77.9 F
Cruz Bay
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesAIDS DAY EVENTS TO FOCUS ON FAITH COMMUNITIES

AIDS DAY EVENTS TO FOCUS ON FAITH COMMUNITIES

Nov. 21, 2002 – Organizers of this year's World AIDS Day observance locally say community awareness of the deadly disease is growing but there's a lot of work still to be done to curb the spread of AIDS and the HIV virus. Because the annual Dec. 1 commemoration falls on a Sunday this year, activists are turning to the faith community to spread the word.
The St. Thomas/St. John 2002 World AIDS Day Committee is asking houses of worship on both islands to ring their bells 20 times at 6:30 p.m. that Sunday in remembrance of the first case of AIDS diagnosed in the Virgin Islands, in 1982.
"This bell ringing will close a day of encouraging the faith community to respond … to people suffering from HIV and AIDS," said Pat Odoms, co-chair of the AIDS day event. The tolling of bells is expected to come at the close of a 5 p.m. ecumenical service at Memorial Moravian Church in Charlotte Amalie.
Moravian, Catholic, Pentecostal and Jewish clergy have already said they will take part in the service, which will end with the lighting of candles "in remembrance of those who have died, those still living with the diseases, and their family and friends." Odoms said she is hoping for the kind of public turnout seen last year, when hundreds of people dropped by during a day-long commemoration at Emancipation Garden. (See the St. Thomas Source story "AIDS Day: Education is what it's all about".)
Odoms sees participation by religious groups as an encouraging sign that reflects changing attitudes. Not long ago, she said, some local clergy declared AIDS and HIV a judgment from God. But this year, those clerics who join in the World AIDS Day observance will receive a copy of a book the organizers hope will help them turn their faith into compassion. "A Christian Response to AIDS" is a book describing the disease, the way its spread and what believers can do to relieve the suffering.
Since 1983, the Virgin Islands has recorded 512 cases of AIDS, with six of them reported between April and June of this year. In the same two decades, 228 cases of HIV infection have been recorded. But Odoms says the actual numbers of persons affected may be much higher.
When some people are diagnosed with HIV or AIDS locally, she said, they leave the Virgin Islands to get treatment in the States and wind up as part of some other area's statistics. But in the end stages of their disease, many come home to die, she added, and their cases are counted back in with those who don't have the option to leave.

Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.