By Dorothy K LaMantia | Correspondent

After a 20-hour voyage, which included two flights and a layover in Brussels, travel-wearied Msgr. Kenard Tuzeneu and Ron Vanadia snapped to as 10 voices boomed “Welcome!” – which was followed by loud high-pitched trills, known as ululations, the African manner of voicing deep emotion.“You’d think a celebrity got off that plane. They thought we were long-lost friends,” the pastor of St. Mary Parish, Barnegat, recalled of the warm greeting he and his parishioner received at Uganda’s Entebbe International Airport. It was the first of many displays of heartfelt thanks made by parishioners of Holy Trinity Parish, Ziroobwe, for the visitors from their American twin parish.

A strong bond exists between Holy Trinity– which includes 13 subparishes in remote areas surrounding the Ugandan village – due to ministry and the friendship between Msgr. Tuzeneu and Father Vincent Mukiibi, pastor of Holy Trinity Church.

The 10-day visit in late August was Msgr. Tuzeneu’s second visit to Ziroobwe since 2015. Father Mukiibi visits the Barnegat parish every year to provide updates on developments the twinning ministry has made possible and to convey deep appreciation to St. Mary’s parishioners.

In an area where the average income is $1 a day, the developments are impressive. A brick primary school is thriving, the first two of six grade levels of the secondary school – named for St. Mary – opened this year with an enrollment of 157 students, and an underground water storage tank is nearing completion. Construction was the handiwork of Holy Trinity’s parishioners.

“The overwhelming gratitude and hospitality we were shown made me feel at home,” Msgr. Tuzeneu wrote in a parish newsletter. “It feels like home away from home; it’s the real meaning of twinning. It’s more than financial support. It’s about relationships … and people.” He said he was delighted to see progress in the buildings and improvements in the lives of people he remembered fromhis last visit. Whether at parish gatherings or dinners in the homes of individual parishioners, the New Jersey guests were given seats of honor. Villagers expressed gratefulness for the generosity and aid received, and parish school students, wearing uniforms or native attire, performed elaborate song and dance routines. “I brought in seven duffle bags … containing used watches, T-shirts, homemade hats and dresses,” Vanadia said. “When we gave thewatches to the teachers at the schools, set tocorrect Uganda time, they reacted like they got keys to a new Cadillac.

The children were so proud to wear their new clothes.” Msgr. Tuzeneu said one of his most unforgettable moments was when parishioners of all the subparishes traveled for hours to attend Sunday Mass in Ziroobwe and had their children baptized. The queue of families started at the altar and spilled outside and across the lawn, he recalled.

“Father Vincent asked if I would baptize, but he was vague about the number. I baptized 448 babies that day,” Msgr. Tuzeneu said. The Mass lasted more than five hours.

The twinning ministry dates back to 2014, when during a missionary appeal, Father Mukiibi explained the realities – famine and the scarcity of clean water, educational opportunities and medical care – of life in his parish. He shared his vision of building a school to increase the children’s job opportunities, while keeping them safe from exploitation by relatives or persecution in Muslim-run public schools.

A year later, under the direction of Yamba Uganda, a nonprofit run by Mary Goss, Toms River, the Uganda Ministry started with only a handful of members. The membership has since grown to 20 members. Tuition for 45 children is paid through sponsorships by families of St. Mary Parish. The cost to sponsor a child in primary school is $150 per term; secondary school is $200 per term, with the academic year consisting of three terms.

Each month, 19 Ugandan families receive groceries courtesy of Feed a Family sponsorships costing $25 per month.

Msgr. Tuzeneu and Vanadia recalled an especially emotional moment when they met the schoolgirls they sponsor.

“When I met Joan,” Msgr. Tuzeneu said, “she told me she wanted to sing a song for me. It took every ounce of strength to not burst into tears as she sang, ‘Thank you.’” Tears won out when he heard Josephine, Vanadia’s sponsoree, call Vanadia “Dad Mr. Ron.”

Added Vanadia, “I cried more in those 10 days than I have in years. It’s inspired me to do more and to get others to join us.”