Students on Loyola University’s Rogers Park campus reflected on Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt’s long life and legacy Friday, celebrating her warmth and capacity for acceptance and encouragement.
Fiyinfoluwa Olaniyi, a sophomore computer science major from Chicago, said he felt grateful to be part of the class of 2028, which he described as the last group of students to actively engage with Sister Jean, who stepped back from her regular duties as men’s basketball chaplain on her 106th birthday in August.
“A fundamental piece of Loyola culture just isn’t there anymore,” Olaniyi said. “It’s like a gap that I don’t think anybody could fill. She meant a lot to both the sports world, and Loyola as a whole, and the alumni and students. It’s tragic, but I’m glad that she’s in a better place.”
Nova Kurul, a junior software engineering major, said faculty often spoke highly of Sister Jean.
“It, of course, made me sad,” he said of Sister Jean’s passing. “She meant a lot to the sports community, she gave them motivation. For the entire college, she was a safe person to talk to.”
Kurul said he remembered students stopping by Sister Jean’s office to share what was on their minds. “That’s how I think about her.”
He’s glad Sister Jean got to live a long life.
“It was pretty upsetting to hear about,” said Arisaidi Pacheco, a sophomore criminal justice major and Chicago native. “I’m thankful for everything she’s done. It definitely felt sudden.”
Many students echoed that sense of loss, describing Sister Jean as a unifying presence on campus.
“She was a really important figure in the school, and everyone is sad about it, the professors, too,” said Sean Kim, a sophomore biology pre-med major from California.
Though some newer students didn’t get to know Sister Jean as personally, they said her spirit and reputation shaped the campus long before they arrived.
“We’re freshmen, but we still know her importance in the community, and we still feel the effects of her death,” said freshman psychology major Lydia Fowler from Delaware.
That sense of loss was shared beyond the student body, with university leaders recognizing the lasting mark Sister Jean left on the university.
In a statement on Thursday, Loyola President Mark C. Reed said Sister Jean spent more than 60 years at the university, offering wisdom and grace to generations of students and staff.
“While we feel grief and a sense of loss, there is great joy in her legacy. Her presence was a profound blessing for our entire community, and her spirit abides in thousands of lives,” Reed said. “In her honor, we can aspire to share with others the love and compassion Sister Jean shared with us.”