Loyola University unveils touching campus tribute, a bronze statue, to the late Sister Jean

Loyola University has unveiled a bronze statue of Sister Jean, the beloved chaplain whose presence became part of campus life for decades. According to Block Club Chicago, the sculpture now stands outside the Norville Center for Intercollegiate Athletics on the Lake Shore Campus, where students can sit beside it and remember her.

The unveiling came on what would have been Sister Jean’s 107th birthday, months after her death in October at age 106, the report noted. University President Mark Reed said the tribute was planned before she died and had been discussed with her on her 105th birthday, Block Club Chicago confirmed.

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Sister Jean, who went by the name Jean Dolores Schmidt, was more than the basketball team’s chaplain, Reed said. According to WBBM’s report, he described her as a steady source of care, joy and comfort for the entire university community.

A legacy that endures

The statue was created by artist Littleton Alston and is made of cast bronze, WBBM said. Alston added that the figure is seated on a low bench so visitors can come close, take a photo and, perhaps, feel as if they are getting advice from her.

As stated on Loyola’s website, Sister Jean was born Dolores Bertha Schmidt in San Francisco in 1919. She joined the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1938, taught at Mundelein College beginning in 1961, and remained with Loyola after the school became part of the university.

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According to Block Club Chicago, she became the men’s basketball team chaplain in 1996 and later gained national attention during Loyola’s 2018 NCAA tournament run to the Final Four. Her visibility brought praise from figures including former President Barack Obama and led to other tributes, including a bobblehead, a named plaza and a presidential proclamation from former President Joe Biden, per Loyola’s website.

Hundreds attended her funeral in October, and her niece Janet Schmidt and sister-in-law Jeanne Tidwell were among those present for Friday’s unveiling, Block Club Chicago confirmed. In WBBM’s report, her niece added Sister Jean “was like a matriarch to the entire family. She loved the students here at Loyola...everybody was always first; she was always second.”