18
May 27, 2014
coMMunitY
The Valley Catholic
Rest in peace Sister Leslie Hays, BVM
Support the Collection for the
Catholic Communication Campaign
June 7-8, 2014 in your local parish
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops established the Catholic
Communication Campaign (CCC) collection in 1979 to respond to the national
and local communications needs of the Church. Over the weekend of June 7-8,
parishes in the Diocese of San Jose will take up this Collection, which supports
projects throughout the world that evangelize through the use of media.
With the growth of new media on tablets, smartphones, internet and
through social media, more people have greater opportunities to connect
in the digital environment. The Collection for the CCC allows us to tell the
world about our experience of faith, worship, and witness. We ask our readers
to support the 2014 Catholic Communication Campaign, “Faith, Worship,
Witness” that will take place the weekend of June 7-8. The Collection for CCC
helps this effort by providing grants to spread the faith through online media,
television, radio and print media.
Let us boldly become citizens of the digital world.
The Church needs to be concerned for, and present
in, the world of communication, in order to dialogue
with people today and to help them encounter
Christ. She needs to be a Church at the side of others,
capable of accompanying everyone along the way.
The revolution taking place in communications
media and in information technologies represents a
great and thrilling challenge; may we respond to that
challenge with fresh energy and imagination as we
seek to share with others the beauty of God.
Pope Francis, Message for the 48th World Communications Day
The funds generated from last year’s campaign helped the Diocesan Office
of Communications increase the services provided to our parishes and schools.
An electronic edition of The Valley Catholic was introduced making it available
on mobile devices and tablets, resulting in an increase of online readership.
The Valley Catholic continues to be delivered 19 times per year to all of our
75,000 registered households. In less than 2 years our Facebook following has
tripled and our Twitter following more than doubled, providing avenues for
evangelization, event promotion, and news delivery.
Communications is critical to our mission as a Church and the funds
collected through the Catholic Communications Campaign make it possible
for us to continue providing these important services to the Diocese.
Remember: Half of the proceeds from this Collection stay here in the
Diocese of San Jose to support our local communication efforts. Please give
generously to support this important work on June 7-8.
www.valleycatholiconline.com
Sister Leslie
Hays, BVM, (Agnita) 92, died May
9 at Marian Hall
in Dubuque, Iowa;
bu r ia l i n Mou nt
Carmel Cemetery,
Dubuque.
In the Diocese of
San José, Sister Leslie taught third and sixth grades at St.
Leo School in San José. She also taught
in elementary schools in San Francisco,
Omaha, Butte, and Des Moines where
she was also superior/principal.
She served as elementary education
commissioner in Kansas City, Mo.; and
as associate superintendent for diocesan
schools in Nashville, Tenn. She also
served as administrator at Villa Maria
Manor in Nashville.
She was born in Chicago May 2,
1922, to Robert Leslie and Agnes Marie
(Verssue) Hays. She entered the Sisters
of Charity of the Blessed Virgin May
(BVM) congregation from Our Lady
of Lourdes Parish, Chicago in 1940,
professed first vows in 1943, and final
vows in 1949.
She was preceded in death by her
parents; sisters Eloise Lowary, and Mary
and Donna Hays; and a brother, David.
She is survived by sister-in-law Patty
Hays and nieces.
Memorials may be sent to Sisters of
Charity, BVM Support Fund, 1100 Carmel Drive, Dubuque, Iowa 52003; or www.
bvmcong.org/whatsnew_obits.cfm.
Presentation Sisters celebrate jubilees
Three Sister of the Presentation of the
Blessed Virgin Mary celebrated special
anniversaries as Religious in late April.
• Sister Corinne Avila, PBVM
(Sister Mary Sacred Heart) celebrates
her Jubilee of Grace marking 70 years
from entrance into the congregation in
1944. She earned her BA degree at the
University of San Francisco and taught
first grade for 33 years at schools in
New Mexico, San Francisco, Oakland,
San Leandro, Los Angeles and Berkeley.
Sister Corinne says it was natural
for her to teach first grade. She was the
sixth child in a family of 16 children,
and she had spent time looking after
siblings. After retiring from full-time
teaching, she worked as a teacher-aide at
Nativity School in Menlo Park for more
than 13 years.
1n 2004, she moved to the Presenta