Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, a former Loyola Ramblers team chaplain who became a well-known figure during the men's basketball team's run to the Final Four in 2018, has died at age 106, the university said. announced Thursday evening in a statement.:
“Loyola University Chicago is very saddened to announce the death of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM. This is a huge loss for a man who touched the lives of so many people. We appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
Sister Jean served Loyola students for more than six decades. I just retired last month.. She was a common sight at Loyola sporting events and gained national fame when her 11th-seeded Ramblers went on a Cinderella run at the NCAA Tournament, upsetting the No. 6 seed. MiamiNo. 3 TennesseeNo. 7 Nevada and No. 9 Kansas before finally falling to third place Michigan in the Final Four.
Sister Jean was born Dolores Bertha Schmidt on August 21, 1919, and joined the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1937. She began teaching at Mundelein College in 1961 and found her way to Loyola University Chicago when Mundelein merged with Loyola in 1991. Sister Jean became chaplain of the men's basketball team in 1994.
“In many roles at Loyola for more than 60 years, Sister Jean was an invaluable source of wisdom and grace to generations of students, faculty and staff,” Loyola President Mark Reed said in a statement. “While we feel grief and a sense of loss, her legacy brings great joy. Her presence was a profound blessing to our entire community, and her spirit lives on in thousands of lives. In her honor, we can strive to share with others the love and compassion that Sister Jean shared with us.”
While sports fans will remember Sister Jean for her work on the Loyola basketball team, she did much more. She offered spiritual support to university students, held weekly prayer groups for students, and started a program called SMILE (Students enter into the lives of older people). The project connected Loyola students with a senior living community called The Clare and aimed to “form meaningful intergenerational relationships.”
“It means being a person for others by simply being yourself.” Sister Jean once said. “I am like that. I have to be myself. I tell students that – you will see people you admire, you can do some of the things they do, but you have to be yourself. God created you to be the person you are.”
