World AIDS Day commemoration brings message of hope

WHEATON—The Wheaton Franciscan-supported Canticle Ministries hosted an evening prayer service on Dec. 1, the date declared as World AIDS Day, in the chapel at Our Lady of the Angels Motherhouse along Roosevelt Road in Wheaton. The crowd was comprised of justice-minded advocates for those living with HIV/AIDS, representatives from the DuPage County Public Health Department, counselors, social workers and, of course, individuals living with HIV/AIDS, family members and friends. For information about the plethora of ways that Canticle Ministries works to assist with human and community development, while focusing on helping people living with the virus HIV/AIDS and their families grapple with its toll, visit their Web site at http://www.canticleministries.org/.

Earlier in the day, the grassroots organization Mosaic Initiative, sponsored a morning breakfast in Wheaton and series of presentations and reflections by college students, who shared stories of personal growth and commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS. In addition, Brad Ogilvie, Mosaic Initiative founder, addressed the need for testing and for putting an end to the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. For more information about testing, visit the organization’s Web site at http://www.mosaicinitiative.org/.

Members and supporters of the DuPage Glocal AIDS Action Network (DGAAN), met Dec. 6 at Wheaton College to address the focus of this year’s agenda as it concerns the promotion of legislative and policy matters on a local, regional, state, national and global level. For more information about DGAAN, visit the Web site at http://www.dgaan.org/.