Laurus Škurla
Metropolitan Laurus (
Father Laurus was ordained to the priesthood in 1954 and advanced within the church. Late in his life, after the fall of the Soviet Union, he negotiated the fourth ROCOR agreement, which reunited ROCOR to the Russian Orthodox Patriarchate based in Moscow. In 2007 he participated in a joint celebration of the
Life
Vasiľ Škurla was born on January 1, 1928, in the
When he was five, Vasiľ began serving at the altar of the Church of Monastery of St. Job of Pochaev in Ladomirová, which was the parish church for the local Orthodox population. At the age of eight, young Vasiľ approached the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Seraphim (Ivanov), to request being accepted as a novice. In 1939, at the age of eleven, Vasiľ gained his father's permission to join the monastery. He began to participate fully in the monastery life while continuing his required secondary education. He continued the higher grades of secondary education, traveling by bicycle to and from school in the local town of Svidník. On a daily basis, he rose at 4.00 a.m. for the Midnight Office and took part in the other Divine Services.
As the Red Army approached in 1944 during World War II, the brotherhood evacuated the monastery. They moved first to Bratislava, and then on to Germany and Switzerland, as they knew the Orthodox Church had been suppressed in the Soviet Union. While in Geneva, at the age of sixteen, Vassily became a novice. In 1946, after the war, the brotherhood, including Vasiľ, emigrated to the United States.
They joined
In 1967 Laurus was elected to the
In 1976 Laurus was elected abbot of Holy Trinity Monastery. He was also appointed as Bishop of Syracuse and Holy Trinity by the Synod of Bishops. In the following years, Laurus traveled and led many pilgrimages throughout the Orthodox Christian world, including to Israel and Mount Athos. In 1981, he was elevated to archbishop.
In October 2001, after the retirement of
Between May 6 and May 14, 2006, Laurus chaired the fourth All-Diaspora Council of ROCOR.[citation needed] By that time, the Soviet Union had fallen and the Russian Orthodox Church began to operate openly again in Russia. The Council gave approval for reconciliation and normalization of relations with the Moscow Patriarchate.[4]
On May 17, 2007 Laurus, with many of the clergy of ROCOR, participated in the signing of the
Metropolitan Laurus died aged 80, in the Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, on March 16, 2008. He was buried on March 21 alongside previous leaders of the Russian Church Abroad at Holy Trinity Monastery's cemetery.
He was succeeded as First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia by Metropolitan
References
- ^ Phillips, Priest Andrew. "Repose of His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia". Orthodox England. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ Council of Bishops of 2001 and the Election of the New First Hierarch Archived 2007-12-24 at the Wayback Machine, Official History of the Council, ROCOR Official Web site, February 23, 2008
- ^ Address of the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia to Its Flock--October, 2001 Archived 2007-12-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ May 19, 2006, The Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia Concludes Archived September 3, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, February 23, 2008
- ^ May 17, 2007 The Act of Canonical Communion is Signed and the First Joint Celebration of Divine Liturgy by the Primates of the Two Parts of the Russian Orthodox Church Takes Place in Christ the Savior Cathedral Archived May 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, February 23, 2007
External links
- Metropolitan Laurus (Vassily Skurla)
- The article uses Laurus_(Skurla)_of_New_York of the Orthodox Wiki which is distributed with the GFDLlicense
- BLESSED JUBILEE: Towards the 50th Anniversary of His Eminence Metropolitan Laurus' Pastoral Service
- Photos of the Funeral
- Victor Lochmatow Fr. “Metropolitan Laurus Led the Church by His Humility”