Sister Jean

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt BVM
Personal details
Born	Jean Dolores Schmidt (1919-08-21) August 21, 1919 (age 105) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Denomination	Catholic
Residence	Chicago, Illinois
Alma mater	Mount St. Mary's College (B.A.) Loyola University of Los Angeles (M.A.)

Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM (born August 21, 1919), better known as Sister Jean, is an American religious sister of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and chaplain for the Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team at Loyola University Chicago.^[1][2][3]

Early life

Jean Dolores Schmidt was born on August 21, 1919, in San Francisco, California, and raised in the Eureka Valley neighborhood.^[4][5][6][7] She first considered becoming a nun while she was in third grade.^[8] As a student at St. Paul's High School, she played on the girls basketball team. After graduating from high school in 1937, she entered the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary convent in Iowa. In 1941, by then a sister, she returned to teach in California.^[5] Sister Jean completed her B.A. at Mount St. Mary's College (now Mount St. Mary's University in Los Angeles) in 1949 and M.A. at Loyola University of Los Angeles (now Loyola Marymount University) in 1961.^[4]

Career

Sister Jean began teaching at St. Bernard School in Glassell Park, California and then in 1946 taught at St. Charles Borromeo School in North Hollywood, California.^[9] Several students from her teaching days at St. Charles later entered religious life, including Cardinal Roger Mahony, Fr. Thomas Rausch, S.J. and Sister Mary Milligan, RSHM.^[9] Sister Jean moved from California to teach at Mundelein College in Chicago in 1961.^[10] During the mid-1960s, she was active in the civil rights movement.^[11] She was hired by Loyola in 1991 when Mundelein was merged into Loyola.^[8] She has worked as the team chaplain for the Ramblers men's basketball team since 1994.^[12] Providing a mix of spiritual and scouting support, Schmidt inspired her own bobblehead doll in 2011 and was honored with a "Sister Jean Day" on December 1, 2012.^[8] Loyola has also produced a "Sr. Jean Superfan" pin.^[13]

In 2016, she was presented with an honorary doctorate from Loyola for 50 years of service recognizing 50 years of service to the university.^[14]

As of 2018, she maintained an office in the student center on campus.^[5]

As of 2020, she was living at The Clare,^[15] a senior living residence in downtown Chicago that describes itself as "reinventing the luxury retirement community."^[16][17]

NCAA men's basketball tournaments

Sister Jean gained overnight publicity beyond the Loyola community after the Ramblers' upset of Miami in the 2018 NCAA men's basketball tournament. Her fame continued to grow after the team upset Tennessee in the round of 32, sending Loyola to their first Sweet 16 appearance in 33 years.^[18][19] The then-98-year-old nun quickly became a star in the tournament;^[18] her bobblehead sold for more than $300 on eBay.^[20] Loyola ultimately advanced to the Final Four for the first time since 1963,^[21] but they were defeated by Michigan in the semifinal game.

Sister Jean again drew national attention when Loyola appeared in the 2021 tournament. She had initially been barred from appearing at the tournament but was later cleared after she received a COVID-19 vaccine.^[22] After reaching the round of 32 as an 8-seed, she incorporated a scouting report into her opening prayer for the game against the top-seeded Illinois Fighting Illini, a team she was reluctant to play against because she did not want to root against another team from the same home state. The Ramblers went on to upset the Illini, 71–58.

She made an appearance at the 2022 tournament after Loyola qualified for the tournament, with USA Today noting she was still in good health.^[23]

Centenarian and birthday celebrations

Sister Jean became a centenarian on August 21, 2019 with Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker proclaiming it 'Sister Jean Day' across the state of Illinois.^[24][25]

On August 21, 2022, the plaza outside the Loyola CTA station was dedicated to Sister Jean in commemoration of her 103rd birthday.^[26]

As she celebrated her 105th birthday, she identified the secrets to living a long life as "loving others and God, taking care of your mind and body, and interacting with young people".^[13] Also in recognition of her 105th birthday, Sister Jean received a proclamation from President Joe Biden, in recognition of her lifetime of service.^[27]

References

1. "Sister Jean". Loyola University Chicago. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
2. Macur, Juliet (March 22, 2018). "Sisters of Sister Jean Embrace Her Loyola Team and Marvel at Her Fame". The New York Times. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
3. Arnold, Jeff (March 22, 2018). "A Day in the Life of Sister Jean, Media Darling". The New York Times. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
4. "Jean Dolores Schmidt, B.V.M. 1960–2006, n.d." (PDF). Loyola University Chicago. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
5. Ryan, Shannon (February 18, 2018). "'Sister Jean' offers comfort, prayer — and a competitive edge — for Loyola basketball". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
6. Cohen, Jodi S. (March 5, 2013). "Loyola men's basketball chaplain, a 93-year-old nun, is full of team spirit". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
7. Ostler, Scott (March 30, 2018). "Sister Jean's spirit: Made in San Francisco". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
8. Breen, Justin (December 12, 2012). "Schmidt A One-Of-A-Kind Sister Act at Loyola". DNAinfo Chicago. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
9. "Sister Jean's March Madness | Angelus News". March 30, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
10. Whitehair, Julie (October 26, 2016). "Sister Jean Sets the Record Straight on Mundelein Haunting". Loyola Phoenix. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
11. Crosby, Denise (March 20, 2018). "Loyola's Sister Jean is the face of an endangered profession of religious women". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
12. Lang, Cady (March 16, 2018). "Why This 98-Year-Old Nun Is Already a March Madness MVP". Time. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
13. "Loyola's Sister Jean talks DNC, Israel-Hamas war and connecting with students as she turns 105". Chicago Sun-Times. August 21, 2024. Retrieved August 22, 2024.
14. "Chicago nun, 96, receives honorary doctorate". WLS-TV. May 14, 2016. Retrieved March 23, 2018.
15. Schultz, Nick (March 28, 2020). "Confined to her Apartment, Sister Jean Remains Upbeat During COVID-19 Pandemic". Loyola Phoenix. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
16. "Senior Independent Living Community in Chicago". The Clare. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
17. "Resident Life at The Clare in Chicago, IL". The Clare. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
18. Dixon, Schuyler (March 17, 2018). "Prayer answered again: Loyola tops Tennessee on late jumper". Associated Press. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
19. Dixon, Schuyler (March 16, 2018). "Loyola-Chicago lifted by 98-year-old nun, fan in Sister Jean". Associated Press. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
20. Rovell, Darren (March 26, 2018). "Sister Jean 'gave her blessing' for Loyola to license her name, image". ESPN. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
21. Wolken, Dan (March 24, 2018). "Loyola Chicago, team of 'winners' bound for Final Four, turns NCAA tournament fans into believers". USA Today. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
22. "Sister Jean gave Loyola a scouting report disguised as prayer before upset of Illinois". www.msn.com. Retrieved March 22, 2021.
23. "Loyola Chicago coach Drew Valentine was pumped to have Sister Jean back for March Madness". For The Win. March 6, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
24. "Sister Jean of Loyola University Chicago Celebrates 100th Birthday". Midwest Province. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
25. "Loyola's Sister Jean celebrates 100th birthday". ESPN.com. August 21, 2019. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
26. "Photos: Sister Jean celebrates her 103rd birthday". Chicago Tribune. August 22, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
27. "Students—and President Biden—celebrate Sister Jean's 105th birthday". August 28, 2024.

External links

• Campus Ministry: Loyola University Chicago bio
• Sister Jean: Loyola University Chicago: Features from Loyola University Chicago's official website