Catholic Charities will show “La Pandemia del VIH/SIDA y La Repuesta Catolica” (“The HIV/AIDS Pandemic and the Catholic Response”) a Spanish-language HIV Education DVD on Sunday, February 24 at St. Agnes of Bohemia Parish, 2651 South Central Park Avenue in Chicago, after the noon Mass at approximately 1 pm at Bishop Manz Hall directly across the street from the church. Three of the presenters who appear in the DVD will be present for this showing.

Catholic Charities decided to create the 37 ½ minute Spanish-language DVD to help educate parishes about the facts of HIV/AIDS and to help decrease the social stigma which persons with the disease often feel. The Archdiocese donated the services of its radio and television studio to create the DVD.

“The Latino and African American populations are highly impacted by the disease,” said Patricia Drott, Catholic Charities’ HIV/AIDS Liaison to the Archdiocese of Chicago. “Because of the language barrier, it was important that we do this in Spanish and make people aware of the risks and how to prevent getting and spreading the disease.”

According to the Kaiser Foundation, while Latinos represent approximately 14 percent of the population, they account for 19 percent of all AIDS cases diagnosed in 2005, the second highest rate of any ethnicity in the U.S.

“We think this is one of the first, if not the first, Spanish education outreach DVD in this country,” stated Drott. “This says a great deal about the commitment Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of Chicago have to the vulnerable.”

The DVD features Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago and a young Latina who came forward to share her story. The disc also highlights a Latina physician who does a basic “HIV/AIDS 101” education piece, describing its impact on Hispanic populations and the importance of education.

The new DVD will be shared with the 148 parishes that have a Hispanic Ministry and others who are interested. A resource and information packet accompanies the DVD; all of the contents have been translated into Spanish. The packet contains brochures on abstinence, prevention, and the Christian response to AIDS, as well as a short curriculum for parishes that want to teach their parishioners about AIDS.

The packet also contains prayers, web site information and Drott’s contact information. For more information about the DVD contact Drott at (312) 948-6500.

Now in its 90th year, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago is the largest private, not-for-profit social service agency in the Midwest, annually assisting 1.1 million persons in Cook and Lake counties without regard to religious, ethnic or economic background. Catholic Charities fulfills the Church's role in the mission of charity by providing compassionate, competent, professional services that strengthen and support individuals, families and communities