“He lived a life laced with profound humility, and sincere holiness as reflected in his everyday activities; a life full of respect for humanity, and a life by which he worked tirelessly to unite us as a people of God,” the 60-year-old Bishop who has been at the helm of CDTY since his Episcopal Consecration in June 2008 says.
According to Bishop Hiiboro, his late predecessor’s “greatest desire was to foster unity among us and lead us toward a life full of mutual respect and for humanity.”
He calls upon the people of God to “actively live” the virtues Bishop Gasi espoused and to emulate the late South Sudanese Catholic Church leader “by working towards peace, unity and holiness.”
“Let all that you do be done in love,” Bishop Hiiboro says in his September 12 message, the commemoration of the 10th death anniversary of his predecessor dubbed “Bishop Gasi Day” marked in CDTY on September 13 under the theme, “Be Perfect, as Your Heavenly Father is Perfect.”
Bishop Gasi was revered for his tireless work of fostering unity and mutual respect within the Diocese and among South Sudan’s diverse communities, he says in his message.
“Every day as the day comes to an end, I want you to challenge yourself and ask: Did my actions today reflect the teachings of our cherished Titarani Bishop Joseph Gasi Abangite?” Bishop Hiiboro says, adding that Bishop Gasi often emphasized that holiness is a “journey, one that requires conscious effort and daily commitment.”
“Titarani Bishop Gasi, consistently taught that everyone can live a life of holiness, especially when they see holiness as a journey and make a conscious effort to include holiness in all activities of their life,” Bishop Hiiboro says.
The Local Ordinary of CDTY continues, “Bishop Gasi always urged the people to live lives of love, mercy, and compassion, while rejecting hatred, violence, and corruption.”
“To successfully live a life of holiness, we must live a life that exhibits love, mercy, and compassion. We must therefore rid ourselves of hatred, violence, jealousy, selfishness, corruption, and all manner of evil. We must turn back to the Ten Commandments and lead a life that does not flaunt any of the Lord’s commandments. When we do this, we shall be honouring Titarani Bishop Gasi, and our lives will be pleasing sacrifices to our Lord,” the South Sudanese Catholic Bishop says.
Bishop Gasi, he further recalls, “envisioned a community built on mutual respect and fraternity. In such a community, everyone demonstrates empathy, actively listens to each other, and shows understanding of each other’s experiences and feelings.”
