The 77-Year-Old Outgoing Bishop Says He Is " Really Not the Type to Sit Down."
By Linda Leicht
Springfield News-Leader
January 29, 2008
http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080129/NEWS01/801290350/1007
After 23 years as bishop of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Catholic Diocese, the Rev. John Leibrecht says it is "time for the changing of the guard."
The 77-year-old bishop will become a parish priest again March 31, when the Rev. James Vann Johnston is ordained the sixth bishop of the diocese. Johnston's appointment was announced Thursday.
"I'm a very, very happy person," said Leibrecht, referring both to his time as bishop and the choice for the new bishop. He is also happy that he will be able to continue to serve in the diocese as a "senior priest in service."
"I'll be going back to the parishes," filling in as needed, he said. "I'm really not the type to sit down."
Sister Rosalie Digenan worked on Leibrecht's staff for 17 years before moving to Catholic Campus Ministries three years ago. She is sure the "retired" bishop will fit right in as a pastor.
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| The Rev. John Leibrecht will be stepping down as bishop of the Springfield-Cape Girardeau Catholic Diocese. Leibrecht will continue to serve in the diocese as "senior priest in service." |
"He's good at it," she said. "He's a pastor with the perfect combination of head and heart."
That combination allowed Leibrecht to be both practical and pastoral, she said. By asking the practical questions and listening attentively to answers, he was able to lead people.
"He saw his role as helping people discover themselves," she said.
Time to slow down
Leibrecht was 54 when he left his position as pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Florissant to become the bishop of southern Missouri. Traveling across the 26,000 square miles that encompass 39 counties, 66 parishes and 18 missions has required plenty of energy, and he is ready to slow down a little.
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MORE ABOUT THIS STORY Leibrecht's career as bishop During the past 23 years, Bishop John Leibrecht has overseen changes and developments in the diocese. Among them are: - Dec. 12, 1984 — ordained bishop at Church of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield - 1985 — Springfield Catholic High School opened - 1988 — Voice for Life, a pro-life outreach, formed; religious studies program started - 1993 — full-time youth minister hired; 800 youth and adults attended first World Youth Day in Denver - 1996 — Hispanic ministry started; Sacred Heart parish in Springfield named "welcoming parish" for Spanish speakers - 1998 — Notre Dame High School in Cape Girardeau opened - 1999 — St. Edward mission in Cassville, established in 1945, becomes a parish - 2002 — McCauley High School in Joplin expanded - May 6, 2003 — tornadoes destroy two parish churches — Immaculate Conception in Jackson and the recently built St. Peter Apostle in Stockton — and turn another — St. Mary at Pierce City — into a shelter and assistance center - 2004 — St. Francis of Assisi parish in Nixa started - 2006 — Leibrecht turns 75, submits retirement request - January 2008 — new bishop, James Vann Johnston of Knoxville, Tenn., announced. |
That will happen when he takes a two-month sabbatical in April and May to visit with family and friends in the St. Louis area.
"I have never had a sabbatical in my life," said Leibrecht, who has been a priest for 52 years.
The traveling and the hard work of leading the diocese has all been worth it, he said. "When I look back ... and look at all the people (I've) met. It's a very special blessing."
Monsignor Tom Reidy was the administrator of the diocese when Leibrecht arrived. He praised Leibrecht's commitment to all the regions of the expansive diocese.
"He is truly loved by the priests and the people of the diocese," Reidy said. "He is truly a man of faith and a man of prayer."
Retrospective
Looking back over 23 years, there are many accomplishments and disappointments, Leibrecht said.
Growth in the Catholic Church in southern Missouri is one of the high points. In the 52 years the diocese has been in existence, the Catholic population has doubled to about 65,000.
Many of those Catholics have been moving into the diocese, especially from Spanish-speaking areas. Leibrecht has responded to that development by establishing 13 "welcoming parishes" for Spanish speakers.
A low point came in 2002 when accusations of sex abuse by clergy rocked the church. Six priests in the Springfield-Cape Girardeau diocese have been accused.
"The offenses of relatively few of our priests made it difficult for all of us," said Leibrecht. "The church is human. We are saints and sinners."
A personal regret — still tied to a thread of hope — is the failure to establish a Catholic Charities office in southern Missouri, a goal Leibrecht has had for several years.
"I talked to Father Johnston about it," said Leibrecht. "Maybe he's the one to do it."
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