March 8 Today in OPC History

Former Orthodox Presbyterian missionary Eleanor “Laurie” Tricarico was born on this date in suburban Philadelphia. Raised Episcopalian, Laurie met a friend at twelve who introduced her to the Christian faith. At fourteen, someone gave her a tract of the “Four Spiritual Laws,” which she read, prayed for forgiveness, and received Christ with joy. She studied French, German, Norwegian, and Swedish during her Bowdoin College years, which included spending her junior year in West Germany. While there she met a Dordt College student who introduced her to Calvinism. She disliked Calvinism.

After graduating in 1983, Laurie thought she might be useful to God as a foreign missionary since she easily learned languages and was comfortable in other cultures. In the providence of God, she decided to study the Scriptures and evangelism at Westminster Theological Seminary. Two days before classes started, the Reformed faith was explained to her, which she accepted. The following summer she served as assistant to the director of the Boardwalk Chapel, where she met fellow assistant Al Tricarico. By September they were engaged. Two weeks after her Westminster graduation, they married on June 15, 1985.

Al served as pastor of evangelism at Church of the Covenant (OPC) in Hackettstown, New Jersey, for five years, then as senior pastor of Grace OPC in Vienna, Virginia, for thirteen years. Laurie home schooled their five children, Katie, Emily, Maria, James, and Josh. In 2005 Laurie’s dream of becoming a missionary was realized when they moved to Karamoja, Uganda, to serve as missionaries for a decade. In 2016 Al was called as associate general secretary for the Committee for Home Missions and Church Extension. They moved to Philadelphia suburbs, not too far from where she first became a Christian.

Dorothy Wingard writes more about Laurie in Choosing the Good Portion: Women of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, which is available on OPC.ORG here.

Picture: Laurie Tricarico in Uganda with friends.