As she turns 104, Sister Jean Dolores Bertha Schmidt, the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known simply as “Sister Jean,” believes she has more work to do.
Sure, she thinks about aging and dying.
“I think about dying a lot,” she says. “I just want to be ready when God calls me. … Heaven’s gotta be a better place than this, although I find life very enjoyable.”
She adds: “I’ll be 104 [this] week, I guess I still have more to do.”
Sister Jean said she eagerly awaits the arrival of students to campus for the fall semester.
Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Times file
But there are other things on her mind, like artificial intelligence, the migrant crisis and, of course, basketball.
Born Aug. 21, 1919, in San Francisco, Sister Jean rose to fame in 2018 when the Loyola University Chicago men’s basketball team made history with its underdog run to the NCAA Final Four during March Madness. As the team’s chaplain, Sister Jean traveled around the country with the team, capturing the hearts of those in Chicago and beyond.
Sister Jean is older than the Internet, television and sliced bread. She’s seen things change quite a bit, especially in the realm of media, she says.
Less than a week before her birthday, an email from university leaders concerning artificial intelligence caught her eye.
A bobblehead of Loyola University men’s basketball chaplain Sister Jean.
Jessie Wardarski/AP file
“I’m a little nervous about it because I don’t know where it’s going,” she says. “I don’t want us to become lazy intellectually because we’re not going to learn that way.”
On one hand, the development of artificial intelligence is new and exciting. But on the other hand, she’s worried about it threatening academic integrity. She remembers feeling the same way about the popularization of computers.
Much has changed in technology and media, but Sister Jean says she looks to the church for something that remains steadfast. She draws from the teachings of Pope Francis, urging people to follow his example to help others, especially the poor and migrants.
Sister Jean, left, greets the Loyola Chicago basketball team as the Ramblers walk off the court after a win over Miami in a first-round game at the NCAA college basketball tournament in March 2018.
Tony Gutierrez/AP file
“I think we owe it to people to be kind to them,” Sister Jean says.
The city has faced an influx of arrivals over the last year, spurred by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sending buses full of immigrants to Chicago. Migrants are desperate for shelter, food and other necessities as the city grapples with how to respond to the increased demand for those resources.
“If we look back in our own families, most of our ancestry would notify us that our grandparents or great-grandparents were all migrants … and somebody was kind to all of them,” she says.
Loyola University Chicago’s Sister Jean throws out a ceremonial pitch at the Cubs’ home opener in 2018.
Jim Young/AP file
Sitting in her office in the student center on Loyola’s Rogers Park campus last week, Sister Jean eagerly awaits the arrival of students to campus for the fall semester.
For Sister Jean, the year ahead is an exciting one, as always. But she’s especially looking forward to having students back on campus — the impact of the pandemic emptying classrooms, lecture halls and dorms still runs deep.
Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt blows out the candles on her cake during her 100th birthday celebration at Damen Student Center in 2019.
Sun-Times file
Perhaps most of all, Sister Jean is ready for basketball season.
Not only is she excited for the stands to be filled with Loyola students and Rambler fans, but she expects the team to be in top shape after three-hour practices and being able to retain some of their seniors who received an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic.
In coming days, she’ll celebrate her birthday with a ceremonial first pitch at the Chicago Cubs game Aug. 28 and festivities at Loyola’s annual block party on its downtown campus Aug. 31.
With so many different things on her mind, one thing is not.
“I don’t really think about being old,” she says.
