World Aids Day

Yesterday over a hundred sisters and a number of our staff participated in  a prayer service to commemorate World Aids Day and reflect on how we are called to respond to the worldwide Aids pandemic. The IHMcommunity has been committed to Aids awareness for over 20 years, thanks in great part to the leadership of our sisters ministering in Africa. Many years ago Americans could ignore the problem of Aids because it was thought only countries like Africa had the  problem. Sr. Rita Rennel, IHM one of our sisters who was missioned in Africa for many years shared a poignant memory of six caskets sitting in the back of their chuch, one of them their secretary, a wonderful woman who became an innocent victim. As HIV Aids began spreading in the United States paranoia about catching Aids resulted in alienation of those suffering from the disease. As you know ,after extensive education the fear of Aids lessened and in addition, advances in retroviral drugs made the disease less of a life sentence in more advenced  countries like the US and Europe. Two of my friends here in Michigan, however, experienced the horror of Aids as they watched their daughter die of the disease. The man she had married was HIV positive but didn’t tell her because he didn’t want to die alone. Aids continues its devastation, and sadly those in poverty, particularly  in  the African American community have limited access to the life saving drugs. Here’s a link to our prayer service:
http://www.ihmsisters.org/www/Justice_Peace_and_Sustainability/hivaids.asp
I was not surprised, but I have to admit to pride that so many sisters participated in the prayer yesterday afternoon. This is a group of lifelong learners, well-informed on issues and committed to social justice.