CHICAGO (WBBM Newsradio) – Loyola University announced funeral arrangements for Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the beloved chaplain of the Loyola Ramblers men’s basketball team, who died last week at age 106.
A wake and visitation will be held Wednesday evening at the Madonna della Strada Chapel on Loyola’s Lake Shore campus. The chapel will open at 4 p.m., followed by a wake service at 5 p.m. and visitation from 5:30 to 10 p.m.
The Funeral Mass will take place Thursday, Oct. 16, at 10 a.m. at the same chapel, with doors opening at 9 a.m.
Seating inside will be first-come, first-served, with overflow space available at Rooney Hall in the Mundelein Center. Both services will be livestreamed on Loyola’s website for those unable to attend in person. A community reception will follow the Mass at the Damen Student Center.
Sister Jean became a national icon in 2018 during the Ramblers’ Cinderella run to the NCAA Final Four, winning hearts across the country with her pregame prayers and courtside energy. She served Loyola University Chicago for more than 60 years in roles ranging from educator and dean to academic adviser and team chaplain.
Born in San Francisco in 1919, Sister Jean joined the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and began her teaching career in Los Angeles before moving to Chicago in the early 1960s to teach at Mundelein College, which later merged with Loyola.
In her later years, she became synonymous with the Ramblers’ men’s basketball program, offering guidance, humor and a steady faith that inspired generations of students and fans.
For more details and livestream links, visit Loyola University’s website.