Msgr Laurence Edward Higgins

Birth date: Sep 3, 1928 Death date: Aug 24, 2016

HIGGINS, P.A., Monsignor Laurence Edward died Aug. 24, 2016. He was the founder and pastor emeritus of St. Lawrence Catholic Church of Tampa and served as pastor from 1958 to 2007, the longest tenure of any priest in the Diocese Read Obituary

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Allisun Sfeir

3w ago

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them.
May the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen

Nirmala Jacob

491w ago

I often met with him for advice and consolation. Especially when my younger brother passed away tragically. His humility and strength touched my heart . His words of wisdom have been invaluable in my career as a physician and healer. So my dearest friend and mentor I hope to meet you in a hundred years . I wonder what the world would be like in a hundred years . I will find your blue eyes among a million blue eyes and they will shine more brightly then they did yesterday. Rest in peace.

Nirmala Jacob

Susan Fernandez

492w ago

in honor of Laurence.

A lighted pale blue candle with a small white flower and a few leaves at its base, set against a soft blue background.

Susan Fernandez

492w ago

I first met Monsignor when my children went to St. Lawrence School in the 80's; I became a Eucharistic minister at the church and made home calls to the shut-ins; I then sought marriage counseling and spoke to Monsignor, cried on his shoulder, and he helped me so much in a difficult period of my life. I always loved his sincere example of Christ and he was a wonderful humanitarian. I am a home health nurse and I recently had the privilege of being his nurse of several occasions; he remembered me and again I felt that presence of his love and joy to see me again. I thank God for giving all of us such a wonderful man, priest, counselor, friend; may he rest now in the presence of our Father in Heaven. My heartfelt sympathy go to his family. Sincerely, Sue Fernandez

Vic Schumacher

492w ago

In 1970 we moved to Tampa, St Lawrence become our parish. My wife was baptized by Monsignor, two years later our daughter was baptized by Monsignor and many years later our granddaughter was also baptized by Monsignor. When seeing him at his retirement party, his keen memory recalled those events which made us feel so special. Today I still have his picture of that event on my desk. We were blessed to have known him and he will never be forgotten.

Vic and Linda Schumacher
Palm Harbor, FL

Steve Gerenski

492w ago

My family and I moved to Tampa in 1979 from upstate N.Y. We started going to a small church at the time which happened to be St. Lawrence and we ended up going there for twenty six years and the main reason was Monsignor Higgins. He has to be the greatest priest we have ever known and such a great human being.
He got us through many tough times in our lives like when I lost my younger brother to brain cancer back in 1988 and he consoled me and helped me through my grief. Another tough time was when our daughter was hit by a drunk driver back in 1992 and we were not sure she was going to pull through. Monsignor came to visit her in the hospital and she was in a coma and on a ventilator. We prayed together and he put his hand on her leg and told us she would be o.k.
After weeks in the hospital and months of rehab she recovered and went on to Florida state and got a masters in teaching.
We have a long history with M
onsignor and St. Lawrence since our son and daughter made there first communion and were confirmed there and when my daughter was ready to get married she wanted Monsignor Higgins to perform the ceremony at St. Lawrence and he also renewed our wedding vows on our twenty fifth anniversary which was real special to us.

We thank him for being a part of lives and knowing him and we will always miss him and remember what he did for us.
May he be in the kingdom of heaven be at peace and have eternal life.

Steve & Sandi Gerenski

Plant City, Florida

John Parker

492w ago

My fondest memory of Monsignor Higgins outside of being a very special Spiritual Leader for me and Barbara Ann was his wit. He made us promise to never let the Baptist beat our St. Lawrence Softball Team and they didn't. Rest in peace you true and faithful servant. Love you and miss you.

John and Barbara Parker

Deb Andrade

492w ago

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Msgr. Higgins. He will be missed by all who knew him and the ones whose lives he touched. RIP Msgr. Higgins.

Ben & Deb Andrade

Carol Kurdell

492w ago

Monsignor Higgins will be sorely missed. His joy of life, his prayer that made you feel blessed, his delight in sharing a story, and that lilt in his voice made you feel warm, hugged and special.
We are all better because of him and how he lived his life.
Thank you Monsignor, for sharing who you were all these many years.

Hon. Carol W. Kurdell
School Board
District 7
Hillsborough Public Schools

Vito & Jemma Didia

492w ago

in honor of Laurence.

A serene illustration of a lit pastel green candle with a small white blossom and a three-leaf sprig resting at its base, set against a soft green background.

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