Peter Anthony Libasci

Peter Anthony Libasci (born November 9, 1951) is an American Catholic prelate who has served as Bishop of Manchester in New Hampshire since 2011. Libasci previously served as an auxiliary bishop in the Diocese of Rockville Centre in New York from 2007 to 2011.

Libasci is a bi-ritual priest, allowed to celebrate liturgy and administer the sacraments in both the Latin Church and the Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church.

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. Deciding to become a priest, Libasci then entered Cathedral Preparatory Seminary in Elmhurst, Queens.

Libasci obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy 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.

As auxiliary bishop, Libasci served as 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. He was installed on December 8, 2011.

Libasci on May 30, 2019, expressed his approval of the override vote in the New Hampshire Senate to eliminate capital punishment in the state.

As bishop, Libasci has been sympathetic to Traditional Catholic groups. In 2016 Libasci invited the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter, who exclusively celebrate the Tridentine Mass, to establish St. Stanislaus Parish in Nashua. In 2021 Libasci invited the Institute of the Good Shepherd, which also solely celebrates the Tridentine Mass, to establish a parish in Winchester.

Sexual abuse allegations On July 22, 2021, Libasci was named in a lawsuit accusing him of child molestation. The crimes allegedly occurred between 1983 and 1984 when he was serving as parochial vicar at Saints Cyril and Methodius Parish School in New York. The accuser was Charles O’Connor, then 12 or 13 years old. O'Connor 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 announced a formal investigation into the accusations against Libasci. However, the archdiocese decided to delay the investigation until the O'Connor lawsuit was settled. O'Connor died in July 2024, leaving the lawsuit in temporary limbo.