National Catholic Reporter

[very homosexuality supportive publication]

December 2, 1994

page 11

WE MUST BOLDLY SEEK, TOUCH THE HOLY IN OUR MIDST

M. Jeanne Wirpsa, who is completing a doctoral degree in Christian ethics at the University of Chicago is a chaplain to gay men, children and entire families affected by the AIDS crisis. A version of this article was presented during a service of healing and remembrance for gays and lesbians in Chicago.

By M. JEANNE WIRPSA Special to the National Catholic Reporter

[-----------------]

The gay and lesbian community is being decimated. The death toll is staggering. As we enter the second decade of the AIDS epidemic with no end in sight, the sense of despair only increases. At the AIDS hospice where I am chaplain, it is not uncommon to find men, for example, whose close friends have all died. No one is left to comfort them in their final days, to mourn their death, to keep their memories alive.

[---------]

Hopelessness, a spiritual disease, threatens to infect our entire community. The depth and reach of our affliction is great.

[---------]

-END QUOTE-