Benedictine Sister Hilda (Yvette) Keller, 81, died Oct. 31 at St. Benedict’s Senior Community, St. Cloud. The Eucharist of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6, at the Sacred Heart Chapel, St. Benedict’s Monastery, St. Joseph, with burial of cremated remains in the monastery cemetery. Friends may call at St. Scholastica Convent on Friday, Nov. 5, for a prayer service at 1 p.m. followed by visitation until 4:15 p.m., or for a vigil prayer service at 7 p.m. at St. Benedict’s Monastery. Visitation continues at 9 a.m. until the time of the funeral.
Yvette Keller, was born May 18, 1940, in St. Cloud, the eighth of 10 children, to William and Frances (Useldinger) Keller. Yvette attended St. Paul’s Grade School and Cathedral High School in St. Cloud. She entered St. Benedict’s Monastery Sept. 12, 1958, made first monastic profession July 11, 1960, and perpetual monastic profession July 11, 1963. She celebrated the 60th anniversary of her profession in 2020.
Sister Hilda graduated in 1963 with a bachelor’s degree in Latin with minors in English and philosophy from the College of St. Benedict, Saint Joseph. She continued her studies at the College of St. Thomas and St. Catherine University, St. Paul, and at St. Cloud State University where she completed her degree in English. She did graduate study at St. John’s University in Collegeville, receiving a master’s degree in theology in 1982.
For many years, Sister Hilda served as a teacher despite having multiple sclerosis for more than 50 years. She taught elementary grades at Sacred Heart, Sauk Rapids, and St. Augustine’s, St. Cloud, and then moved into secondary education, teaching English, Latin and religion at Pierz Memorial High School, Pierz, St. Boniface High School, Cold Spring, San Benito, Puerto Rico, Cathedral High School, St. Cloud, Muroran Catholic High School, Muroran, Japan, Holy Trinity High School, Winsted, Minnesota, De LaSalle High School, Minneapolis, and Bethlehem Academy, Faribault, Minnesota.
In 1984, Sister Hilda moved to St. Benedict’s Monastery where she worked in the library and held reading classes for the sisters there, as well as at St. Raphael’s Convent and St. Scholastica Convent. In 1990, she served as receptionist and continued her short story classes for the sisters at St. Scholastica. For three years, she wrote reflections for the Liturgical Press at St. John’s University and worked in Studium at St. Benedict’s Monastery. Sister Hilda moved to St. Scholastica Convent in 2000 and taught English to the Korean guest sisters, read to sisters and continued her life of prayer and community living.
Sister Hilda is survived by her Benedictine community and one brother, James (Kenneth). She was preceded in death by six brothers, Richard, William, David, Charles, Robert, and a baby boy, and two sisters, Servant of the Blessed Sacrament Sister Petra (Margaret) and Patricia Johnston.
Please direct memorial gifts to the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict Outreach Ministries.