“Nobody saw this coming,” the commentator noted, reflecting on the March madness victory of Loyola over Illinois, a 71-58 victory over a number one seed. Then he quickly corrected himself “except Sister Jean.”
Sister Jean Delores Schmidt is the 101 year old Loyola superfan. She is a fixture of Loyola games and was an important part of Loyola’s last run in 2018. She received her covid shots and permission to travel to the tournament. Before the game, she made this locker room prayer:
“As we play the Fighting Illini, we ask for special help to overcome this team and get a great win. We hope to score early and make our opponents nervous. We have a great opportunity to convert rebounds as this team makes about 50% of layups and 30% of 3 points. Our defense can take care of that.”
I have a book coming out later this spring on the Lord’s Prayer as a teaching prayer (The Only Prayer You’ll Ever Need). But it isn’t the only prayer we can offer and Sister Jean’s prayer reminds us that we have permission to pray for the things we want. And Sister Jean was aware that this prayer in the locker room wasn’t only for an audience of One (who would be aware of the stats), but was also for the team to encourage their best and remind them of opportunities. It turned out to be the game plan.
I am certain that Sister Jean prays for more than basketball victories. In fact, through her life, she was active in the Civil Rights movement, and lives in a freshman dorm. She has an office in the campus center where students can drop by. She has been the team chaplain for the men’s basketball Ramblers since 1994. She reminds us of the importance of things we sometimes neglect and has a special voice and witness. She reminds us that traditions, deep commitments, and even things we don’t fully understand, like prayer, can make the difference.
No one could ever say that Loyola didn’t have a prayer!
