Wake, visitation held Wednesday for Loyola University’s Sister Jean

CHICAGO (WGN) — It was quite the line on Wednesday as mourners paid their respects to the late Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, who served students in Chicago and cheered on Loyola University’s faithful for decades.

Doors opened at 4 p.m. Wednesday for a 5 p.m. wake service at the Madonna Della Strada Chapel on campus. Community members ventured to the city’s North Side to pay their respects to Sister Jean, who, for most of her 106 years, first at Mundelein College, and then at Loyola University, when Mundelein affiliated with Loyola, showed unwavering commitment to the private institution.

Celebrating her 104th birthday, Sister Jean spoke about her love for Loyola.

“I sleep well at night. I’m happy when I go to sleep, then I’m happy when I get up in the morning, and I want to come to Loyola every day,” Jean said.

Now the community is showing how much she meant to them by preparing to say goodbye —and to say thank you.

Michael Murphy is with the Hank Center for The Catholic Intellectual Heritage.

“I don’t think in the history of the world – who at 106 years old is in the office five days a week – who in the history of the world? She was up until May,” Murphy said.

“When I wake up in the morning, my knees ache, and I’m too tired. I think about her and how she stayed fully alive. That’s why I strive to be like her. I’ve been at Loyola for 45 years and have known her the whole time,” added Joyce Knight, associate dean for Loyola’s College of Arts and Sciences.

The world got to know Sister Jean in 2018, as the chaplain of the men’s basketball team on their historic run to the NCAA Final Four.

“I like to pray for both teams, so that especially the fans know who might hear me know that I’m partly on one side but only partly,” Jean said in 2018.

An inspiration—her story became iconic. Her image appeared on limited-edition merchandise. And later, she wrote and published a memoir. When Sister Jean was 105, President Joe Biden issued a proclamation – acknowledging her lifetime of service.

“Just her way of being, her good humor, her dedication to people, her faith – these are draws, especially in times where there’s not that many people out there who are authentically that way,” Murphy said. “So that’s why we’re going to see a lot of people here at Loyola in the next couple of days.”

Wednesday’s visitation lasts until 10 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15. A funeral mass will follow on Thursday, Oct. 16, at 10 a.m., which WGN will stream in its entirety on WGNTV.com, the WGN mobile app, and on the WGN+ app.