I can’t really say that I felt saddened when I heard of Sister Jean’s death at 106. If ever there was a case to celebrate life over death, Sister Jean is it. What a life!
Many knew her as the Loyola University Ramblers basketball chaplain during the 2010s, especially during the team’s race to the Final Four in 2018.
Much earlier, I knew her as “Jean the Dean” at Mundelein College, the all-women’s college on Sheridan Road alongside the Loyola campus in Rogers Park. In her many administrative and teaching roles at Mundelein, from 1976 to 1980, she was director of my dorm Coffey Hall.
Sister Jean put up with too many our freshman shenanigans — like the night we stayed out too late at the local bar, plopped down in the dorm elevator and rode the car up and down, talking and laughing. We weren’t ready for bed, but suddenly, the lift stopped on the first floor instead of the lower level.
Did we forget that the elevator shaft annexed Sister Jean’s first-floor room? The clanking sound of nonstop jangling cables was all she needed at 1 a.m. The doors opened to a wearied gray-haired nun in her pink robe and slippers.
“Girls, get to bed!”
Heads bowed, we pushed the up button one last time.
Although Mundelein was the blueprint for the 1966 film “The Trouble with Angels,” Sister Jean was so much more than the disciplinarian of wayward girls. Her door at Coffey Hall was forever open, and we knew that she would take the time to listen to our problems, both academic and social.
My senior year, I was battling emotional and financial issues. I didn’t think I would graduate come June. I visited Sister Jean in her office in the school’s main building one cold winter day. Sitting down across from her, through tears, I told her my dilemma.
“Keep moving forward, Mary Ann,” she said. “There’s always a way around these obstacles.” Then she helped me draw up a solid plan.
Thanks to Sister Jean, I graduated in June 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in humanities.
My favorite Sister Jean saying: “If the arc is true, the ball goes in.” Thanks for helping me with my arc, Sister.
— Mary Ann O’Rourke, Barrington
Kindness not forgotten
The famed Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, who recently died at age 106, has always reminded me of the dear nun librarian from my high school days. Sister Bernice’s quiet and immaculate library was a place of refuge for us when we needed to escape the glare of our very strict teachers who were passing by in the halls.
Like Sister Jean, Sister Bernice was of diminutive size, never without a smile, and she always took notice of each student entering her library. Some of us were in tears after leaving Latin class. Some were traumatized after algebra, and still others were holding detention cards in their hands. But all made it safe and sound to the library under the watchful but loving gaze of this dear nun.
Perhaps I still remember her name 70 years later because this gentle woman was a balm to our wounds, a mellow breeze to our reddened faces and a soft tissue catching our tears. Isn’t it amazing how kindness and tenderness are never really forgotten?
Sister Jean knows what I’m talking about.
— Kathleen Melia, Niles
True heart of the city
The front page of the Oct. 11 Tribune couldn’t be more accurate with a headline above the photo of Sister Jean calling her “Our Big Sister.” That she is called “Our” proves the unity of our city is in direct opposition to the description that has lately been given to us by Washington.
Several months ago, we gathered together in joy to celebrate the election of a native son as Pope Leo XIV, who is a White Sox fan. This week, the city mourns the death of 106-year-old Sister Jean, who was a Cubs fan. Participation in either occasion is not limited based on nationality, religion, country of origin or economic status because we, as a city, value each other and stand together in good times and sad ones.
This certainly does not align with the description of Chicago as a violent city requiring the intrusion of the National Guard. Those of us who live in this area know the true heart of our city is in direct opposition to the incorrect and unfounded designation it has been given.
Let us prove this to the world as we weep together at the passing of our sister, Sister Jean.
— Mary Ann McGinley, Wilmette
Marathon inspires joy
Huge congratulations to all the runners who fought through both physical pain and total fatigue to make it to the finish line in Sunday’s Chicago Marathon. What an amazing accomplishment!
I have gone out to the marathon for many years, as both spectator and volunteer, and just love seeing the spectators and competitors of all ages, all sexes, all skin colors, all shapes and sizes, and all nationalities and backgrounds cheering each other on in a collective upbeat positivity.
The enthusiasm and shared joy of all were absolutely contagious.
Wonderful to see and, to say the least, we need more of that in today’s world!
— Jon Cohn, Chicago
Love of city reaffirmed
I guess the Tribune opinion section needs to publish stuff from across the political spectrum. But this piece consisting of extreme right-wing talking points, cherry-picked examples and oversimplification of reality is really something (“Where local prosecutors have failed, federal government has stepped in,” Oct. 13).
I’m embarrassed for the Tribune opinion team, that it thought sharing that was a good idea.
By the way, I ran, slowly, the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. The energy, beauty and diversity I saw jogging through the 29 neighborhoods reaffirmed my love for this city.
Problems, challenges? Sure, duh.
A promising future? Absolutely. As long as as we don’t fall for this nonsense.
— Rich O’Brien, Evanston
A missed opportunity
The current municipal leadership — at both city and ward levels — has missed a valuable opportunity to guide our North Side neighborhoods through a difficult and divisive moment. Faced with the Broadway Land Use Framework and its potential to reshape Edgewater’s commercial corridor, we saw little evidence of a basic skill: conflict management.
The result? Edgewater fights among itself.
Having worked with the 48th Ward office, I get the sense that its leadership style is rooted in emotional language — joy and celebration. While well-intentioned, this often substitutes for the harder demands of governance: planning, coalition building and decision-making. Implementing the Broadway plan required holding space for disagreement and making hard decisions grounded in technical and social realities. Instead, we’ve seen an activist style of politics that’s led to neighbors vilifying neighbors.
This division didn’t need to happen. Former Ald. Mary Ann Smith, whose zoning decisions reflected subsidiarity and genuine engagement, offers a useful contrast. Her approach wasn’t just about listening — it was about turning disagreement into policy.
More disheartening, however, is the missed opportunity to think big. The Broadway plan could have been a springboard for reimagining urban sustainability. After visiting Seoul — a city denser than Chicago — I saw how biophilic design can make building height invisible. Tree canopies, green roofs and vertical landscaping mitigate urban heat, support biodiversity and enhance the street-level experience. Edgewater could have led on that front.
Instead, the conversation collapsed into protest and positionality — a failure not just of vision but of leadership.
Good governance demands more than slogans and virtue. It requires compassion — especially for those who disagree with you — and the maturity to transform difference into shared purpose. Our North Side neighborhoods deserve leadership that sees disagreement not as a threat but as a path to deeper community.
— Justin Carmien, president, Edgewater Beach Neighborhood Association, Chicago
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