"Poverty Begins in the Mind: Youth Challenged to Start Small and Act Now" Bishop Sabino Urges Mindset Change amongst Youth
Obongi, September 5, 2025
- Hundreds of youth from across Arua Diocese gathered in Obongi Parish for the 2025 Youth Conference,
where Bishop Sabino Ocan Odoki delivered a powerful call for mindset change and active participation in shaping their future.
In his keynote message, Bishop Sabino urged the youth to embrace hard work, avoid procrastination, and tap into available
opportunities, including small government programs, as pathways to growth and self-reliance.
"if you remain poor, it is your choice. Poverty begins in the mind. Embrace mindset change, start something small,
and never say you lack capital. Capital comes from 'caput' - the head. If you have ideas, you already have capital," he Said.
The Bishop encouraged young people to view the conference as a chance not only for prayer and spiritual growth but
also for building friendships, unity, and responsibility as future leaders of the Church.
"Where youth gather, there is learning, sharing, and the strengthening of God's love. This conference is a sign
of that love, bringing you together so that tomorrow, as lay leaders of the diocese, you are already united and prepared for responsibility," Bishop Sabino added.
Bishop reminded the youth that
"every time we read the Word of God, we gain new direction in our lives.
He noted that while the missionaries once carried the burden of proclaiming the Gospel, today that responsibility
rests with the faithful. "The new reality is that the Church is now in our hands," he said.
While recalling the sacrifice of Fr. Silvio, a missionary priest who was killed in Obongi and whose monument stands
in the parish, the Bishop thanked God for his witness.
"He finished his part. If we embrace mindset change, we will
be able to continue the work of the missionaries. Let us all say, 'We can.' Let each of us say, 'I can.' We must have
the conviction to carry forward this mission, for Jesus is the only one who gives us hope and the way to heaven. When
we look to Him, we find the direction of our lives," Bishop Sabino continued.
The Bishop further encouraged the youth to cultivate hope and gratitude, reminding them that true hope is rooted in
Christ.
"Let's spend time counting our blessings and not the sorrows. Take this moment of being here as a blessing from God
.A generation without hope is a lost generation. Be youth that have hope - the hope that comes from Jesus Christ," he said.
