Effective Feb. 28, 2004, Father Laurier “Larry” Martineau will become a senior priest of the archdiocese. Archbishop Seán P. O’Malley accepted his request to resign as pastor of St. Mary Parish, Marlborough and granted him senior priest/retirement status.

The north shore community of Salem, also called the “Witch City,” has a great history of nourishing vocations to the priesthood, not only for the archdiocese but also for various religious communities. In the not too distant past, the two largest ethnic groups, French-Canadian and Irish, were known for the promotion of religious vocations. It was from that tradition and city that Father Martineau originated.

He completed his theological formation at St. John’s Seminary and was ordained at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross on Feb. 2, 1959 by Cardinal Cushing.

He received a series of assignments over the next few decades; all of them were within the then-numerous French national parishes of the archdiocese: Sacred Heart, Brockton (1959-1965); St. John the Evangelist, Newton (1965-1969); St. Mary, Marlborough (1969-1970); St. Joseph, Waltham (1970-1982); and St. Jean Baptiste, Lynn (1982-1985). In each of these parishes he served as either an assistant or associate pastor.

He remained at St. Jean, Lynn, in 1985 with a promotion to pastor of the parish. In 1992, he moved to St. John the Evangelist Parish in Winthrop as parochial vicar and in 1996 served briefly at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Waltham as an administrator.

In 1996 he returned to a previous assignment, St. Mary, Marlborough, this time as pastor where he has served since. He will live in retirement at Carmel Terrace in Framingham.