HIV / AIDS Education

HIV / AIDS Education March 2010

Featured Resource

The Least of These My Brethren: A Doctor’s Story of Hope and Miracles in an Inner-City AIDS Ward
Daniel Baxter, M.D.

Baxter tells the story of working in the 17-bed unit at the Spellman Center for HIV-Related Diseases in New York City’s St. Clare Hospital. Baxter introduces us to the untouchables, the AIDS victims, of the late 20th century, and in so doing his story becomes one of spiritual hope and human compassion.

ISBN: 0-1560-0588-3, 276 pages, paperback, $16
Harvest Books
www.amazon.com

There is hope.

This month’s ARTICLE is from Caritas South Africa entitled, A Catholic Response. The article explains how Caritas works with other faith-based organizations and local communities to make sure that vulnerable children are not pushed further into poverty by HIV/AIDS.

Recent Articles

● February 2010
A Good Year in the Fight Against AIDS
E.J. Mundell

● January 2010
The Church is Second to None in Facing HIV
Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM)

● December 2009
Vatican–U.S. Partnership Fighting Against AIDS
ZENIT

● November 2009
Caritas Working to Fight AIDS in Africa
ZENIT

● October 2009
Crisis, Opportunity, and Transformation: AIDS Response at a Crossroads
Michael Sidibe

● September 2009
HIV ‘Atlas’ Shows Virus Targeting Minorities
Amanda Gardner

Educational seminars

Bro. Damien Lunders, SVD addressed the Techny community on September 15, 2009 regarding his ministry at the Our Lady of Perpetual Help AIDS Center in Nong Bua Lamphu, Thailand. The Center provides children’s and home visitation programs, education and awareness programs for AIDS prevention among the youth, and a number of other outreach ministries aimed at bringing the love and compassion of Christ to those living with HIV and AIDS.

In response to Province Policy #180 on HIV/AIDS, the Education Secretariat conducted a third Province-wide educational seminar series in 2007-2008.

Mr. Daniel Lunney, former Executive Director of the National Catholic AIDS Network, addressed the East Troy and Techny communities on December 6, 2007 and February 26, 2008 respectively while Jean Muratore, R.N. offered a presentation at Bordentown on May 21, 2008. A fourth and final presentation took place at Miramar on October 7, 2008 when “Peter,” a person living with AIDS, gave the community a brief history of the epidemic and shared his own personal story.

Province Policy #181 (below) calls all members of the Chicago Province to take personal responsibility for educating themselves in the matter of HIV/AIDS, a tragic fact of life and one of the major social, economic, and ethical issues of our day. Our basic humanness and our Catholic values call us to respond to all people suffering from HIV/AIDS with an unconditional and compassionate love, and to work for a just and humane response to this epidemic.

181 Education
181.1	Education has to be a key element in our response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We must educate ourselves and also those to whom we minister with the most effective means available.
	181.1.1	The Provincial Council will provide itself with an educational process concerning these issues.
	181.1.2	The Secretary of Education, Recruitment and Formation will encourage the entire Province to engage in similar processes. He will provide communities and Province leadership with resources and guidelines for this.
	181.1.3	Every house and district in the Province will devote community meetings to discussing issues, attitudes and feelings concerning the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the broader issues involved (health, healing, coping with illness, death, sexuality, homosexuality, etc.)
	181.1.4	Every confrere is called to take personal responsibility for educating himself in this matter.