As a pioneer in the Italian Pentecostal movement, Louis Francescon’s (1866–1964) mission has transcended ethnic and national boundaries. Today, several denominations and local churches, especially the Christian Congregation in Brazil, the Assemblies of God in Italy, the International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies, the Christian Assemblies in Argentina, and the Canadian Assemblies of God trace their origins to his activities.

His parents Pietro and Maria Lovisa Francescon were peasants from Cavasso Nuovo, a village in the hesitant borderlands of Ita…