Salutaris Melchior Libena

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The Most Reverend Salutaris Melchior Libena
Bishop of Ifakara
Church	Catholic Church
Archdiocese	Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam
See	Ifakara
Appointed	14 January 2012
Installed	14 January 2012
Predecessor	None
Successor	Incumbent
Orders
Ordination	29 June 1991
Consecration	19 March 2010 by Polycarp Cardinal Pengo
Rank	Bishop
Personal details
Born	Salutaris Melchior Libena (1963-11-23) 23 November 1963 (age 61) Itete, Busokelo District, Mbeya Region, Tanzania

Styles of Salutaris Melchior Libena

Reference style	Your Lordship The Most Reverend
Spoken style	His Lordship
Religious style	Bishop

Salutaris Melchior Libena (born 23 November 1963) is a Tanzanian Catholic prelate who serves as the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ifakara. He was appointed bishop of Ifakara on 14 January 2012. Previously, he served as Auxiliary Bishop of Dar es Salaam from 28 January 2010 until 14 January 2012. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him bishop on 28 January 2010.

Background and education

He was born on 23 November 1963, at Itete, Busokelo District, Mbeya Region, in southwestern Tanzania. He completed his primary school studies in 1978 in Ifakara. He attended Kasita Minor Seminary from 1979 until 1982, completing Senior Four there. He then transferred to the Mafinga Minor Seminary in the Diocese of Iringa, where he completed Senior Six. He studied at St. Augustine's Major Seminary in Peramiho for formation. From 1999, he studied at the Pontifical Atheneum of St. Anselm in Rome, graduating in 2001 with a Licentiate in Sacred Liturgy.

Priesthood

He was ordained a priest of the diocese of Mahenge on 29 June 1991. He served in that capacity until 28 January 2010.

He is a member of the religions order of "Ordo Communionis in Christo" (English: Order of Communion In Christ), that was founded in Germany in 1984. As of July 2023, Bishop Salutaris Melchior Libena was the only bishop in the world who belonged to the order.

As priest, he served in several roles inside and outside his diocese including as:1991-1995:

Biology teacher and formator at the St. Francis Minor Seminary in Kasita from 1991 until 1995
Dean for the Discipline from 1991 until 1995
Pastor in Sofi Parish from 1995 until 1998
Dean of ITET Parish from 1995 until 1998
Rector of St. Patrick's Seminary Preliminary Course, from 1999 until 2001
Professor of Religion the Minor Seminary in Kasita between 2002 and 2003
Formator at the Minor Seminary in Kasita between 2002 and 2003
Professor at Ntungamo Major Seminary in the Diocese of Bukoba between 2002 and 2003
Professor, Spiritual Director, and Academic Dean at the St. Paul's Theological Major Seminary in Kipalapala.

As bishop

On 28 January 2010 Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Dar es Salaam. He was contemporaneously appointed Titular Bishop of Sutunurca.

He was consecrated and installed at in Dar es Salaam in Dar es Salaam Archdiocese on 19 March 2010 by the hands of Polycarp Cardinal Pengo, Archbishop of Dar-es-Salaam assisted by Bishop Jude Thaddaeus Ruwa'ichi, Bishop of Dodoma and Bishop Almachius Vincent Rweyongeza, Bishop of Kayanga.

On 14 January 2012, The Holy Father created the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ifakara by splitting it from the diocese of Mahenge and making the new diocese a Suffragan of the Archdioceses of Dar es Salaam. On the same day, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Bishop Salutaris Melchior Libena to be the founder bishop of the new diocese.