Padua, Italy,
in 2004. He was baptized as a child in Canada upon the conversion of his father
and mother in 1976. After his return to Italy with his parents in 1981, he
soaked in deeply the training of his father in the Reformed faith. He learned
English well because of having spoken it in Canada and also because his parents
immersed him in English theological reading during his school years. Upon
graduation from law school, he became somewhat frustrated over two major
issues: 1) the corruption of Italy and its total disregard for things truly
Christian and biblical; and 2) the lack of Reformed women in his country.
Consequently, he was considering leaving Italy and spend time with his "uncle
Rudy" (who was now associated with RCM as the Suriname Field Director) in
Suriname to get some exposure to the world outside of Italy and perhaps
eventually find a mate.
His visit with Rev. and Mrs. Donnan during their November, 2003 trip to Italy,
was eventually used of the Lord to change all that since they introduced him to
Piera Emili, a member of Dr. Franco Maggiotto's church in Alpignano, Italy (near
Torino). Geoff Donnan also suggested that God had raised him up in Italy in
order to use him to be part of the Reformation of that country, so long
overdue. Piera Emili's desire for a Reformed man was also strong and so when
the two of them met, within days they were engaged and planninig on being
married as soon as Andrea could get a job that would enable them to get an
apartment and supported a family. The marriage took place in late 2004 and was
the first Protestant marriage to take place in Alpignano, Italy.
Once settled, Andrea was immediately adopted by Franco Maggiotto, because of his
strong commitment to Christ and the reformed faith, for training for the
ministry. However, time on both the part of Andrea and Franco kept this from
becoming very extensive, nevertheless, he was eventually asked to preach for
Franco whenever he was either away from town or too ill.
(Picture, left: Andrea, Piera and Anna Modolo during May 2007 on balcony of
their apartment in Alpignano, Italy.)
After Franco passed away in December 2006, Andrea was one of several people
selected by the church to carry on with the preaching responsibilities of the
small Communità Cristiana Di Base in Alpignano. In 2007, his church approved
his desire to study for the pastoral ministry by taking courses through
Reformation International Theological Seminary under the mentorship of its Dean
of Studies, and his old "uncle", Rev. Rudy Poettcker.
He serves on the committee that has been set up to oversee the work of RCM in
Italy, but spends most of his time either at work or in his studies. He and his
wife Piera now have a daughter, Anna.
For the interesting "love story" that brought Andrea and Piera together,
see
details in this article.
Rev. Paolo Castelina - London, U.K.
 Rev.
Paolo Castelina was born and raised in the Piedmont area of Italy (northwest)
near Torino. As others, he was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, but during
his teen years, came in contact with the Institutes of John Calvin and through
them was converted and came to the Reformed faith. He attended the Baptist
Theological Seminary, Rüschlikon-Zürich, Switzerland graduating Magna cum Laude
in 1983 with a Bachelor of Divinity.
He began serving as pulpit supply in a Swiss Reformed Church in the Canton of
Grisons, in the Italian speaking part of Switzerland, and eventually was
ordained to the gospel ministry in 1985. He served in that church until the end
of 2007 and finding no employment either in Italy or in Switzerland, moved to
London, England where he currently resides with his new wife while seeking employment.
(Picture right: Rev. Paolo Castelina holding Lord's Supper common cup in use
since 1669 in the Casaccia Reformed Church where he regularly preached during
his pastoral ministry in Switzerland for twenty years.)
 We
visited extensively with Paolo in hopes that he might be a possible candidate as
a church-planting pastor with the church in Vittorio Venetto, but it turned out
not to be something for which he was best suited. However, we have been using
him ever since as a translator for much of RCM's materials into Italian. He has
translated into Italian our Good News Bible Study, the Children's Catechism and
also the Westminster Larger Catechism. We intend to use him for a number of
other translations.
(Picture above: Rev. Geoff Donnan, L; Giorgio Modolo, C; Rev. Paolo Castelina,
R, May, 2007, in front of Reformed church pastored by Bartolomeo Maturo e di
Pietro Paolo Vergio from 1530-1550.)
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