Sister Mary Helen Jathas

Sister Mary Helen Jathas died peacefully on Sunday afternoon, December 3, at the age of 94. She was born on February 12, 1929, in Oakland, California, the daughter of Thomas Jathas and Eleanor King. She entered the Sisters of the Holy Family on July 7, 1953, at the age of 24, from St. Anthony’s Parish in Oakland, and was given the name Sister M. Augustine, changing back to her baptismal name in 1975.

Sister Mary Helen served as catechist and as Director of Religious Education in various parishes in California and Hawaii before coming to the Motherhouse in Fremont in 2003. With the Sisters, she worked at first as a volunteer in the Development Office and later became coordinator of the Mission San Jose Guild.

Known for her caring, her kindness and her funny stories, Sister will be missed by many, sisters, family and friends alike. She stayed in close contact with her family, and continued the friendships she made in her work with the Development Department and the MSJ Guild long after her retirement. When she was no longer assigned to active ministry, she had a thriving ministry of lunches and phone calls, and asking for prayers for people she knew who were sick or troubled.

Sister Mary Helen’s funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday, December 13, at 2:00 pm in our Oratory; burial will be at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma on Thursday, December 14, at 11 am.