Coming Together: International Night celebrates cultures of parish, outreach to others
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
By Dorothy K. LaMantia | Correspondent
The Holy Spirit was alive and the Feast of Pentecost was commemorated in a special way as more than 200 parishioners and guests from all different cultures gathered for the International Night celebration held May 21 in St. Mary of the Pines parish center, Manahawkin.
To see photo gallery on this story, click here.
According to Msgr. Kenard Tuzeneu, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Barnegat, the International Night Dinner is a 10-year-old tradition and a celebration of Pentecost that brings together “all the cultures we have at St. Mary’s.”
“It is always a wonderful experience,” said Msgr. Tuzeneu.
What made the 2016 celebration particularly meaningful was the added focus on St. Mary’s twin parish – Holy Trinity Church in Ziroobwe, Uganda, and having Father Vincent de Paul Mukiibi, pastor of Holy Trinity Church, in attendance, as well as Mary Goss, director of Yamba Uganda, the foundation which facilitates the twinning between St. Mary and Holy Trinity parishes. Goss had a display of crafts including shirts, handbags, jewelry and wood carvings, all made by women of Holy Trinity Church, which were available for sale at the dinner as well as the weekend Masses.
Before Father Mukiibi addressed the gathering, the festivities opened with the premiere of a seven-minute video produced by Lee Kundrat, that documented life in Ziroobwe.
“There is no dialogue, only music, photographs selected from 23,000 taken from Mary Goss’s collection as well as those taken by Msgr. Ken and Deacon Joe Fiorello during their visit to Uganda last year,” said Kundrat, who is the parish’s official videographer. “The images provide the contrast between life the States and life in Africa.”
The stirring film, intended to raise awareness about the reality of life and the frequency of death in Africa, readied the audience for Father Makiibi’s address, which even with the descriptions of death by malaria and famine, was an ode of thanks to St. Mary Parish for sponsoring the education of 200 children in his village and the building of a church, an elementary and a high school.
“Ever since you became our sister parish,” Father Makiibi said, “a lot has changed, and we thank all of you for your kindness. Your love and generosity are bringing whole new life to the people of Holy Trinity.”
Father Makiibi ended his comments by singing “Here I Am, Lord,” and then presented Msgr. Tuzeneu with a gift of statues of Jesus and the Blessed Mother that were carved from the wood of Uganda.
The festivities continued on the culinary front as tables, laden with ethnic fare, both familiar and exotic, lined the perimeters of the parish center auditorium. Volunteers, some wearing native dress, served the hungry parishioners small portions of European selections: Irish stew, Italian pasta, Polish stuffed cabbage and Portuguese cod. Parish youth group members manned the USA table, serving favorite American standbys such as hot dogs and macaroni and cheese.
Yet the aromatic cuisines from the Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Uganda and Armenia begged diners to experiment with new flavors and mixtures, including cicherone, a pork dish from Costa Rica; the pansit guisado, a mélange of pasta, chicken, cabbage and spices from the Philippines, and the varieties of flan and the passion fruit mousse from Brazil. The food made for great conversations, leading to the swapping of recipes and reminiscing about meals in their homes of origin. The audience also enjoyed hearing the international music played by deejay Frederick Grimm.
Gerri Corbliss, a longtime fan of International Night, commented said that she enjoys "coming to International Night because I want to see and sample the foods of other countries, and there has always been such great social interaction" and appreciation for the variety of cultural offerings.
“I came to see Father Vincent,” said Philomena Frederick, “but I was amazed to see so many different nationalities represented in our church come together.”
“The video really moved me,” Frederick added. “Words cannot express what the eyes of those children do. They left a footprint on my heart.”
Lucille Vanadia, member of the Uganda ministry, said, "It was wonderful to have Father Vincent here. His presence touched people and made our mission more real. It is beautiful to see his humility and how much he cares for his people.”
Instead of an admission charge, donations were collected to benefit Holy Trinity Church.
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By Dorothy K. LaMantia | Correspondent
The Holy Spirit was alive and the Feast of Pentecost was commemorated in a special way as more than 200 parishioners and guests from all different cultures gathered for the International Night celebration held May 21 in St. Mary of the Pines parish center, Manahawkin.
To see photo gallery on this story, click here.
According to Msgr. Kenard Tuzeneu, pastor of St. Mary Parish, Barnegat, the International Night Dinner is a 10-year-old tradition and a celebration of Pentecost that brings together “all the cultures we have at St. Mary’s.”
“It is always a wonderful experience,” said Msgr. Tuzeneu.
What made the 2016 celebration particularly meaningful was the added focus on St. Mary’s twin parish – Holy Trinity Church in Ziroobwe, Uganda, and having Father Vincent de Paul Mukiibi, pastor of Holy Trinity Church, in attendance, as well as Mary Goss, director of Yamba Uganda, the foundation which facilitates the twinning between St. Mary and Holy Trinity parishes. Goss had a display of crafts including shirts, handbags, jewelry and wood carvings, all made by women of Holy Trinity Church, which were available for sale at the dinner as well as the weekend Masses.
Before Father Mukiibi addressed the gathering, the festivities opened with the premiere of a seven-minute video produced by Lee Kundrat, that documented life in Ziroobwe.
“There is no dialogue, only music, photographs selected from 23,000 taken from Mary Goss’s collection as well as those taken by Msgr. Ken and Deacon Joe Fiorello during their visit to Uganda last year,” said Kundrat, who is the parish’s official videographer. “The images provide the contrast between life the States and life in Africa.”
The stirring film, intended to raise awareness about the reality of life and the frequency of death in Africa, readied the audience for Father Makiibi’s address, which even with the descriptions of death by malaria and famine, was an ode of thanks to St. Mary Parish for sponsoring the education of 200 children in his village and the building of a church, an elementary and a high school.
“Ever since you became our sister parish,” Father Makiibi said, “a lot has changed, and we thank all of you for your kindness. Your love and generosity are bringing whole new life to the people of Holy Trinity.”
Father Makiibi ended his comments by singing “Here I Am, Lord,” and then presented Msgr. Tuzeneu with a gift of statues of Jesus and the Blessed Mother that were carved from the wood of Uganda.
The festivities continued on the culinary front as tables, laden with ethnic fare, both familiar and exotic, lined the perimeters of the parish center auditorium. Volunteers, some wearing native dress, served the hungry parishioners small portions of European selections: Irish stew, Italian pasta, Polish stuffed cabbage and Portuguese cod. Parish youth group members manned the USA table, serving favorite American standbys such as hot dogs and macaroni and cheese.
Yet the aromatic cuisines from the Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Costa Rica, Uganda and Armenia begged diners to experiment with new flavors and mixtures, including cicherone, a pork dish from Costa Rica; the pansit guisado, a mélange of pasta, chicken, cabbage and spices from the Philippines, and the varieties of flan and the passion fruit mousse from Brazil. The food made for great conversations, leading to the swapping of recipes and reminiscing about meals in their homes of origin. The audience also enjoyed hearing the international music played by deejay Frederick Grimm.
Gerri Corbliss, a longtime fan of International Night, commented said that she enjoys "coming to International Night because I want to see and sample the foods of other countries, and there has always been such great social interaction" and appreciation for the variety of cultural offerings.
“I came to see Father Vincent,” said Philomena Frederick, “but I was amazed to see so many different nationalities represented in our church come together.”
“The video really moved me,” Frederick added. “Words cannot express what the eyes of those children do. They left a footprint on my heart.”
Lucille Vanadia, member of the Uganda ministry, said, "It was wonderful to have Father Vincent here. His presence touched people and made our mission more real. It is beautiful to see his humility and how much he cares for his people.”
Instead of an admission charge, donations were collected to benefit Holy Trinity Church.
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