Peter Anthony Libasci (born November 9, 1951) is an American

prelate A prelate () is a high-ranking member of the Christian clergy who is an ordinary or who ranks in precedence with ordinaries. The word derives from the Latin , the past participle of , which means 'carry before', 'be set above or over' or 'pref ...

of the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

who has been serving as the

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of the Diocese of Manchester in New Hampshire since 2011. Libasci previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the

Diocese of Rockville Centre The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre ( la, Dioecesis Petropolitana in Insula Longa) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church that comprises the territory of Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Islan ...

in New York from 2007 to 2011. Libasci is a bi-ritual priest, allowed to celebrate the

Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of C ...

and administer the sacraments in both the

Latin Church , native_name_lang = la , image = San Giovanni in Laterano - Rome.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , alt = Façade of the Archbasilica of St. John in Lateran , caption = Archbasilica of Saint Jo ...

and the

Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church The Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church ( rue, Русиньска ґрекокатолицька церьков; la, Ecclesia Graeco-Catholica Ruthenica), also known in the United States simply as the Byzantine Catholic Church, is an Eastern Cath ...

Biography

Early life and education

Peter A. Libasci was born on November 9. 1951, in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York. Libasci is of Italian (Sicilian) heritage on his paternal side and of Slovak heritage on his maternal side. He attended St. Margaret School in

Middle Village, New York Middle Village is a mainly residential neighborhood in the central section of the borough of Queens, New York City, bounded to the north by the Long Island Expressway, to the east by Woodhaven Boulevard, to the south by Cooper Avenue and the forme ...

, followed by Cathedral Preparatory Seminary in Elmhurst, Queens. Libasci obtained a Bachelor of Philosophy degree from St. John's University in Queens and a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

degree from

Saint Meinrad School of Theology The Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology is a Roman Catholic seminary and school of theology in Saint Meinrad, Indiana. It is affiliated with the Saint Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana. The institution was named after Meinrad ...

in Saint Meinrad, Indiana. After his ordination, Libasci received a Master of Theology-Catechetical Ministry degree from St. John's.

Ordination and ministry

On April 1, 1978, Libasci was ordained a priest by Bishop John Raymond McGann for the Diocese of Rockville Centre. After his ordination, he had the following parish assignments in New York * Parochial vicar at Saint Raymond's in

East Rockaway East Rockaway is a village in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 9,818 at the 2010 census. The Incorporated Village of East Rockaway is at the edge of Rockaway Peninsula Proper in t ...

(1978–1982), * Parochial vicar at Saints Cyril and Methodius in Deer Park (1982–1988); * Parish administrator and then pastor at Our Lady of Good Counsel in Inwood (1988–2000) * Pastor at Saint Therese of Lisieux in Montauk (2000 - 2007) On December 10, 2004, Libasci was named

honorary prelate A Prelate of Honour of His Holiness is a Catholic prelate to whom the Pope has granted this title of honour. They are addressed as Monsignor and have certain privileges as regards clerical clothing.Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

with the title of monsignor.

Auxiliary Bishop of Rockville Centre

Libasci was named titular bishop of Satafis and auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, on April 3, 2007 by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

. He received his episcopal consecration on June 1, 2007, from Bishop William Murphy, with auxiliary bishops Emil Wcela, Paul Walsh and John Dunne serving as co-consecrators. As auxiliary bishop, Libasci was

episcopal vicar Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

for the Vicariate East ( Suffolk County), of the diocese. He also celebrated the liturgy for the Ruthenian Catholic community, which celebrates liturgy in the

Byzantine rite The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, identifies the wide range of cultural, liturgical, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christian Church of Constantinople. The canonical hours ar ...

Bishop of Manchester

On September 19, 2011, Benedict XVI named Libasci as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Manchester. He was installed on December 8, 2011. On July 22, 2021, Libasci was named in a lawsuit accusing him of

child molestation Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (wheth ...

between 1983 and 1984 when he was parochial vicar at Saints Cyril and Methodius Parish School in New York. The accuser, then 12 or 13 years old, said that Libasci fondled his genitals on "numerous occasions", including one instance when the boy was setting up the altar for mass. The lawsuit also named the Sisters of St. Joseph, the religious order running the school at the time, of neglecting to prevent the abuse. Libasci denied the accusations. On August 29, 2021, the

Archdiocese of Boston The Archdiocese of Boston ( la, Archidiœcesis Bostoniensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church located in the New England region of the United States. Its territorial remit encompasses the whole of ...

announced a formal investigation into the accusations. As of January 2023, the investigation is still ongoing.

References

External links

Roman Catholic Diocese of ManchesterThe Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre

Episcopal succession

{{DEFAULTSORT:Libasci, Peter Anthony 1951 births Living people People from Jackson Heights, Queens Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre Roman Catholic bishops of Manchester 21st-century Roman Catholic bishops in the United States People from Rockville Centre, New York People from East Rockaway, New York Religious leaders from New York (state) Catholics from New York (state) American people of Italian descent American people of Slovak descent