Plague: Untold Stories of AIDS and the Catholic Church

In "Plague" journalist Michael O'Loughlin investigates stories of the AIDS epidemic and the Catholic Church. Mike is America’s national correspondent and he’s covered Catholicism for more than a decade. Mike is also gay and Catholic—and he’s curious how others manage this sometimes complex identity. No time in modern history has been more volatile for gay Catholics than the height of the AIDS epidemic. So he spent the last few years interviewing people who were right in the middle of it. People who fought, worked and grieved through it.

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Episodes

How Dorothy Day inspired gay Catholic Workers to respond to AIDS

The production of Plague is made possible by our digital subscribers. To support Plague and access all of America's content, subscribe today! In this bonus episode of Plague, Michael O’Loughlin visits a Catholic Worker House in Syracuse, N.Y. to explore how Dorothy Day’s movement responded to the H.I.V. and AIDS crisis. Journey into a part of the Catholic Worker that is rarely discussed: how one of the church’s most welcoming and radically hospitable ministries struggled over the issue of homose...

Nov 14, 2021•41 min

Lessons from Plague for LGBT Catholics today

Please support "Plague" by getting a digital subscription to America: tap or click here! In this bonus episode, host Michael O'loughlin has a conversation with Michael Vazquez, religion and faith director for Human Rights Campaign, about issues affecting LBGT Catholics today . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jul 22, 2020•36 min

AIDS, the Catholic Church and LGBT issues today

Please support "Plague" by getting a digital subscription to America: tap or click here! In the series finale of ‘Plague,’ Mike looks at what’s happening in the church in HIV and AIDS care today and then reflects on comments and questions from listeners about the ongoing debates over LGBT issues in the Catholic Church. In Rustenburg, South Africa, where today AIDS is disproportionately impacting girls and young women, a Catholic bishop and religious sister promote education and empowerment, and ...

Jan 12, 2020•35 min•Ep. 6

A Catholic Sister learns to serve people with AIDS

Please support "Plague" by getting a digital subscription to America: tap or click here! In the fifth episode of "Plague," Mike visits the small Midwestern city of Belleville, Illinois, where a Catholic Sister broke ground in the 1980s by opening an organization to provide services for people living with HIV and AIDS. Though she was a trained ICU and ER nurse, Sister Carol Baltosiewich had much to learn about the disease before she could help treat it. So she journeyed to New York City with anot...

Dec 29, 2019•36 min•Ep. 5

A gay Catholic Church in the Castro

Please support "Plague" by getting a digital subscription to America: tap or click here! In the fourth episode of “Plague,” Mike visits a Catholic Church in the Castro–San Francisco’s LGBT neighborhood–that transformed itself during the 80s and 90s into what parishioners called a “gay church.” It took the delicate balance of an innovative pastor, committed gay parishioners, and open-minded old ladies to bring life to the now iconic church. But the parish didn’t just survive. It transformed itsel...

Dec 22, 2019•40 min•Ep. 4

The cost of AIDS ministry to a gay priest

Please support "Plague" by getting a digital subscription to America: tap or click here! Early in the AIDS epidemic, there was little in the way of medical treatment available. But spiritual guidance and accompaniment was in high demand. Patients had questions similar to those anyone else with a terminal illness might have: Are my affairs in order? Am I reconciled with my loved ones? Am I ready to die? The third episode of “Plague” tells the story of the AIDS crisis from the perspective of a pri...

Dec 15, 2019•37 min•Ep. 3

The Catholic hospital that pioneered AIDS care

Please support "Plague" by getting a digital subscription to America: tap or click here! In the second episode of “Plague,” Mike asks: how did a Catholic hospital become a safe haven for the gay community? It turns out, the path wasn’t straightforward. This episode tells the story of St. Vincent's Hospital, run by the Sisters of Charity of New York. Featured voices include Dr. Ramon Torres, the young gay physician hired by the sisters to lead the AIDS clinic; Gerri Wells, an ACT UP protester; an...

Dec 08, 2019•35 min•Ep. 2

Surviving the AIDS crisis as a gay Catholic

Please support "Plague" by getting a digital subscription to America: tap or click here! In this episode of "Plague," Michael O'Loughlin tells the story of David Pais, whose journey exemplifies the experience of many gay Catholics who were personally affected by the AIDS epidemic in the early days. He describes the role his faith played helping him cope with his own diagnosis—and his struggle as he walked away from the church in anger. You can learn more about "Plague" at americamag.org/plague. ...

Dec 01, 2019•41 min•Ep. 1

PLAGUE: Coming Dec. 1

Please support "Plague" by getting a digital subscription to America: tap or click here! In "Plague" journalist Michael O'Loughlin investigates stories of the AIDS epidemic and the Catholic Church. Mike is America’s national correspondent and he’s covered Catholicism for more than a decade. Mike is also gay and Catholic—and he’s curious how others manage this sometimes complex identity. No time in modern history has been more volatile for gay Catholics than the height of the AIDS epidemic. So he...

Nov 14, 2019•2 min