By Dana Williams
This is one reason why he said he was elated when he found out that he was appointed as the new pastor of the church by Diocese of Rockville Centre Bishop William Murphy.
"I'm pretty familiar with the parish and I've always found this parish to be a fine parish full of a community of welcoming people," Maniscalco said. "The parishioners and staff here at St. Thomas the Apostle really enjoy all areas of church life. We have an enormous amount of volunteers here who help with church functions, youth ministry, religious education, and the parish is just really full of people who want to help those in need."
Maniscalco grew up in Baldwin and is a graduate of St. Christopher's Elementary School in Baldwin and Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in Huntington.
The longtime priest, who was ordained on May 29, 1971, said he applied to be pastor at St. Thomas the Apostle earlier this year, and he found out that he was selected in March. "I officially took over on June 25 and I'm really looking forward to providing leadership here at St. Thomas," he said. "The people in this church are very active, very supportive and I'm just very happy to be the new pastor here."
Maniscalco has a wealth of experience, which includes serving as director of media relations for the U.S. Bishops Conference, editor of The Long Island Catholic and director of the diocese 's Religious Education Office.
He also previously served as associate pastor at St. William the Abbot Church in Seaford.
Maniscalco replaces Monsignor James Lisante, who was recently named as the pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Massapequa Park.
Comments about this story? DWilliams@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 205.
