Archimandrite Laurence Mancuso, 72,
unexpectedly fell asleep in the Lord at Leonard Morse Hospital here on
Sunday, June 10, 2007, as a result of injuries sustained in a fall.
Born Gabriel Richard Mancuso on June 30, 1934, the son of Joseph R. and
Antoinette Basilio Mancuso, he was raised in the Catholic faith and attended
seminaries in Rochester, NY and Ferndale, CT. In 1957 he took monastic vows
in the Franciscan Order, in which he served as provincial councillor,
director of students, and provincial executive secretary. He was ordained
to the diaconate of the Byzantine Rite Catholic Church in 1959, and to the
priesthood the following year.
Father Laurence was a founder of New Skete, Cambridge, NY. On February 23,
1979, after many years living and studying Orthodox theology, liturgy, and
spirituality, he and the New Skete communities, although with numerous lay
persons who worshipped at the monastery, were received into the Orthodox
Church in America.
As abbot of New Skete, a position he held until 2000, Father Laurence was
elevated to the rank of archimandrite in 1986 and received a Synodal
Citation in 1995. In 2005 he was attached to Saint Sergius of Radonezh
Chapel, Syosset, NY.
At the time of this writing, funeral arrangements were incomplete.
Additional information will be posted as it is received.
May Father Laurence’s memory be eternal!