Loyola wins, and this parent roots for Sister Jean
« Daddy, she knows me by my name, » said Daughter No. 1, who next year will complete her fourth and final campaign as a Rambler at Loyola University-Chicago.
The « she » is Sister Jean Dolores-Schmidt, long-time chaplain of the Loyola Men’s basketball team and current media darling. Over the weekend, perhaps the good Lord heard Schmidt’s prayers. The 11-seeded Ramblers defeated Nevada and Kansas State on their an improbable journey to the Final Four, college basketball’s Holy Grail. Loyola plays Michigan at 6:09 p.m. EDT Saturday in San Antonio. A win would send them to the championship game Monday against either Kansas or Villanova.
Back to Daughter No. 1 and her thoughts on Sister Jean: « She is everywhere. Everybody loves her! » she said.
They don’t talk much. « She just says, ‘Hi, how are classes?’ and shuffles away, » she said. But that’s beside the point. Sister Jean is present on campus. She is aware. She cares about the kids. She is faithful. And it shows.
This is no more apparent than in the past two weeks. At 98, she has given dozens of interviews to local and national reporters. Tall, sweaty players stoop low to hug her in her wheelchair. During games, she has become a fixture in screenshots and near courtside.
As a Rambler parent living in Cincinnati, there is a huge source of pride there (though admittedly I’m a bigger Xavier and UC fan).
My family met Sister Jean during freshmen orientation. We didn’t know her from Eve, but she welcomed all of us warmly, and it mattered. It’s the little things. She was not the sole reason Daughter No. 1, eventually chose Loyola, but it made us feel better knowing SisterJean was there.
Last week, The New York Times published a piece that chronicled a day in her life. She wakes up a 5 a.m., first to pray and meditate. She prays for a peaceful day and is reminded of God’s love for his children. At day’s end, another prayer for peace. She had given five interviews that day.
Perched along the banks of Lake Michigan in the diverse Rogers Park neighborhood, Loyola is steeped in Jesuit values of social justice and a commitment to act on behalf of others. In 1963, it broke an unwritten rule in college basketball by starting four African-American basketball players. The won the national championship that year over the University of Cincinnati.
It is not a big school with a storied athletic history. In fact, the basketball team has not made the NCAA tournament since 1985. However, this year the team is clearly exceeding its expectations.
Last weekend, Loyola punched their ticket to the Final Four motivated by faithful, praying Sister on sidelines. But the truth is, the Loyola family wins, even when the basketball team doesn’t. We’ll still have Sister Jean after the dust settles.
And, as she told the New York Times, « Win or lose, God is still with us. »
Amen.
