Metropolitan Laurus[a] (January 1, 1928 – March 16, 2008, secular name Vasily Mikhaylovich Shkurla)[b] was First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR), the fifth cleric to hold that position.

His family was Orthodox Christian in an area of the former Sáros County of the Austro-Hungarian Empire that was strongly influenced by Roman Catholicism.

At the age of eight, young Vasiľ approached the abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Seraphim (Ivanov) [ru], to request being accepted as a novice.

They joined Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New York, established in 1928 by the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR).

In 1967 Laurus was elected to the episcopate, being consecrated bishop of Manhattan at the Synodal Cathedral of the Theotokos of the Sign in New York City.

In the following years, Laurus traveled and led many pilgrimages throughout the Orthodox Christian world, including to Israel and Mount Athos.

[citation needed] By that time, the Soviet Union had fallen and the Russian Orthodox Church began to operate openly again in Russia.

He was buried on March 21 alongside previous leaders of the Russian Church Abroad at Holy Trinity Monastery's cemetery.