Dan Ronsisvalle

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Dan & Fern Ronsisvalle c. 1979

Dan Ronsisvalle (born May 3, 1936, near Hyattsville, Maryland; died November 16, 2003, Leeds, Alabama) was a longtime pastor of the Cathedral of the Cross (originally known as Huffman Assembly of God).

Early Life and Education

Early Years

Daniel Ronsisvalle was born in 1936 in Maryland, the tenth of twelve children, to Sicilian immigrants Benito "Benny" Sebastian Ronsisvalle and wife Josefina (née Castro). Benny worked in construction, ultimately becoming a master terrazzo mechanic and artisan. Consequently, the family moved frequently to wherever Benny could find work, from Massachusetts to Maryland. Eventually, the family settled in Hyattsville, Maryland. The family attended a Pentecostal church in northeast Washington, whose congregation was largely comprised of Italian-Americans.

During World War II, the family moved to Washington, D.C. During these years, Ronsisvalle and his siblings developed their talents singing and playing music. Ronsisvalle himself learned to play the steel guitar. Three of Ronsisvalle's older sisters formed a group called The Italian Gospel Trio, and they performed throughout the 1940's at churches and revivals throughout the United States and Canada. Ronsisvalle would eventually join his sisters providing accompaniment as a guitarist and vocalist. Ronsisvalle became a born-again Christian in 1948 while performing with his sisters at a revival in Florida.

High School, Music Ministry & College

In 1949, Ronsisvalle's father and several of his siblings found employment in Florida. Inevitably, all of the Ronsisvalle family had relocated to Florida by 1950. In high school, Ronsisvalle became a standout running back, all the while working in construction as an apprentice to his father as well as performing with his sisters. In the fall of 1952, feeling pressured to assuage his mother's concerns that his secular pursuits were hindering his spiritual life, Ronsisvalle reluctantly decided to forego his senior year and join The Italian Gospel Trio's tour full-time. It was on this tour that Dan decided to pursue Christian ministry as a permanent vocation. Dan continued to perform with his sisters and work as a terrazzo mechanic through 1955.

That year, Ronsisvalle completed his high school equivalency degree and enrolled in Southwestern Bible College (now Southwestern Assemblies of God University or SAGU) in Waxahachie, Texas in the fall. While a full-time student, Ronsisvalle worked 40 hours a week at an aircraft plant and also worked as a part-time music minister at the First Assembly of God in Garland Texas. In 1958, Ronsisvalle left his factory job for a teaching position at Oak Cliff Assembly of God. Ronsisvalle graduated SAGU in May 1959 with a bachelor of science in theology, with a minor in Christian education. He was ordained as an Assemblies of God minister in June 1959.

Career

Early Career

Ronsisvalle began his career in ministry as an evangelist in 1959. Joined by his wife and younger brother, Ronsisvalle traveled the country preaching and singing at church services, revivals, and other special events.

In 1961, Ronsisvalle was hired as the pastor of an independent church in New Orleans, Louisiana called The Gospel Lighthouse. In his first year, he oversaw that church's construction of a new campus in New Orleans' Lakeview neighborhood, its move to become a member congregation of the Assemblies of God denomination, as well as its transition to a new name, Lakeview Assembly of God.

During this period, Ronsisvalle also expanded his ministry by utilizing radio and television broadcasting. In 1966, Ronsisvalle began producing a half-hour television show featuring his family and other Christian muscial acts called the The Ronsisvalle Family Sings, which aired on local New Orleans station WWL-TV and later expanded to other markets. Ronsisvalle also produced and hosted a syndicated, two-hour daily morning radio show called Hymntime.

Cathedral of the Cross

After meeting on a Christian tour and mission trip to Europe and the Middle East in November 1969, Assemblies of God minister Bob Smith began recruiting Ronsisvalle to succeed him as pastor of a small congregation in northeast Birmingham called Huffman Assembly of God.

Ronsisvalle was hired by Huffman Assembly in July 1970. By 1972, the church had grown from 75 members to more than 400 members, prompting the construction of a new, 1,000+ seat sanctuary. Ronsisvalle continued the use of television broadcasting throughout his time at Huffman Assembly, as the church produced a Sunday morning program on local station WBRC-TV for nearly two decades.

In 1976, the church opened Cathedral Christian School, a private K-12 school for which Ronsisvalle served as President until 1992.

In 1986, the church completed construction on a new, $9 million structure at 1480 Center Point Parkway. With the move to the new building, the church changed its name to Cathedral of the Cross. The new building, capable of seating as many as 7,800, is credited with ushering in the era of the "megachurch" concept in Alabama. At its peak, Cathedral of the Cross was the largest congregation in the Alabama District of the Assemblies of God. Ronsisvalle retired from Cathedral in 1993.

Leeds First Assembly

In 1994, Ronsisvalle accepted a call to serve as pastor of Leeds First Assembly of God. During this time, he also hosted a weekly 30 minute television program featuring music and preaching on local station WNAL-TV (now WPHX) entitled Good News. Ronsisvalle served at Leeds First Assembly of God until his death in 2003.

Personal Life and Death

In 1955, during his first week on campus at SAGU, Ronsisvalle met fellow student Violet Fern Tidwell of Point, Louisiana. A courtship bloomed in the months following and the two married on June 8, 1956. They had three children, Sheree Fern (b. 1961), Diana Faith (b. 1964), and Kenneth Daniel (b. 1968). Diana was born premature and tragically passed away a mere 28 hours after birth.

Ronsisvalle passed away from a heart attack in 2003 at the age of 67.

Awards and Associations

In Media

Ronsisvalle was the subject of a 1979 book, It's Me, O Lord, by biographer William Bradford Huie.

References

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