The Auxiliary Bishop of Minna, Most Rev. Sylvester Gopep, urged staff of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) and agencies of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) to embody the principles of love and service as outlined in the Papal encyclical “Dilexit Nos” (He loves us).
Bishop Gopep made this call during a talk at the 2025 beginning of the year Retreat for Staff of CSN and agencies of the CBCN, holding at the CSN premises in Abuja. The retreat’s theme, “Fostering an organizational culture of love and service: Insights from ‘Dilexit Nos’,” emphasized the importance of living out Christ’s love in one’s work and relationships.
“The work of creation itself is motivated by love, and this is paramount to those of us who work here, that work is motivated by love,” Bishop Gopep stressed. He noted that this love inspires how Christians live and serve, citing the example of Christ, who “exemplified this in concrete actions during his earthly ministry by meeting the needs of the people, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and giving up his life for our salvation.”
The retreat moderator challenged the staff to reflect on their own hearts, asking, “How similar is my heart to that of Jesus? Does my heart resemble the love of Christ? Is there love in my heart?” He emphasized that this love should be evident in their work and relationships with colleagues.
The Bishop noted that “Dilexit Nos” sees the heart of Christ as the model of spirituality of love, and that as workers at the CSN, staff are expected to be people of prayer who are Christ-like. “Encounter with Jesus is always transformational,” he said. “Nobody encounters Jesus and remains the same. Our hearts must be transformed to love.”
Bishop Gopep emphasized the importance of commitment, professionalism, and collaboration in carrying out one’s duties. He stressed that staff should be generous with their time and talent, love and nurture their work, and understand the mission and vision of the CSN. He admonished them to carry out their work with a heart of love, characterized by mercy and compassion, like that of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The Bishop also highlighted the importance of virtues such as accountability, transparency, self-respect, respect for others, sensitivity to the needs of others, promptness to duty, and punctuality. He noted that growing in love, love of God and one another, is essential, as “our salvation is tied to it.”
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