Sister M. Helen Seidel, OSB
January 30, 1938 - December 28, 2010

One of Sister Helen’s greatest joys was working with small children, both in the classroom and in child-care settings. How appropriate, then, that her death should fall on the feast of Holy Innocents. On the morning of December 28, Sister Helen died peacefully at UPMC Passavant Hospital, where she had been a resident since the evening of December 25. She had missed Christmas day due to illness; on December 28, Christ came personally to her.

The second of four children, second daughter of James and Helen Koran Seidel of Pittsburgh, PA, Sister Helen was born on January 30, 1938 and was baptized as Dorothy Helen at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Pittsburgh on February 20, 1938.

At the age of 14, Dorothy attended Saint Benedict Monastery as an aspirant, living with the Benedictine Sisters until she could make her formal entrance into religious life as a postulant on August 29, 1955. The following summer, on July 1, 1956, Dorothy was invested as Sister M. Helen. She made her first Profession on July 2, 1957, and her final Profession on July 4, 1960. Sister Helen participated in a celebration of Consecration in 1973; she celebrated her Golden Jubilee marking fifty years of dedicated service in 2007.

For 23 years, Sister Helen ministered in Catholic elementary schools, teaching primary grades in Pittsburgh, Carrolltown, Connellsville, Jeannette, Brookline and Perrysville in Pennsylvania, and in Canton and Waynesburg, Ohio. From 1986 to 1991, she worked in parishes as Director of Religious education. In her later years, she ministered to others with child care, adult care and home care.

Sister Helen had a great love for the Church and for her God. She spent much of her time reading spiritual books and liked to share with others things she had read. She was very talented with sewing and enjoyed working with the quilters group at the Benedictine Center.

Besides her religious community, Sister Helen is survived by her sisters Anna, wife of Curtis Trimble, and Ruth, wife of Dave McClintock, and by her brother Rudolph Seidel and his wife Alberta.

A Vigil Service for Sister Helen will be held in the Chapel at St. Benedict Monastary, Wednesday, December 28 at 7:00 p.m. and viewing will be from 11:00 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. Thursday, December 30. The funeral will be Thursday, at 7:00 p.m. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Kasper/Hahn Funeral home. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Benedictine Sisters of Pittsburgh.

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