Lawrence Jenco

Lawrence Martin Jenco, OSM (27 November 1934 – 19 July 1996), was an American Catholic priest famous for being held hostage in Beirut, Lebanon by Islamic radicals.

In high school, he studied at Mount Carmel College in Niagara Falls, Canada (of the Carmelites) and at St. Joseph Seminary in St. Charles, Illinois (of the Servites).

[3][4] Jenco was taken hostage in Beirut by five armed men on January 8, 1985, while serving as director of Catholic Relief Services there.

[5] In his book Bound to Forgive, Jenco relives his kidnapping and imprisonment, and offers portraits of the Shiite Muslims who held him captive.

At times, he was imprisoned with other hostages (such as Terry A. Anderson and Benjamin Weir) who worshipped together as "The Church of the Locked Door".

Jenco received the Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award for his capacity to forgive his captors having been held hostage for 18 months and tortured by religious extremists in Beirut.

[citation needed] In 2001, federal judge Royce Lamberth awarded the estate and family of Jenco $314.6 million in damages from Iran for the period he was held hostage in Lebanon.