CHICAGO (AP) 鈥 At age 103, Sister Jean awakes daily at 5 a.m. She sits up quickly to avoid going to sleep again 鈥 "I鈥檝e got too much to do,鈥 she says. After prayers for the day ahead, she reads the Gospel on her tablet.
鈥淚 guess there aren鈥檛 too many 103-year-old nuns using iPads these days 鈥 there aren鈥檛 too many 103-year-olds, period,鈥 she writes in her memoir that will be published Feb. 28. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 pretty comfortable with modern technology. I鈥檝e always said, 鈥業f you鈥檙e not moving forward, you鈥檙e going to get left behind real quick.鈥 Adaptability is my superpower.鈥
In 鈥淲ake Up with Purpose: What I鈥檝e Learned in My First Hundred Years,鈥 Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt tells her life story, offers spiritual guidance and shares some of the lessons she's learned.
The beloved Catholic nun captured the sports world鈥檚 imagination and as the chaplain for the Loyola Chicago men鈥檚 basketball team that reached the NCAA Final Four in 2018.
She has been across America. , she was told, had more journalists than Tom Brady drew at the Super Bowl. Her likeness appears on socks, bobbleheads, even a Lego statue at . She sees the attention as a holy opportunity to tell her story and share what she鈥檚 learned; to help others wake up with purpose. Among her priorities, there鈥檚 little that she enjoys more than talking with young people.
鈥淚 love life so much and enjoy being with young people,鈥 she told The Associated Press. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the ones who keep me going because they bring such joy into my life -- and they keep you updated on what鈥檚 happening in their world.鈥
She arrived in a wheelchair for the interview at her office in the university's student center. She wore purple Nike Air Max sneakers with the words 鈥淪ister鈥 and 鈥淛ean鈥 written on the back, and her maroon and gold Loyola scarf that often gets compared to Harry Potter鈥檚. She smiled warmly and waved to prospective students and shook hands with current students, asking them about their classes.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 your dream?鈥 she asked some of them.
Samuel Grebener, a 19-year-old freshman, told her he was thinking about medical school. They then talked about their shared love for the Loyola Ramblers. 鈥淪he knows more about basketball than me,鈥 Grebener said.
It was 9 a.m. and by then, she had already written her usual scouting report and emailed the players on the team to congratulate them on a victory.
鈥淚 believe this was a turning point and that we鈥檙e now in a winning streak鈥 she wrote. 鈥淥ur next game will be challenging, but just keep working hard. I will be there in prayer and in spirit and bless your hands virtually.鈥
In her office 鈥 surrounded by bobbleheads, posters and pins with her image 鈥 she studied game stats carefully in preparation to meet with the team at practice. Before a pizza lunch at the nearby cafeteria, she met other students.
Catharina Baeten, a 20-year-old-junior, told Sister Jean she had decided to attend Loyola because of its excellent programs in psychology and women-and-gender studies. 鈥淎nd also because of you,鈥 she told the nun.
鈥淓veryone loves Sister Jean,鈥 Baeten said later, recalling that she first met the nun during a tour of Loyola when she was in high school. 鈥淭here鈥檚 not a single unkind bone in her body and she represents our values鈥 she鈥檚 the embodiment of compassion.鈥
Born in San Francisco in 1919, Sister Jean grew up in a devoutly Catholic family. She witnessed the impact of the Great Depression, World War II and the building of the Golden Gate Bridge, which she recalls crossing on foot when it opened in 1937.
Her religious calling, she said, came at the age of 8. She was in third grade when she met a kind, joyful teacher who belonged to the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Brimming with admiration, she would pray every day: 鈥淒ear God, help me understand what I should do, but please tell me I should become a BVM sister,鈥 she recounts in her memoir, co-written with sportswriter/broadcaster Seth Davis.
鈥淚 guess God listened to me on that one,鈥 she writes.
She followed her calling to the order鈥檚 motherhouse in Dubuque, Iowa, where she made her vows. She went on to teach at Catholic schools in Chicago and southern California, where she also coached girls鈥 basketball, before she ended at Mundelein College 鈥 on the Chicago lakefront 鈥攊n the 1960s. The school became affiliated with Loyola in 1991, and Sister Jean was hired to help students with the transition.
In 1994, she was asked to help student basketball players boost their grades 鈥 鈥渢he booster shooter鈥 she called herself, and later that year she was named chaplain of the men鈥檚 basketball team. The role, she writes in her memoir, became "the most transformational and transcendent position鈥 of her life.
鈥淪ports are very important because they help develop life skills,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd during those life skills, you鈥檙e also talking about faith and purpose.鈥 Her motto: 鈥淲orship, Work, Win.鈥
鈥淚 know that God will call me when he wants me. So, I just feel I have a lot more work to do,鈥 she said.
During a recent practice, she watched from the sideline in her wheelchair. On a break, the players on the men's and women鈥檚 teams took turns shaking her hand.
鈥淗er consistency is incredible,鈥 said senior forward Tom Welch, 22. 鈥淪he does it every day, every game. She brings the same energy to our pregame prayers.鈥
She also breaks down the strengths and weaknesses of the rivals in her scouting report. She鈥檚 鈥渓etting us know who鈥檚 good at shooting, who to send to the free throw line鈥 pretty in-depth details,鈥 Welch said. 鈥淎nd then sometimes, you know, she鈥檒l make us laugh, feel good for a game.鈥
The laughter has been needed this season. The team is 9-16 overall and last in the Atlantic 10 conference with a 3-10 record.
Allison Guth, the women鈥檚 basketball coach, called Sister Jean a legend.
鈥淓very day I walk in the office and she鈥檚 in her office. You talk about being there at 103. It鈥檚 because it鈥檚 a passion for her. It鈥檚 about love,鈥 Guth said. 鈥淚 think they should be telling stories about her forever.鈥
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