The Ramblers of Loyola have made a splash in the NCAA Tournament in the past month, and the fame has gone everywhere. But without a doubt, the most talked-about person in this tournament has to be Sister Jean. Jean Dolores-Schmidt started out as a Sister of charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1937. By 1961, she had moved to Chicago to join the staff of Mundelein College. Over the next 30 years, she plied her craft on the North Side. In 1991, Mundelein College was absorbed by Loyola University, and she was kept on at the institution. 1994 saw her become chaplain to the men's basketball team, and ever since then her fame has grown. In 2011 she was honored with her own bobblehead. 5 years after that, she was granted an honorary doctorate from the school.
But all of that was just a warm-up for the past 3 weeks. Loyola entered the tournament as an 11-seed. But then they started winning. And they haven't stopped winning. Buzzer-beaters, blowouts, Sister Jean has been there for all of them. And that's not even counting the media coverage. The assistant Athletic Director has been deputized as Sister Jean's rep so as to sort through the mountain of requests for her time. On one day, her appearances were as varied as Good Morning America, WGN News, and ESPN. Add on the inevitable social media response, and Sister Jean is the newest celebrity of 2018. Who would've thought it would happen to a 98 year-old nun? I suppose the Lord DOES work in mysterious ways.
No comments:
Post a Comment