Sister Jean’s prayers were answered on Tuesday.
Jean Dolores Schmidt, better known as Sister Jean, was allowed to travel to Indiana to take root in Loyola-Chicago while the Ramblers seek to recreate some of the magic they did at the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
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The 101-year-old team chaplain was originally unsure whether she would be allowed to be on the team’s travel group due to NCAA restrictions against coronavirus. But she told reporters that she received the release just three days before the Number 8 Ramblers played Georgia Tech at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler University campus, according to the Chicago Tribune.
“Sometimes they believe that it can be like a teen show, that everyone will surround me and I will not have any space to breathe,” said Sister Jean. “But the people who go to these games are interested in the games and are very professional.
“They are parents, they are students and students have a lot of fun. … In my opinion, there is no danger, but I am willing to do what they want.”
SISTER JEAN HOPES TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO PRAISE LOYOLA DURING THE MALE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Sister Jean, who now has two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, did not attend a game throughout the season, but watched the Ramblers closely and even called before the games to lead the team in prayer. According to the Tribune, she will have a nurse and security guard with her while in Indiana and will eat at her hotel.
Loyola-Chicago could face the No. 1 ranking in Illinois if both teams win and advance to the round of 16. But first, the team will have to beat ACC champion Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
“I always tell them that size doesn’t matter,” she said. “Sometimes, if you are too big, you can be a little clumsy. So we hope you are a little clumsy, but I don’t know if they will be.”
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The Ramblers made it to the Final Four in 2018 and with Sister Jean present again, perhaps the Loyola-Chicago story will repeat itself.