***This article was originally published in the Feb. 26, 2017, edition of Chicago Catholic.*** Rock star. Icon. Living legend. Those are just some of the words used to describe Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the 97-year-old chaplain of Loyola University’s men’s basketball team and the newest member of the university’s sports hall of fame. During halftime on Jan. 21 when the Loyola men’s team played Evansville in Gentile Arena, Sister Jean became the 173rd person inducted into the hall of fame since its creation in 1914. She was this year’s only inductee. The 5-foot nun can be seen at every home game of the men’s team. She’s most often decked out in Loyola gear and wearing her trademark maroon Nike tennis shoes with gold laces that have “Sister” stitched onto the heel of her left shoe and “Jean” stitched on the heel of her right shoe. Everyone on campus knows Sister Jean, who keeps an office in the Student Center where her door is always open; who has her own bobble head; and who lives in a dorm with 400 undergraduate students, where she also serves as their chaplain. Sister Jean said she was honored and humbled to be inducted into the hall of fame. “It’s a very special day for me and for Loyola and for all of us who work here,” she said. As she was led out to center court on Jan. 21 by university President JoAnn Rooney and Athletic Director Steve Watson, fans chanted “Sister Jean! Sister Jean!” Born in San Francisco in 1919, Sister Jean played basketball growing up and, in 1937, joined the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Iowa. She was 18. She taught in elementary schools and also volunteered as a coach in Los Angeles public schools when she was teaching in that city. In 1961, Sister Jean took a teaching job at Mundelein College, the women’s college located next to Loyola in Rogers Park. Mundelein merged with Loyola in 1991 and just a few years later, in 1994, Sister Jean became chaplain of the men’s basketball team. She takes her job seriously. After games she emails each player pointing out what they did well and what they can work on. When Loyola Coach Porter Moser took the job in 2011, one of the first people he heard from was Sister Jean, who gave him a scouting report of all the players. Before home games, Sister Jean waits for the team and sits on a bench near the entrance to the court where the players come in. Students stop by to say hello. Referees come over to hug her. During games she sits up behind the home bench intently watching the action. Before their final warmup, Sister Jean gathers the young men in a circle, all of their arms linked together, and prays with them. “I love every one of them,” she said. “I talk about the game to them and then they go out and play.” In addition to the team, Sister Jean also leads the entire crowd in a prayer before tipoff. Her prayers always include petitions that each team will play well and be free of injuries. But she also shows her bias. When praying before the Jan. 21 game against Evansville, she said, “Bless our fans. In addition, O Lord, we pray that the Ramblers fail to overturn the ball today.” She finishes her prayers the same way every time. “Amen. Go Ramblers.” Prayer is important, she says. “I always pray that we don’t get injured and that we play with great sportsmanship and that we be respectful toward each other. I think that’s very important.” Should we pray to win? “Sure. We pray to win because we’re in competition. When you’re in competition you want to win,” she said. “If that’s the way God wants it, it’s fine.” Sister Jean has influenced many students over the years, and some of them turned out for her induction ceremony. “She was my confirmation sponsor here at Loyola in ’92. She was phenomenal and has just about the same amount of energy that she did back then and was always such a positive influence. I love her,” said Michon Mohan. Beata Peters agreed. Peters knew Sister Jean when she was a dean at Mundelein College. “We called her ‘Jean the dean.’ She was our dean of students. She was just as warm and wonderful as she is now,” Peters said. “She was always present, always there to help you if needed help with anything. I adore her.” Peters attended the hall of fame induction just to see Sister Jean. “I haven’t seen her in 30 years and she remembered me right away,” Peters said. “She’s amazing.”
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Loyola University celebrates Sister Jean’s 104th birthday Loyola University Chicago celebrated the 104th birthday of BVM Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt at its annual Water Tower Campus block party Aug. 31, an event that included a line of students, alumni and other well-wishers waiting for a photo with her as well as an opportunity for all the attendees to sing “Happy Birthday” to Loyola’s biggest, and perhaps most unlikely, celebrity.
Loyola University’s Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt celebrates a century of life When a living legend like BVM Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt turns 100, it’s fitting to celebrate for a month. That’s what Loyola University Chicago did in August when its men’s basketball chaplain reached the century mark.