Hilary Muheezangango began studying for the Catholic priesthood at University of St. Mary of the Lake / Mundelein Seminary in 2003. Soon he was spending time at St. Mary of Vernon parish nearby. Both informally and in gathered groups, Hilary shared personal stories of growing up in central Uganda, an area that had seen multiple civil wars since his birth in 1972 and now faced a large scale outbreak of HIV/AIDS.

Hilary’s personal childhood experiences included roaming and sleeping in jungles while seeking safety during times of war. Some years later, as a young seminarian in Uganda’s Kasana-Luweero Diocese, he ministered to hundreds of orphaned youths who had no one caring for them. “Now the remnants of the war became the victims of HIV/AIDS,” reported Hilary. “Pretty much HIV/AIDS has swept the generation that survived the war, leaving many of the children orphans.” COVE Alliance, a nonprofit organization serving orphaned and vulnerable children in central Uganda, was founded.

Today, COVE Alliance U.S. raises funds to support COVE’s presence in Uganda. The town of Kapeeka and the Diocese of Kasana-Luweero are home to COVE Alliance Uganda with its Children’s Outreach Program and site of the future St. Jerome COVE Center.