In Memoriam: Archimandrite Laurence [Mancuso]
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, along 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.
Visitation will be held at Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 57 Brown Street, Weston, MA from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 14. The Divine Liturgy will be celebrated on Friday, June 15, at 8:30 a.m., followed by the Funeral Service at 10:30 a.m.
May Father Laurence’s memory be eternal!