Born on a farm near Perham, Minnesota on January 22, 1909, Helen Catherine was the youngest of six children of Joseph and Helen Hassler -- four girls and two boys. Of a quiet, gentle disposition, Helen was pleasant and cheerful and enjoyed good health most of her life. She loved the outdoors and one of her favorite pastimes was to take long walks with her sisters around the farm in the quiet evening, when the day’s work was done. Sometimes they would sing, at other times talk, or just enjoy silence. Their walk always ended with praying the rosary. Helen also loved to play the piano and to do fancy work during her leisure time.

Once when still quite young Helen had a sort of fairy tale experience while picking flowers and berries with her sisters. She saw in imagination a handsome young king riding by on a horse, who stopped and asked her to be his beautiful princess. She often recalled this with joy, and in time it became a reality in God's own way.

When a seventh grader at school in Perham, Helen experienced a strong attraction for the religious life. This became more intense the following year when she learned of the Benedictine Convent of Perpetual adoration at Clyde, Mo. Her desire to be a member of this community was realized on May 30, 1933 when she entered as a postulant. On April 18th the following year she became a novice, and on May 26, 1935 was professed as Sister M. Odilia. On August 24, 1940 she sealed her commitment with perpetual vows.

In September 1941, Sister became a member of our community in Tucson. In 1945 she went to Mundelein, where she received Consecration of Virgins on January 4, 1953. In April, 1955 Clyde again became her home. 

In August, 1968 Sister returned to our Mundelein foundation, remaining there until its closure in 1978, at which time she became a member of our Kansas City community. Just previous to this time it was discovered that Sister was suffering from bone cancer. From that time on her health gradually declined. On Nov. 17, 1980 she was taken to St. Benedict's Health Care Center in St. Louis. During the comparatively short time of her stay there, she made an unforgettable impression on the Sisters as well as on the lay staff by her soft-spoken, gentle, patient and loving ways and her gratitude for the smallest service, and above all by her patience and readiness to accept whatever God had in store for her.

On January 11, 1981, she began to experience much pain and was no longer able to assist at Holy Mass in the chapel. On January 22nd, her 72rd birthday, a number of Sisters who had been in the novitiate with her had a little 'party' in her room, which she enjoyed very much.

The evening before her death, February 2nd, she told Sister Gladys Noreen, the nurse in charge, that she had asked our Lord to come for her soon as she felt she could not endure the pain much longer. At about 3:30 AM on February 3 her favorite prayer was realized: "0 my Jesus of life's evening, let me fall asleep in you quietly."

Father Maur Burbach summed up her life briefly in his funeral homily: "There was nothing spectacular about the life of Sister M. Odilia. She lived simply, gently, lovingly, in self-giving service. She showed us how to live... she showed us how to die. She died smilingly, gently, lovingly and longingly." Her life's tasks too had been simple -- working in the kitchen, the infirmary, the canning room, the altar bread department and sewing. But they were made great by the love she put into them and the pure intention with which she performed them — for the honor and glory of God and the salvation of souls.