South Sudanese Catholic Bishop Reflects on His 17 Years of Episcopal Ministry, Says It’s Been “a daily sacrifice”

In his message dated June 24, the Local Ordinary of CDTY says he has been praying “fervently” for those under his pastoral care to have peace.

“If I have done anything of worth, dear friends, it is this: I have prayed for you fervently, silently, and daily. I have stood at the altar whispering your names into the chalice,” he says, and continues, “I am still praying for you for our families, for our wounded land, and for the triumph of light over darkness.”

Bishop Hiiboro goes on to caution the people of God in his Episcopal See against growing weary amid challenges and lack of peace. He says, “Stay anchored in prayer. Keep your hands busy with works of love. Bind your hearts with truth and mercy.”

He encourages those under his pastoral care to practice forgiveness, heal through speech, and to “never give up on peace, for peace is Christ’s gift to humanity.”

“I renew today my vow to walk with you not in strength, but in faith; not with perfection, but with a soul open to God’s will. I ask only this: pray for me, as I do for you, that I may always be a shepherd after the Heart of Christ,” Bishop Hiiboro says.

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He adds, “Through the mighty intercession of Saints Peter and Paul, I now invoke upon each of you the Apostolic Blessing, a blessing to heal, to strengthen, and to carry you forward in love.”

Bishop Hiiboro continues, “From the wellspring of a grateful heart, I lift my voice in praise to God, who has walked with me through seventeen grace-laden years of episcopal service through hills of hope and valleys of sorrow, through joy and pain, always held in His mercy.”

“It was on this blessed Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, pillars of courage and faith that I knelt before the altar in 2008 and gave my ‘yes’ to the Lord,” he says about June 29, adding, “Today, I kneel once again, this time, not with trembling hands, but with a heart tendered by the lessons of love, tears, sacrifice, and enduring hope.”

The South Sudanese Bishop goes on to say that the 17 years have not just simply passed but “have poured themselves into my soul, carving a path where God’s grace and your love have flowed in abundance.”

“I thank the Most Holy Trinity, the wellspring of my vocation. I bow in reverence to Mother Church and fraternal love to my brother Bishops of Sudan and South Sudan,” he says. 

Bishop Hiiboro, who serves as the President of the Integral Human Development Commission of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SSS-CBC) acknowledges with appreciation the Clergy of CDTY, women and men Religious, “whose consecrated lives are lamps in our darkness; the catechists, those unsung apostles of our villages; the seminarians, our future shepherds; and the lay faithful,” whose devotion “sustains our mission.”

“To our friends in other churches and faiths, to government officials, and to our partners, donors, and benefactors, you have stood with us like quiet angels,” Bishop Hiiboro says in his message of gratitude on his 17th Episcopal Anniversary.

Silas Mwale Isenjia is a Kenyan journalist with a great zeal and interest for Catholic Church related communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communication from Moi University in Kenya. Silas has vast experience in the Media production industry. He currently works as a Journalist for ACI Africa.