CAPS to hold milestone conference at Douai Abbey

Douai Abbey. Wiki image by Pam Brophy

Catholics for AIDS Prevention and Support (CAPS) announces an upcoming milestone event, 'Making Faith Sense of HIV'. This mini-conference and shared meal takes place at Douai Abbey on 9th September 2023. Following the well-attended "Power of Peer Support" conference held in London last June, this is the second of two special symposiums to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the charity and its HIV peer support ministry, PositiveFaith.

For two decades, CAPS has been a beacon for people living with HIV within the church, whilst also representing a Christian voice in the broader HIV sector. The PositiveFaith community is a vibrant, inclusive collective of individuals of diverse faiths, sexual orientations and ethnic & cultural backgrounds. PositiveFaith members provide emotional, spiritual and practical support for each other, meeting in peer support groups and residential weekends.

The Board of CAPS is diverse and inclusive. People living with HIV from every Christian tradition and various theological views provide leadership. Beyond mutual support, CAPS empowers the members of PositiveFaith to raise awareness, prevent new HIV infections and challenge the stigma still associated with HIV in our faith communities.

"Making Faith Sense of HIV" will reflect upon the complex interplay between faith and HIV. What theological lessons can the churches learn from the history of Christian responses to HIV? How is The Gospel Good News for people living with HIV? Confirmed speakers include CAPS founder and LGBT advocate, Martin Pendergast, Sr. Gill Horsfield MMS who ministered to people in Nairobi, Kenya at the height of the AIDS pandemic and Michael O'Halloran, former CAPS Trustee. A short reflection by video will be relayed by CAPS Patron Timothy Radcliffe, OP. The day promises to be insightful and engaging for Christian individuals living with HIV, theologians, clergy and the wider faith community.

CAPS remains committed to serving people living with HIV and being bearers of Good News in the church and wider society. Join us to celebrate this remarkable milestone and experience the power of community and support in the lives of people living with HIV.

For more information or to register for the events, please visit the PositiveFaith website's events page: www.positivefaith.org.uk/events

Or find out more about CAPS' previous event The Power of Peer Support and to see some pictures from the day click here: www.positivefaith.org.uk/events/the-power-of-peer-support