Born in St. Cloud, Sister Quidella moved with her family of seven to Cold Spring at age 12. After working at the hospital for two years and feeling attracted to the prayers she heard there, she entered the monastery at 23. Her first community work was in housekeeping at St. Raphael’s Convent, after which she moved to the St. Cloud Hospital for 34 years, 33 of them working in the laundry. “It didn’t seem long,” she says, “because I was busy.”

In her ministry, S. Quidella valued the contacts with employees. She remembers “fun together—lunches for special occasions, birthdays and anniversaries.” As laundress, S. Quidella was responsible for clean linens, surgical supplies and gowns—all before the days of disposables. “The goal was to get it done,” she said. S. Quidella was known for her ability to remove spots.

In 1986 S. Quidella moved back to St. Raphael’s, where she worked in the laundry until 1999, when she moved to semiretirement at Saint Scholastica Convent.