Calvino, Paolo (1846-1931)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1931 Sep 9 p. 3

Birth date: 1846 Mar 7

text of obituary:

A PATRIARCH AMONG GOD'S CHILDREN GONE TO HIS REWARD.

Several reports of the death of the aged man of God, Pastor Paolo Calvino have been received. It was my highly prized privilege to meet this saintly man in his own home in Lugano, Switzerland. For many years he was the pastor among the Waldensian ministers of Italy and Switzerland. In his presence one felt something of the spirit of heavenly spheres. In this saintly patriarch was projected the character type of the faithful son of God of all times. One could have wished that he might have remained among us for many years more, and to have witnessed the finding again of each other of the old-Evangelical groups, Waldensians, Mennonites, Doopsgezinde etc., in Italy, Switzerland, Holland and Germany for which he had so great a longing. Now, at the ripe age of 86 years he has been translated in to the joy of his Lord. His memory will be gratefully cherished. Below follow the death notices from the family, a card from our respected friend Fried. Egli, through whom the door was opened to us for entrance among the Waldensians, and a necrolog taken from the Basler Nachrichten, of Father Paolo Calvino. — H. P. Krehbiel.

Report of Death

(This report was printed in Italian and translated by Miss Mariam Penner, of Bethel College.)

There took place on the 18th of August the death of our dear husband and father, Paul Calvino, Waldensian pastor at the age of 86. The funeral will take place in private form. It is requested that no flowers be sent nor that any visits be made.

Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life."

The family of Calvino of Cassarate,
Stabio and Corigliano Calsbro
Herman of Karlsruhe
Meister of Basilea.

Lugano, Switzerland,

Aug. 22, 1931.

Dear Brother Krehbiel:—

You will likely remember that at the time of your visit here at Lugano we met with Pastor Paolo Calvino, and that he left with you as always with us an exceptional impress as a spiritually exalted noble man. His knowledge of church history down to the present time was extraordinary. We here owe to him the erection of the protestant church, which he made possible by his untiring efforts and thereby secured a firm foothold for our Church. — This dear man, I report with regret, has passed away from the effects of an operation. But he remains unforgettable to us. Under another wrapper you will receive a paper containing a necrolog which will interest you. Often have we recalled your welcome visit here. I wish to cordially thank you for sending me the "Herold". We always read it with careful attention. We too begin to feel something of the effects of old age, but are grateful to God that they are endurable.

With cordial greetings,

Friedr. Egli and Wife

Pastor Paolo Calvino (Supplied by Friedr. Egli.)

Early in the morning of August 18 there passed away at Lugano the aged and highly respected Waldensian Pastor Paolo Calvino. He was generally well known in the whole protestant world, but particularly in Switzerland and Germany. He was born March 7, 1846, so attained an age of over 86 years. He studied at first at Florence, then as a young Waldensian student he came to Berlin, where he enjoyed the friendship and protection of such men as Emil Frommel, Dryander, Koegel and others. His first evangelistic work he did in Italy, at a time when such activity still entailed serious antagonism and persecution. He was a Waldensian of the true kind and of the genuine old type , doing joyful battle for the Lord, a master in disputations with Catholic opponents, skillfull [sic] in speech and with the pen,convincing, full of fiery energy, yet at heart a man of kindly love. Since 1877 he came occasionally into the Tessin for doing evangelistic work. An evangelization committee in Basel then made him pastor, in 1883 in Blanca, then in 1889 in Lugano. For almost a half century he was especially well known in Switzerland and Germany through his lectures and collections for evangelization in the Tessin. Now for several years he was pensioned and periodically he with his wife lived with his married daughter in Basel.

Personally he was a tall, prepossessing figure. When he began to speak drawing on the treasures of his rich life experience one became simply speechless from the overwhelming wealth poured forth, and deeply impressed with the many important personalities with whom life had brought him in contact, as well as the dramatic situations he passed through, as also the pastoral and evangelistic experiences he could recount.

In recent years his powers declined perceptibly. Should a sympathetic biographer with the gift to popularly relate his life-story undertake to work over the existing material, he might present us with a valuable book, depicting this enormously active life filled with an untiring labor for the Gospel of Jesus Christ, leading into all possible life situations of an extraordinary character of recent church history.

To the members of the family we express our cordial sympathy, for the translated one we treasure a grateful and honored memory.

G. B.

— Basler Nachrichten.