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Issues & Actions Ministry takes aim at street people
Issues & Actions Ministry takes aim at street people | Ministry takes aim at street people |
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| Written by Jeff Graham, B.C. Catholic | |
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“We know AIDS is prevalent and that it is increasing,” says Pat Conroy, co-founder of Agape Street Ministries . “We know the safe injection sites and condoms are not even touching the problem.” The Conroys say many of the women on the steps of the Carnegie Centre, along with thousands of other women in the downtown east side, work as prostitutes. The Conroys say most of the women working there have lost contact with family and friends, and are desperately feeding crippling addictions by selling their bodies. A few blocks down from the Carnegie Centre the couple operate their ministry out of the Kateri Tekakwitha Centre, where they meticulously document the names and faces of these abused and often forgotten women. There Pat and Vicky have a small room covered floor to ceiling with small photographs of the women, with their names and birthdays carefully written underneath. “There are 3,000 women that we see regularly down here and 1,000 working at any given time,” says Pat, adding that he knows hundreds of these women have contracted HIV. “To get enough money for drugs these 1,000 women have to find about five men a day,” he adds. “That means 5,000 men are coming down here every day and putting themselves at serious risk for AIDS.” “If that doesn’t constitute a problem, I don’t know what does.” The Conroys say the problem of HIV and AIDS has far-reaching effects, explaining that men who solicit prostitution often contract the disease and bring it home to their wives or girlfriends. The Conroys also say that roughly 50,000 women in B.C. are working as prostitutes, which gives the disease ample opportunity to spread. However, while they know the problem is huge, Pat and Vicky have been feverishly working to get as many women as possible off the street for the last nine years. They say the call to serve these women was strong. “We felt the call to work in ministry in the poor areas, so we asked to serve at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Vancouver,” Pat says of their beginnings. “We asked the Lord, ‘What do you want us to do?’ and so that night, we started walking the streets.” “After two hours of walking the streets it was obvious what we needed to do,” says Vicky. The Conroys knew instantly that God was asking them to minister to women working as prostitutes, and thus began Agape Street Ministries. Their means of ministering to these women is simple and effective: each night they have a team of people walking the streets handing out bags of candy with a special card. On each card is a number to call for Detox, along with an inspirational message, “Jesus loves you, and so do we!” Now 150 volunteers strong, Agape has successfully helped many of these women get off the streets while sending a team out every night for the last nine years. Along the way, the Conroys have had the chance to get to know many of these women personally. Vicky explains that getting to know the women totally changed her perception of HIV and AIDS. “To me there’s no stigma attached to it (AIDS) at all, it’s just a disease,” she says. “That change came through getting to know many people, hundreds, who have AIDS. “I got to know them personally, by loving them, appreciating them and hearing their pains and concerns. It really put a face to the disease.” “HIV and AIDS is devastating for everybody,” says Pat. “AIDS is a reality check, it makes you know the end will come sooner rather than later. It’s got to be devastating for the families to know that your child has a terminal illness.” Despite the vast problem of HIV and AIDS in Vancouver, the Conroys say the solution is obvious. “Really, the answer is abstinence,” said Vicky. “It’s so simple, but it’s just not accepted.” Agape Street Ministries is running short on donations of candy and other items and is looking for volunteers in a number of capacities. If you can help, call (604) 215-4115 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . |
VANCOUVER - On the steps of the Carnegie Centre, located on the corner of Main and Hastings in Vancouver’s downtown east side, congregate hundreds of men and women with a gamut of problems and addictions.| < Prev | Next > |
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