Sister Jean Rules the Court

Witty, wise and 104 years old, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt (writing with Seth Davis) describes her exceptionally long life of devotion and service, including her charitable work, college basketball coaching and media stardom, all marked by personal discipline and profound belief.

Prayer and Basketball

At 5:00 am daily, Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, a member of the order of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, arises, starts her day with a prayer, gets dressed and places herself in her wheelchair – which she uses because she broke her hip, not because of her age – and meditates for 30 minutes.

There’s something to be said for a child’s unabashed faith, but as we mature we understand what it really means to love God, just like we come to understand what it really means to love another person.
Sister Jean Schmidt

Sister Jean prays throughout the day in the Madonna della Strada Chapelon the campus of Chicago’s Loyola University, where she serves as the men’s basketball team’s chaplain and hawk-eyed analyst.

On August 21, 2019, Loyola and the City of Chicago threw a giant 100th birthday party for Sister Jean, who explains that she lives her life to serve and honor God. In third grade, little Dolores Bertha Schmidt  – Sister Jean’s birth name – told her teacher, a Sister of Charity nun, that she wanted to become a nun when she grew up. In 1937, at age 18, she entered the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) mother house. She served as a teacher and, in 1961, became a member of the faculty at Mundelein College, a Chicago college for women. Thirty years later, Mundelein joined Loyola University, which has been Sister Jean’s professional home ever since.

Holding Court

As Loyola University’s basketball chaplain, Sister Jean diligently serves as a religious mentor for the team. From her wheelchair parked beside the court, she carefully observes basketball practices and games. The day after each game, she emails her game analysis to the players and coaches, along with a scouting report on the team’s next opponent. Coaches and players respect her reports, read them with care and follow their guidance.

I may be an old nun, but I know my hoops.

In 2018, when Loyola reached the NCAA’s Final Four, reporters became fascinated with Sister Jean and her court-side perch and outfit. At every game, Sister Jean wears a Loyola maroon-and-gold scarf and Nike sneakers with “Sister” stitched on one and “Jean” stitched on the other.

Coaching and Stardom

Born right after the First World War, Sister Jean has always lived a rich spiritual life. Her father inspired her embrace of Catholicism. When she was a little girl, he taught her that God designed the universe. He explained that God loves all people, is present for all the events in their lives and wants everyone to be happy.  

In 1946, Sister Jean taught eighth graders at Saint Charles Borromeo School in North Hollywood, California. Many celebrities sent their offspring to Saint Charles, including Bob Hope, who enrolled four of his children. Sister Jean’s student Roger Mahonybecame a Catholic priest, then a bishop and then an archbishop.Sister Jean enjoyed the honor of flying to Rome in 1991 to observe the ceremony when Mahoney ultimately became a cardinal.    

I’ve tried to let my life be guided by a certain set of principles. I’m not saying I’ve always lived up to them, but I’ve always tried. God didn’t create us to be perfect. He created us to be human.
Sister Jean Schmidt

Sister Jean was a tough disciplinarian with her young students. For example, she didn’t allow boys to wear jeans to school. But with the kids foremost in her mind, she approached Saint Charles’ principal to ask if the school could add a sports program. The parish pastor approved her suggestion. Saint Charles soon featured numerous boys’ and girls’ teams in table tennis, basketball, football, track and even yoyo. The teams competed in a league of other local Catholic grade schools.Sister Jean coached the girls’ softball and basketball teams. She studied books on basketball techniques and practices.Eventually, the school placed her in charge of the boys’ basketball practices as well as the girls’.

During the mid-1950s, at the urging of her archdiocese, Sister Jean taught a civics class on TV. At her request, Bob Hope furnished a TV studio for her broadcasts. Sister Jean’s mother traveled to Los Angeles from San Francisco to lend her daughter moral support behind the cameras. Sister Jean’s broadcast class quickly made her a bona fide TV star.

In 1955, Sister Jean received a promotion to become the principal of Los Angeles’ Saint Brendan School, which had 400 students. She continued to teach eighth graders. In 1961, she moved to Chicago to join the faculty of Mundelein College, which later merged with Loyola.

Only Human  

Sister Jean emphasizes the importance of having good values and living according to a firm set of principles. As a basketball fan, she believes everyone should participate in athletic activities and that parents should encourage their children to play sports. She believes people learn teamwork through playing on sports squads.

Sister Jean hopes more young women will become nuns in the BVM order, as she did. Thousands of nuns were members of this spiritual community in the past, but its numbers have dwindled now to only a few hundred. 

Happiness is a choice.
Sister Jean Schmidt

She believes in helping others, explaining that when you help another person, you become more fully human yourself. While Sister Jeans understands that feeling discouraged is a part of life, she maintains that no matter what happens, you should always feel blessed that you are alive. When people ask Sister Jean for a little prayer, she answers by “thanking the God of all of us.”

She recognizes that people all over the world have “different names” for God and that different religions worship different ways. Sister Jean’s hope is that people will believe in God, follow moral teachings, and live good, honorable and admirable lives.

A Long Life Honored

Sister Jean (writing with Seth Davis) offers an inspirational story of faith, discipline, good fortune, community, sports and determination, within the embrace of her Catholic faith, a constant refrain throughout the book. Sister Jean is a person of great conviction, as you will see in this deeply religious memoir. That said, her faith and devotion are impressive, and she and Davis tell her remarkable tale with great good humor and kindness.