Peter Anthony Libasci

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.[2] He attended St. Margaret School in Middle Village, New York, 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 degree from Saint Meinrad School of Theology in Saint Meinrad, Indiana. After his ordination, Libasci received a Master of Theology-Catechetical Ministry degree from St. John's.[3]

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 (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 by Pope John Paul II with the title of monsignor.

Libasci was named titular bishop of Satafis and auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, on April 3, 2007, by Pope Benedict XVI. 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.[4]

As auxiliary bishop, Libasci was episcopal vicar 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.[1]

On September 19, 2011, Benedict XVI named Libasci as the tenth bishop of the Diocese of Manchester.[5] He was installed on December 8, 2011.

On July 22, 2021, Libasci was named in a lawsuit accusing him of child molestation between 1983 and 1984 when he was parochial vicar at Saints Cyril and Methodius Parish School in New York.[6] 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.[7] The lawsuit also named the Sisters of St. Joseph, the religious order running the school at the time, of neglecting to prevent the abuse.[8] Libasci denied the accusations.[9] On August 29, 2021, the Archdiocese of Boston announced a formal investigation into the accusations.[10] As of February 2023, the investigation is still ongoing.