Sister Jean, beloved Loyola University Chicago men’s basketball chaplain, dies at 106

Loyola University Chicago’s Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the longtime chaplain to the men’s basketball team, died Thursday. She was 106 years old.

Sister Jean rose to beloved prominence during the 2018 NCAA Tournament, during which the No. 11-seeded Loyola Ramblers went on a Cinderella run to the Final Four for the first time since their 1963 title season. Sister Jean caught the attention of fans and media from the sidelines and became one of the most popular figures of that March, gaining such stature that she had her own news conference listed on the official media schedule.

“In many roles at Loyola over the course of more than 60 years, Sister Jean was an invaluable source of wisdom and grace for generations of students, faculty and staff,” school president Mark C. Reed said in a statement. “While we feel grief and a sense of loss, there is great joy in her legacy.

“Her presence was a profound blessing for our entire community, and her spirit abides in thousands of lives. In her honor, we can aspire to share with others the love and compassion Sister Jean shared with us.”

Loyola University Chicago is greatly saddened to confirm the death of Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM. This is a tremendous loss of someone who touched the lives of so many people. We appreciate everyone’s thoughts & prayers during this difficult time. Details to follow. pic.twitter.com/zPiMY1MsIu

— Loyola University Chicago (@LoyolaChicago) October 10, 2025

Fans and the media got tastes of Sister Jean’s lively and loving spirit through her witty one-liners and colorful quotes throughout March 2018. That season, Sister Jean filled out a March Madness bracket that had her Loyola Ramblers losing in the Sweet 16.

“When they made the Sweet 16, the first thing Clayton (Custer, then a junior guard) said — he gave me a nice, sweaty hug — and he said, ‘Sister Jean, we broke your bracket.’ And I said, ‘Go ahead and break it a little bit more,’” Sister Jean said in her 2018 news conference.

She was happily wrong. And her players were just happy to have her.

“She’s meant so much to this program, to the city of Chicago, obviously, with the prayers that everybody sees she’s been doing for us,” then-senior guard Donte Ingram said. “Her aura is so bright. She sends us emails after the game, generalized and individualized, letting you know what we did well and just to keep it going. She instills that confidence in us. To have her support, it’s great. She’s like no other. We’re happy to have her on our side.”

Sister Jean joined Loyola’s campus community in 1991 and began serving as the men’s basketball team’s chaplain three years later. In addition to her work with Loyola’s basketball team, she also held weekly prayer groups for students and started “SMILE” (Students Moving Into the Lives of the Elderly), a program that paired Loyola students with residents of an assisted living community.

In 2017, she was inducted into the Loyola Athletics Hall of Fame. The following year, Sister Jean was awarded the school’s highest honor, the Sword of Loyola, which is given to “an individual who holds to the spiritual qualities associated with St. Ignatius of Loyola: courage, dedication and service,” per the school’s website.

Last month, Sister Jean retired from her public duties, with Loyola announcing she was no longer able to be physically active in her role.