Laurence Mancuso
Encyclopedia
Laurence Mancuso was the founding abbot
of the New Skete
Eastern Orthodox monastic community in upstate New York
.
in 1934. Mancuso was raised as a Catholic and joined the Byzantine Rite
Franciscan
s in New Canaan, Connecticut
1957. He was ordained as a priest in December 1960 in Sybertsville, Pennsylvania
by Bishop Nicholas T. Elko.
Mancuso founded the Monks of New Skete in 1966 with six other monks in a farmhouse in Cambridge (village), New York
. They built a new monastery nearby a year later and started a farm with livestock. Under his direction, the monks built a smokehouse and started selling farm produce under the name of New Skete Farms. The business also sold cheesecake
made by the Nun
s of New Skete who had joined the monks in 1969.
A dog kennel in New Jersey
donated a German shepherd dog to the monastery in 1969. It ran away and the monks acquired two others and started a breeding program under the direction of another monk but with Mancuso's approval. The puppies became highly popular and by 1998 there was a two-year waiting list for puppies costing $1,000 each. Pet owners were also paying the monks to train the dogs.
Under Mancuso's direction, the monks switched from being a Catholic order to an Orthodox order in 1979. He had been studying Eastern Orthodox theology
for years before the conversion. Mancuso translated old Greek
and Slavonic
texts into English
. He also converted church choral music into versions that could be sung by a few monks. He produced an English translation of psalms and published a collection of sermon
s called Notes from a Poor Monk.
The monks of New Skete have written a number of books on dog training
. How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend published in 1978 is in its 40th printing and The Art of Raising a Puppy from 1991 is in its 26th printing.
. He was suspended from priestly functions, for unpublicized reasons, in the fall of 2000. In 2005, the suspension was lifted. He died as a result of injuries sustained in a fall in June 2007.
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of the New Skete
New Skete
New Skete is the collective term for three Orthodox Christian monastic communities in Cambridge, New York :...
Eastern Orthodox monastic community in upstate New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Early life and career
He was born Gabriel Richard Mancuso in Utica, New YorkUtica, New York
Utica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
in 1934. Mancuso was raised as a Catholic and joined the Byzantine Rite
Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh
The Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh is the Catholic archeparchy governing all of the Byzantine Catholic Church in the Western portion of Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and in the states of Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas, and West Virginia...
Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
s in New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan, Connecticut
New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, northeast of Stamford, on the Fivemile River. The population was 19,738 according to the 2010 census.The town is one of the most affluent communities in the United States...
1957. He was ordained as a priest in December 1960 in Sybertsville, Pennsylvania
Sybertsville, Pennsylvania
Sybertsville is a community in Sugarloaf Township, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania. It is one mile northwest of Conyngham and six miles west-northwest of Hazelton....
by Bishop Nicholas T. Elko.
New Skete
Cambridge (village), New York
Cambridge is a village in Washington County, New York, United States. The population was 1,925 at the 2000 census. The village of Cambridge is partly in the town of Cambridge and partly in the town of White Creek...
. They built a new monastery nearby a year later and started a farm with livestock. Under his direction, the monks built a smokehouse and started selling farm produce under the name of New Skete Farms. The business also sold cheesecake
Cheesecake
Cheesecake is a dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cheese, usually on a crust or base made from biscuit , pastry or sponge cake. They may be baked or unbaked...
made by the Nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s of New Skete who had joined the monks in 1969.
A dog kennel in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
donated a German shepherd dog to the monastery in 1969. It ran away and the monks acquired two others and started a breeding program under the direction of another monk but with Mancuso's approval. The puppies became highly popular and by 1998 there was a two-year waiting list for puppies costing $1,000 each. Pet owners were also paying the monks to train the dogs.
Under Mancuso's direction, the monks switched from being a Catholic order to an Orthodox order in 1979. He had been studying Eastern Orthodox theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
for years before the conversion. Mancuso translated old Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
and Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Church Slavic was the first literary Slavic language, first developed by the 9th century Byzantine Greek missionaries Saints Cyril and Methodius who were credited with standardizing the language and using it for translating the Bible and other Ancient Greek...
texts into English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. He also converted church choral music into versions that could be sung by a few monks. He produced an English translation of psalms and published a collection of sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
s called Notes from a Poor Monk.
The monks of New Skete have written a number of books on dog training
Dog training
Dog training is the process of teaching skills or behaviors to a dog. This can include teaching a dog to respond to certain commands, or helping the dog learn coping skills for stressful environments. Dog training often includes operant conditioning, classical conditioning, or non-associative...
. How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend published in 1978 is in its 40th printing and The Art of Raising a Puppy from 1991 is in its 26th printing.
Retirement
Mancuso retired as an abbot in 2000 and went to live with his brother Norman Mancuso in Natick, MassachusettsNatick, Massachusetts
Natick is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Natick is located near the center of the MetroWest region of Massachusetts, with a population of 33,006 at the 2010 census. Only west from Boston, Natick is considered part of the Greater Boston area...
. He was suspended from priestly functions, for unpublicized reasons, in the fall of 2000. In 2005, the suspension was lifted. He died as a result of injuries sustained in a fall in June 2007.