Paul Francis Leibold, Archbishop of Cincinnati
Paul Francis Leibold, for whom our school is named, was
born in 1914. He was a member of Holy Trinity Parish in
Dayton, where he served as an altar boy and attended
school. According to Sarah Leibold, his great-niece, two
Leibold brothers, one being Paul’s father Frank, and the
other Sarah’s grandfather, lived in homes next door to each
other near Holy Trinity Church (their homes were located in
what is now the parking lot of Dayton Main Post Office).
Whenever there was an immediate need for Mass servers,
the parish staff would holler across the yards or run over
and knock on the Leibolds’ doors: between the cousins, they
were sure to get four servers quickly! Paul graduated from
Chaminade High School, and The University of Dayton. He
completed his studies for the priesthood at St. Gregory and
Mount St. Mary’s of the West Seminaries in Cincinnati, and
was ordained to the priesthood in 1940.While serving as pastor of St. Louis Parish in Cincinnati, Father Leibold worked in the Archdiocese Chancery, the office which expedites canonical matters, keeps parish records, and helps parishes with civil law issues. He served as Assistant Chancellor and then Chancellor under Archbishop Alter until 1966. In 1958 he was made Auxiliary Bishop of Cincinnati, and eight years later he was named Bishop of Evansville, Indiana. In 1969 Bishop Leibold returned to Cincinnati to become Archbishop.
By the time he was installed as Archbishop, the 55-year-old Leibold had become known for his warm, pastoral style and was considered to be approachable, humble and hardworking. The religion writer for the Cincinnati Post at that time noted, “…he was a very unassuming man who seemed almost uncomfortable with his high position”. While in Evansville, Leibold served on many community boards, not as an authority giving advice, but as a member often taking unwanted jobs, such as secretary. He was a personable man with a ready wit, and over the years, a sought-after speaker.
His great-nephews and -nieces knew Father Paul as someone who would load family into the station wagon for long trips around Ohio and nearby states visiting shrines and chapels, especially those devoted to Our Blessed Mother. They often ended up at the Shrine of the Holy Relics in Maria Stein, which protects over 1000 relics. Sarah Leibold, who was a young girl at the time, recalls being a little scared of the shrine, but also fondly remembers Father Paul’s little cabin at Lake Loramie near Minster. When he was able he would retreat to this peaceful place to pray, fish, relax and escape his administrative worries.
Archbishop Leibold assumed his duties in the years following Vatican II, and this became a time of renewed mission and reorganization. During his time as Archbishop, Paul Leibold was instrumental in revitalizing the Priests’ Senate, encouraging the establishment and role of Parish Councils, and calling for the Archdiocese’s Sixth Synod. The 75-member Priests’ Senate, at the Archbishop’s encouragement, dissolved itself to form a smaller and entirely elected senate to share local Church responsibilities. He also emphasized the importance of Parish Councils, and from their beginnings in 1967 through his term, more than 200 Parish Councils were formed in the Archdiocese. In 1970, Leibold launched the Archdiocese’s Sixth Synod, which began a process of great discussion by members of the clergy, religious and laity, and developed a set of guidelines in full accordance with the spirit, teachings, and the constitutions, decrees and declarations of the Second Vatican Council. The Sixth Synod left the Archdiocese with a plan that provides for its governance even today.
Archbishop Leibold’s service to the Church and her people – as priest for 32 years, bishop for
14 years, and Archbishop for less than three years - came to an end suddenly in 1972, when he
was only 57 years old. He suffered several massive strokes in the evening after his last ceremony
as Archbishop, as speaker at Xavier University’s graduation. So respected and beloved was
Archbishop Leibold that his funeral was broadcast across southern Ohio. There were 700 priests
in the pews, and 44 priests concelebrated his funeral -- including the Pope's apostolic delegate to
the U.S., and four cardinals. The pallbearers at his funeral were the young men he had ordained
as priests just a few weeks earlier.In 1974, when our school formed as a consolidation of St. Henry and Our Lady of Good Hope Schools, the name “Bishop Leibold School” was suggested by student Annabelle Leyes, who now has three nieces attending Bishop Leibold School. The beloved eponym was chosen for his commitment and humility, as reflected in the words on Archbishop Leibold’s resting place at Gate of Heaven Cemetery:
"I have come to fill my office as witness of Christ to all men. And the Christ I know from the Gospels is a meek and humble Christ, who came to serve, and not be served…"
May Father Paul’s example as a faithful, humble and tireless servant of God provide inspiration and a good example to the students of Bishop Leibold School.
