A 'true servant of God' answers the call

Once again, Pope Benedict XVI has looked to the Church of Long Island to provide a new spiritual shepherd for the people of a neighboring east coast diocese. And once again — as was the case two years ago when Msgr. Robert Guglielmone departed Rockville Centre to become bishop of Charleston, South Carolina — the sadness of our loss is mitigated by our joy for the blessings to be gained by our brothers and sisters in New Hampshire.

This time, it is our beloved Bishop Peter Libasci who is answering the call of our Holy Father, to become bishop of the Diocese of Manchester.

Viewing images from his visit to his new diocese last Monday, we could only appreciate anew the very special personal gifts that he has shared with us during his more than 30 years as a priest and bishop here on Long Island, and that he now brings to the people of New Hampshire.

They will come to know and be inspired by his genuine humility, his quiet reverence and deep faith, that were so evident during Monday’s news conference and that have always enabled Bishop Libasci to remain positive and hope-filled, and to be a unifying presence even in the face of difficult challenges.
They will be touched personally by his easy-going and accessible manner, by the warmth and caring that we see him exuding in this week’s page one photo as he interacts with students of Holy Trinity High School in Manchester.

He is, as retiring Manchester Bishop John McCormack said in introducing him Monday, “a true servant of God,” whose “deep sense of the holy,” in Bishop Murphy’s words, will serve him well as he in turn serves the people of God throughout the State of New Hampshire.

We congratulate Bishop Libasci, and we wish our friend well as he embarks on this challenging, exciting new ministry of leadership and service. We assure him of our prayers, for him and for all the people of the Manchester Diocese; and we know that we here on Long Island will always remain in his prayers.

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