Photos by Paul Middlestaedt

Above, Sister Michaela Hedican, prioress of the Sisters of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, blesses the newly restored bell.

The bell, cast in 1906 to call the sisters to prayer, was silenced in 2000 during major building renovations. Donald and Marion Hall, Minneapolis, funded the new bell tower, bringing it back into daily use. The Halls, both originally from St. Cloud, had been educated by the Benedictine sisters.

Benedictine sisters and friends gather Sept. 20 at St. Scholastica Convent, St. Cloud, for the blessing of a 105-year-old restored bell. The new bell tower honors Sisters Suzanne Helmin and Idamarie Primus as representatives of the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict.At left, Sister Michaela Hedican, prioress of the Sisters of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, blesses the newly restored bell.

The bell, cast in 1906 to call the sisters to prayer, was silenced in 2000 during major building renovations. Donald and Marion Hall, Minneapolis, funded the new bell tower, bringing it back into daily use. The Halls, both originally from St. Cloud, had been educated by the Benedictine sisters.