Apostle Joseph Lovalvo Passes on to His Reward
December 31, 2005 marked the end of perhaps the longest
Apostle tenure in modern times. On that day, the Lord called Bro. Joseph
Lovalvo home to rest in His Paradise.
Brother Joe was born on March 1, 1910 in Corleone,
Italy. He was the seventh child of nine in his family. Everyone who knew
Brother Joe, even those who did not have extensive interaction with him,
would agree that he was a unique man – a man of God, a family man, a man
of the people. The paragraphs that follow cannot do justice to his life
and contributions. They were written in the hope that they would stir up
warm and precious thoughts to be cherished in your heart as you wander
among your own memories between the printed lines.
Bro. Joe grew up in America, immigrating in 1914, along
with his mother and siblings, to join his father who had come ahead to
earn the money to bring the rest. He married his wife Virginia (Randazzo)
and adored her the 70 years of their marriage until she preceded him in
passing. All four of their children survive them: Leonard, Rose, Sharon,
and Faye. They had 7 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren with whom
they shared their love and blessings.
God chose Brother Joe as a young man and gave him gifts
to do His work. He was a natural leader. Take-charge scenarios
characterized his life. Still, he was a true follower – of Christ.
People were happy to be with him, to work with him, to worship with him,
to learn from him. He was an avid mentor of young people.
His diligence and study prompted the Lord to gift
Brother Joe with knowledge and understanding that was readily at hand
whenever he confronted an opportunity to preach the Word. Under the
inspiration of God, he would be transformed into one whose articulation
and delivery of God’s message was spellbinding. This was not an
occasional event. We witnessed this gift repeatedly. Even in his last
years, when age and affliction had taken their toll in other ways,
Brother Joe frequently sparkled with this gift.
Brother Joe did not grow up in The Church of Jesus
Christ. In his youth, he belonged to another faith, which eventually
left him feeling far from God. Brother Joe encountered the Church at 23
years of age along with brothers (Vincent) James and Anthony. True to
Christ’s promise, “Seek and ye shall find…,” when he met The Church of
Jesus Christ, a spark ignited in his heart. He quickly absorbed the
restored Gospel of Christ in its original truth and purity and was
baptized on July 16, 1933, in Detroit, Michigan. From that day on, he
became a soldier in the army of Christ.
The scriptures provide wonderful examples of men who,
when converted, immediately began to produce spiritual fruits. Brother
Joe’s conversion was one such as these. In January of 1936, he was
ordained an Elder. In July of 1937, he was ordained an Evangelist.
Those were the early days of the Church in the Detroit
area. Growth was rapid as the testimonies of new converts opened many
doors. Brother Joe was always ready to respond to such opportunities. He
was a missionary right to the end. Many families’ testimonies of their
origins in the Church include an encounter with Brother Joseph
Lovalvo. He visited the Church and made lifelong friendships among the
Brothers and Sisters in every part.
Brother Joe diligently aligned himself with the Church’s
Divine Commission. He was never passive or shy. The Windsor, Ontario
Branch developed under his youthful leadership. He was blessed in
“seeking to bring forth Zion,” reaching out to the Seed of Joseph of the
House of Israel. He ministered regularly to the Native Americans at
missions on reservations in Ontario, at Sarnia, Muncey, and the Six
Nations. After he moved with his family to Modesto, California (1953,)
he continued his missionary work in the West and was very active in
Mexico, there to the Spanish-speaking Seed of Joseph.
Brother Joe was called and ordained an Apostle in July
of 1939. He was only 29 years old. Early on, he was concerned over his
inexperience in the face of such responsibility. The Lord gave him a
tremendous experience, during which he was visited by the archangel
Michael. The account of that experience is worth your time to go to the
Church History, Vol. II, and read it on page 562-3.
Brother Joe was often an instrument in God’s hand in
bringing healing to the sick and distressed. Many of those experiences
were pure and simple miracles, unexplainable by any temporal rationale.
Afflictions beyond the reach of man or medicine yielded under the power
of God and gave Brother Joe added testimony to share whenever he had the
opportunity to tell of the power of God. He filled too many leadership
positions at every level of the Church to list here. He will be
remembered as one of the dynamic leaders of the Church who comprised an
era, an era in which the “Domestic Church” (as we refer to it today)
took shape and the outreach to the world was effectively initiated.
During his 28 years as President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, he
sought to be a role model, an example of commitment, diligence, love,
compassion, and faith.
We will miss him. Upon his passing, it was well spoken
by one who loved him, “The messenger is gone, but the message remains.”
Surely, the man, Brother Joseph Lovalvo was a messenger of God who has
now passed on to be with the Lord and with the saints who went before
him. Nevertheless, that which made him the man that he was – the
Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ – remains with us.
As Brother Joe faced the reality of his age and
mortality, he rested confidently, stating that God will provide more
messengers to carry on. Perhaps you are wondering who he had in mind. Be
assured, you were among them.
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