A view of the United States Penitentiary Administrative Maximum Facility, also known as the ADX or “Supermax” prison in Florence, Colorado. The facility has been dubbed the “Alcatraz of the Rockies” because of its remote location and harsh security measures. / Credit: JASON CONNOLLY/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Staff, Oct 13, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

A foreign-born Muslim inmate currently incarcerated in the U.S.’s most severely restrictive prison complex is asking the government to require the prison to accommodate his religious practices under a key federal statute, highlighting the far-reaching and comprehensive nature of religious freedom rules in the United States. 

U.S. District Judge Philip Brimmer in a Sept. 25 ruling agreed that Mostafa Kamel Mostafa had demonstrated that prison officials at the maximum facility had “substantially burdened the exercise of his religion” by failing to install a special cleaner in one of his cells.

The prison, a “supermax” facility in Colorado commonly known as ADX Florence and colloquially as the “Alcatraz of the Rockies,” is famous for its near-total state of lockdown. 

Housing some of the most dangerous inmates in the U.S. penitentiary system, it features poured concrete cells in which prisoners are confined for most of the day as well as high-level security protocols that include motion detectors, pressure pads, and pits used for exercise. 

Mostafa was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for his role in a deadly hostage-taking scheme in 1998 and other terrorist activities. He is incarcerated in the “H-unit” of ADX Florence, its most secure wing. 

Formerly an imam at a U.K. mosque, Mostafa follows Islamic rules regarding prayer, including a mandate to “make himself clean and presentable before praying.” With both his arms amputated above the elbow, he requires some accommodations to that end, including a bidet in his cell toilet. 

Mostafa has had two cells adapted for his disabilities; the prison has installed a bidet in one but not the other. Brimmer in his ruling found that “until [the prison] install[s] a bidet in both of Mr. Mostafa’s cells,” the prisoner has a claim to a burden on his religious exercise. 

‘Everybody has access to the fundamentals’

Though the dispute has made its way to U.S. district court, it may be moot before it goes any further, as prison officials have explicitly stated that they are “in the process” of installing a bidet in Mostafa’s second cell. 

Yet the case underscores just how extensively the principles of religious liberty have been applied in the United States, up to and including accommodating modifications to the prison cell toilet of a foreign-born terrorist.

Robert Destro, a professor of law at The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law and the former federal assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights, and labor, said in an interview that religious liberty cases arise regularly within prison populations. 

Mostafa brought the case in part under the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), a Clinton-era law that restricts how and under what conditions the U.S. government can impose burdens upon U.S. religious liberty.

Destro said RFRA is similar in some ways to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a 1990 federal law that requires “reasonable accommodations” in hiring and business practices for disabled people. 

“In a way, RFRA is a little like the ADA,” he said. “It wants to make sure that everybody has access to the fundamentals. Just because you’ve been sentenced to prison because you did something bad, or stupid, or both, doesn’t mean that you lose your First Amendment rights.”

The dispute in prison cases, Destro said, is usually “how much the prison should defer to the warden and to prison policies” and to what extent it’s obligated to accommodate a religious belief. 

In Mostafa’s case, “it seems like a fairly simple answer,” he said.

“The guy has a disability,” he pointed out. “There’s no question about his faith. [And] there’s no way that somebody with no arms and access to a stream of water is going to, you know, burn down the prison. There’s no tangible security threat.”

The federal government explicitly states that neither the national nor state governments may “impose a substantial burden on the religious exercise of a person residing in or confined to an institution,” barring concerns of a “compelling governmental interest” carried out in the “least restrictive means” possible. 

That language is virtually identical to the text of RFRA. Destro said the principle is “a lot less cosmic than it looks.” 

“The design of RFRA … was to shift the burden over to the government to say, why is this a big burden for you?” he said. The government only gets a “free pass,” he said, if it can show that an abrogation of religious liberty “has to do with health, safety, or some other very limited security issues.”

Further religious liberty expansions for prisoners could be on the horizon. The Supreme Court earlier this year said it would decide whether prisoners can sue individual prison workers — rather than merely the government itself — over violations of federal religious freedom law. 

Destro acknowledged that Mostafa’s fight at ADX Florence would likely be rendered moot by the government’s simply modifying his prison cell as requested. Still, he said, it often makes more sense for a government to quickly acquiesce to a prisoner’s reasonable request rather than fight it. 

“If you know you’re going to get sued on RFRA — just like getting sued under the ADA — why don’t you just make the accommodations and save the money on the lawsuit?” he said. “For the amount of money it’s going to cost you to put in a bidet, it’s cheaper than having a lawyer go to court.”

“For the money you’ve spent defending the suit, you could’ve put the thing in and been done with it!” he said with a laugh. “That’s not always the right answer. Sometimes there is a question of principle involved. But I don’t see one here.”

Christopher Columbus, by Sebastiano del Piombo, 1519. / Credit: Public domain

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Oct 13, 2025 / 05:00 am (CNA).

President Donald Trump renewed the focus of Columbus Day to be celebrated on the second Monday of October, reclaiming the explorer’s “extraordinary legacy of faith, courage, perseverance, and virtue,” according to the president’s proclamation.

Since 1971, the second Monday in October has been federally recognized as Columbus Day to commemorate Columbus’ discovery of the Americas in 1492, celebrate Italian-American heritage, and acknowledge the 1891 lynchings of 11 Italian Americans. In 2021, former President Joe Biden issued the first presidential proclamation of Indigenous Peoples’ Day to be observed on the same day, following backlash toward Columbus.

The “current hostility to him is ill informed,” Felipe Fernández-Armesto, professor of history at the University of Notre Dame and author of “Columbus on Himself,” told CNA. “He was understandably conflicted about the people he encountered on this side of the ocean, but, by the standards of his contemporaries, his most characteristic judgments about them were highly positive.”

“Columbus Day is commendable — instituted in expiation of the worst lynching in U.S. history … Columbus suited a project of national reconciliation because he was, for most of the history of the U.S., a unifying figure.” Fernández-Armesto added: “He should remain so today.” 

“He was not guilty of most of the excesses of cruelty that interested enemies at the time and ignorant critics today ascribe to him. His history was uniquely significant: He was genuinely the discoverer of viable routes to and fro across the Atlantic — reconnecting, for good and ill, formerly sundered cultures and enabling the world-transforming exchange of ideas and people, commerce and life-forms,” he said.

“It’s hard to think of anyone whose impact on the hemisphere has been greater,” Fernández-Armesto said. 

Presidential proclamation

In an Oct. 9 proclamation, Trump wrote the previous years have been a “campaign to erase our history … and attack our heritage.” To combat this, Trump formally declared the day will be recognized as Columbus Day in honor of “the great Christopher Columbus and all who have contributed to building our nation.”

As a “titan of the Age of Exploration,” Columbus was “guided by a noble mission: to discover a new trade route to Asia, bring glory to Spain, and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to distant lands,” the proclamation said. 

Upon Columbus’ arrival in the Americas, “he planted a majestic cross in a mighty act of devotion, dedicating the land to God and setting in motion America’s proud birthright of faith.”

The president noted that Columbus was guided by “steadfast prayer and unwavering fortitude and resolve” and his journey “carried thousands of years of wisdom, philosophy, reason, and culture across the Atlantic into the Americas.” 

“As we celebrate his legacy, we also acknowledge the contributions of the countless Italian-Americans who, like him, have endlessly contributed to our culture and our way of life,” the presidential proclamation said. “To this day, the United States and Italy share a special bond rooted in the timeless values of faith, family, and freedom. My administration looks forward to strengthening our long and storied friendship in the years to come.”

Under the administration, “our nation will now abide by a simple truth: Christopher Columbus was a true American hero, and every citizen is eternally indebted to his relentless determination.”

The president called on the American people to observe the day “with appropriate ceremonies and activities” and directed that U.S. flags be displayed on all public buildings on the appointed day.

Crowds look at the Miracle of the Sun that occurred during the Our Lady of Fátima apparitions in 1917. / Credit: Public domain

CNA Staff, Oct 13, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).

Oct. 13, 1917, marked the last Marian apparition in Fátima and the day on which thousands of people bore witness to the miracle of the dancing sun — a miracle that shattered the prevalent belief at the time that God was no longer relevant.

Marco Daniel Duarte, a theologian and director of the Fátima Shrine museums, shared with CNA the impact that the miracle of the sun made during those days in Portugal.

If one were to open philosophy books during that period, he or she would likely read something akin to the concept conceived by German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who boldly asserted in the late 1800s that “God is dead.”

Also, in 1917 Portugal, the majority of the world was embroiled in war. As World War I raged throughout Europe, Portugal found itself unable to maintain its initial neutrality and joined forces with the Allies. More than 220,000 Portuguese civilians died during the war, thousands due to food shortages and thousands more from the Spanish flu.

A few years before, a revolution had led to the establishment of the First Portuguese Republic in 1910 and a new liberal constitution was drafted under the influence of Freemasonry, which sought to suppress the faith from public life. Catholic churches and schools were seized by the government, and the wearing of clerics in public, the ringing of church bells, and the celebration of public religious festivals were banned. Between 1911 and 1916, nearly 2,000 priests, monks, and nuns were killed by anti-Christian groups.

This was the backdrop against which, in 1917, a lady believed to be the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children — Lucia dos Santos, 10, and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, 9 and 7 — in a field in Fátima, Portugal, bringing with her requests for the recitation of the rosary, for sacrifices on behalf of sinners, and a secret regarding the fate of the world.

To prove that the apparitions were true, the lady promised the children that during the last of her six appearances, she would provide a sign so people would believe in the apparitions and in her message. What happened on that day — Oct. 13, 1917 — has come to be known as the “Miracle of the Sun,” or “the day the sun danced.”

According to various accounts, a crowd of some 70,000 people — believers and skeptics alike —gathered to see the miracle that was promised: The rainy sky cleared up, the clouds dispersed, and the ground, which had been wet and muddy from the rain, dried up. A transparent veil came over the sun, making it easy to look at, and multicolored lights were strewn across the landscape. The sun then began to spin, twirling in the sky, and at one point appeared to veer toward the earth before jumping back to its place in the sky.

The stunning event was a direct and very convincing contradiction to the atheistic regimes at the time, which is evidenced by the fact that the first newspaper to report on the miracle on a full front page was an anti-Catholic, Masonic newspaper in Lisbon called O Seculo.

The miracle of the sun was understood by the people to be “the seal, the guarantee, that in fact those three children were telling the truth,” Duarte said.

Even today, “Fátima makes people change their perception of God,” since “one of the most important messages of the apparitions is that even if someone has separated from God, God is present in human history and doesn’t abandon humanity.”

This story was first published on CNA on Oct. 12, 2017, and has been updated.

Chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba, has announced that bottles containing altar wine must bear the official coat of arms of the bishops, as well as an official signature, to certify their authenticity.  / Credit: “EWTN News in Depth”/Screenshot

ACI Africa, Oct 12, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

Wine for Mass in Kenya must now bear the “coat of arms” of the country’s bishops, the chairman of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) announced Oct. 4. 

Speaking at the 2025 National Prayer Day at the Subukia National Marian Shrine in Kenya’s Nakuru Diocese on the feast of St. Francis, KCCB chairman Archbishop Maurice Muhatia Makumba announced that bottles containing the altar wine must bear the coat of arms of the bishops, as well as an official signature, to certify their authenticity. 

The Catholic faithful have welcomed the news as many believe the wine previously used “had lost its sanctity due to its widespread use outside the Church,” according to a BBC report. 

The wine formerly used is reportedly widely sold in liquor stores, bars, and supermarkets.

After exploring options, the bishops in Kenya chose a South African vintage for the newly approved Mass wine.

“Vigilance on the quality and standards of the wine and hosts used in the Mass is given to the Catholic bishops of the country. This is reviewed from time to time,” the archbishop added.

The new wine was officially introduced to worshippers during the National Prayer Day. 

Muhatia has directed that local Catholic communities and Catholic institutions abide by the directives and sourcing for the new altar wine.

“It is important that you acquaint yourself with your diocese and know what has been established as the outlets for this wine because different dioceses have different ways of distributing this wine,” he said at the National Prayer Day.

“Some dioceses allow only specific persons to buy this wine for Mass; others allow everybody. Depending on your diocese, please be aware of the regulations.”

This story was first published by ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, and has been adapted by CNA.

Father Peter Konteh, a Catholic priest in Sierra Leone, is the subject of a new book called “Sent to Heal a Wounded Nation: The Story of Father Peter Konteh.” / Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Peter Konteh

CNA Staff, Oct 12, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Sierra Leone is a small, west African country located along the Atlantic Ocean known for its rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes, and complex history. Despite enduring a brutal civil war from 1991 to 2002, Sierra Leone has made strides in rebuilding and development — in which the Catholic Church is also playing a major role.

Agnes Aineah, the author of a new book titled “Sent to Heal a Wounded Nation: The Story of Father Peter Konteh,” shares the powerful testimony of Konteh, a Catholic priest ordained at the height of the civil war in Sierra Leone who faced death several times on the front lines. 

Aineah, a Kenyan journalist who writes for ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa, told CNA in an interview that the inspiration for the book came from a trip she took to the country in 2022. While there, she witnessed firsthand the work of Caritas Freetown under the leadership of Konteh, who Aineah said is now a major figure in the Church there. 

In addition to serving as the executive director of Caritas Freetown, Konteh is the second vice president of the Regional Union of Diocesan Priests of West Africa and the president of Catholic priests in Sierra Leone. 

“When I finally got to sit down with Father Konteh, I decided to write this book because his story was so amazing,” she said.

A convert from Islam, Konteh was ordained in 1996. On the day of his ordination, the archbishop sent him to serve among the IDPs — internally displaced persons — who, unlike refugees, remained within the borders of Sierra Leone but were forced to flee their homes to escape violence and human rights abuses. 

Konteh co-founded the Inter-Religious Council, playing a crucial role in the peace talks between the Sierra Leonean government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) during the civil war. 

Aineah told CNA she wrote the book because “there are so many people who are doing a lot of good things in the Catholic Church here in Africa — bringing healing to the wounded Church — and I feel that it is important that we tell their stories for the future generations.” 

“I was just so amazed by the kind of work the Catholic Church is doing in Sierra Leone through Caritas Freetown,” she recalled. “I went to the slums around Freetown, where Caritas works, and they are like a household name there and everyone appreciates the work they do.”

Aineah also sees Sierra Leone as an example to other African countries of how people of various religions can peacefully coexist. While Sierra Leone is primarily a Muslim country, Christians and Muslims live together peacefully there. The level of Christian persecution is low, unlike that seen in other African countries such as Nigeria and Burkina Faso. 

Aineah said that according to Konteh, “the Catholic Church is very respected” in Sierra Leone, in part because the schools are run by Catholics. Also, there is a high level of intermarriage between Muslims and Catholics. 

“He [Konteh] told me that it is very difficult to find a family in Sierra Leone that is just strictly Muslim or strictly Catholic,” she said. 

Among the Catholic priests in the country, 40% were Muslims who converted to Catholicism. One example is the bishop of the Diocese of Bo, Charles A.M. Campbell, whose parents are both Muslims.

Another aspect Aineah highlights in her book is that despite the country’s natural beauty, the country’s tragic history of war and disease, specifically ebola, has taken center stage. In addition, there are now growing concerns over environmental degradation, an issue Konteh and Caritas Freetown are working to address. 

Aineah called her work as a journalist in Africa “gratifying,” especially because she is “able to amplify the voices within the Catholic Church” on the continent.

“Despite all these wounds that Africans bear, there is resilience and there is resourcefulness in terms of people who are trying to heal,” she said, adding that she hopes to continue to communicate “the resilience of African countries.”

A view of St. Peter's Basilica during the Mass for the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, with Bernini's baldachin and the papal altar decorated with white flowers, Dec. 8, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Staff, Oct 11, 2025 / 16:28 pm (CNA).

A man urinated on the Altar of Confession of St. Peter’s Basilica on Friday before being taken away by security officers in the famous basilica, according to news reports.

The man climbed the altar and “urinated under the stunned gaze of hundreds of tourists,” according to the newspaper Corriere della Sera’s Rome edition. Video of the desecration was widely shared on social media.

Il Tempo reported that the man “was promptly reached by plainclothes police officers present in the basilica” and was escorted out of the church.

The latter newspaper claimed Pope Leo XIV was “shocked to learn of the news,” though the Holy See Press Office had not released a statement about the incident as of Oct. 11.

This is not the first time this year that a vandal has attacked the altar from which the pope says Mass.

In February, a man desecrated the altar by climbing on top of it and throwing six candelabras that were on the altar to the ground.

In June 2023, meanwhile, a Polish man approached the high altar as the basilica was about to close, undressed, and climbed onto the altar. Photos posted online showed the words “Save children of Ukraine” written in marker on his back. The Vatican performed a penitential rite after that act of desecration.

Jonathan Kuplack takes part in “The Mammoth,” a 214-mile race through the Eastern Sierras in California that he ran with the hope to inspire other men across the country. / Credit: Jacob Schmiedicke

CNA Staff, Oct 11, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Five years ago, Jonathan Kuplack was speaking with a friend about the need for men to have communities where they can be open with one another, challenge each other, and be inspired to become the men God intended them to be. 

The conversation led Kuplack to launch a Catholic nonprofit called “Sebaste” — which comes from the story of the 40 Martyrs of Sebaste — that challenges men to become saints through intensive summer programs, adventure, brotherhood, physical challenge, and prayer.

Kuplack lives this mission by example. From Sept. 26–28, the 37-year-old participated in “The Mammoth” — a 214-mile race through the Eastern Sierras in California — with the hope to inspire other men across the country.

As an avid endurance runner, Kuplack told CNA that he receives a “deep joy and peace” from training for races and “there’s a unity with the divine that happens — it’s very hard to explain — when I’m running through mountains and it’s silent.”

Earlier this year, Kuplack ran across the United States — 3,500 miles in 100 days — stopping to speak at churches, schools, and on podcasts. 

He said he was inspired to take part in “The Mammoth” because he believes everyone needs to get out of their comfort zone in order for growth to happen. 

“We need to grow and there’s only growth on the other side of our fear and the other side of our comfort zone,” he said. “And as long as we stay in the places where we’re comfortable, we will never grow.” 

Kuplack also wanted to motivate other men to “go to the other side of the fear and get uncomfortable and pay the price so that we can live in the fullness of joy and abundance that Christ came to give us.”

Kuplack went into “The Mammoth” hoping to finish the race within 48 hours. However, things did not go as planned and he finished the race after 71 and a half hours. 

For the first 70 miles Kuplack was at the front of the pack, but after a 28-and-a-half-mile stretch without an aid station — a stop along the course that provides runners with nutrition and hydration — his body was left depleted and he spent 45 minutes at the next aid station in a borderline hypothermic state. 

“That experience took me down and for the next 80 miles I was crawling. I was going so slow,” he recalled. “Every step was very painful and I didn’t even know if I was going to finish at that point.”

Thanks to an hour nap and refueling his body with more food, he was able to finish the last 50 miles. 

There were several takeaways from his experience of that race, including “the need to let go of our ego in order for God’s plan to play out in our lives and the need for transcendent experiences.”

“Going into this race, I’m giving this race to the Lord, I’m running for God. I’m saying to God, ‘If you grant me the victory, help me to just reflect that back onto you so everyone can see you.’ But as the race unfolded, I realized it was still about me. It’s so difficult to get out of the ego,” he said. 

He said the experience helped him realize that it’s “only when we find our part in God’s grand play, in his big movie, in his theodrama, do we become fully alive and fully actualized and become the great saints we’re made to be.”

Kuplack also highlighted the importance of “transcendent experiences in our lives.” 

“We need to have experiences that get us outside of ourselves so that we can look down and see our life from altitude. Look down from 30,000 feet and see the big picture. And these transcendent experiences draw us out of ourselves,” he said. 

“It’s like when the small group of apostles was up on the mountain and at the Transfiguration. They were drawn into something so much bigger and beautiful, but it gave a whole new perspective to their life when they went back down the mountain,” he explained. “And in these races, you’re running through incredible natural beauty, climbing mountains, descending. I saw the sun go down three times and rise three times in these incredible places where most people never get to go and I just got to be living and moving through that for 71 hours.”

“As painful as it was, it was such a gift. So it just sucks you out of yourself and you realize, wow God you are truly magnificent and great.”

Kuplack is hoping to inspire men to join in Sebaste’s “Choose the Cross” initiative, which invites men to commit to eliminating one habit or vice that may be hurting their relationship with God, engage in one physical activity daily, and do one spiritual act daily. 

He said he hopes more men will feel called to making a “full commitment to holiness and being a great saint.”

Catholic pro-life activist Savannah Craven Antao was assaulted in New York City on Thursday, April 3, 2025, while conducting a video interview with a pro-abortion advocate.  / Credit: Photo courtesy of Savannah Craven Antao

CNA Staff, Oct 10, 2025 / 17:39 pm (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news:

Pro-life influencer’s assault case dropped; Thomas More Society fights for justice

After New York City dropped the case against a woman who assaulted a pro-life influencer, the legal nonprofit Thomas More Society is advocating for justice. 

The pro-life influencer, Savannah Craven Antao, was punched in the face by a woman she was interviewing as part of her pro-life advocacy. The video went viral, but the city dropped the case.

Thomas More Society, on behalf of Craven Antao, asked the Manhattan district attorney to reconsider and to press felony and hate crime charges. 

“The defendant made disparaging remarks about Ms. Craven Antao’s Christian beliefs and practices before brutally assaulting her,” the letter read. 

Craven Antao, a friend of the late Charlie Kirk, who was violently murdered during a debate, said she takes inspiration from Kirk in her activism. 

The district attorney’s office previously released an apology for dropping the case and said it is looking into it internally. 

Judge approves Missouri pro-life ballot proposal

A Cole County Circuit judge approved a Missouri ballot amendment that, if passed, would repeal the 2024 amendment that created a right to abortion in the state. 

The proposed ballot measure would protect unborn children throughout pregnancy, with some exceptions in cases of medical emergency, fetal anomalies, or rape and incest. 

The 2026 measure would amend the Missouri Constitution to require parental consent for minors seeking abortions and to “ensure women’s safety during abortion.” The measure would also prohibit transgender medical procedures for children.

The amendment also contains language to “guarantee women’s medical care for emergencies, ectopic pregnancies, and miscarriages.”

Missouri’s current constitution, following the 2024 amendment, allows almost unfettered access to abortion as it says that “the right to reproductive freedom shall not be denied, interfered with, delayed, or otherwise restricted” by the government.

Texas arrests 8 members of illegal abortion operation

Texas arrested eight people in connection with an alleged illegal abortion operation in the Houston area. 

Yaimara Hernandez Alvarez, Alina Valeron Leon, Dalia Coromoto Yanez, Yhonder Lebrun Acosta, Liunet Grandales Estrada, Gerardo Otero Aguero, Sabiel Bosch Gongora, and Jose Manuel Cendan Ley were arrested for allegedly providing illegal abortions and practicing medicine without proper licensing, according to an Oct. 8 press release from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office.

The Houston area medical clinics allegedly performing the abortions are owned by Maria Rojas, who was previously arrested for posing as a physician and operating the clinics.  

Louisiana sues FDA over abortion pill mailing  

Louisiana filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent other states from mailing illegal abortion drugs into Louisiana. 

Filed last week, Louisiana v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration challenges the loosening of safeguards around chemical abortion drugs by the Biden administration during the COVID-19 era.

Under President Joe Biden, the FDA approved abortion pills to be prescribed remotely, without any in-person interaction with a doctor or clinic.

Policy Director for Louisiana Right to Life Erica Inzina celebrated the lawsuit, saying the FDA “abandoned its duty to protect public health by allowing abortion pills to be distributed through the mail without proper medical supervision.”

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt at the first round game of the NCAA Tournament in Dallas on Thursday, March 15, 2018. / Credit: Lukas Keapproth/Loyola University Chicago

CNA Staff, Oct 10, 2025 / 17:07 pm (CNA).

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, the beloved Catholic nun who became known across the country at the age of 98 as the chaplain of the Loyola University Chicago men’s basketball team, died Oct. 9 at the age of 106. 

“In many roles at Loyola over the course of more than 60 years, Sister Jean was an invaluable source of wisdom and grace for generations of students, faculty, and staff,” said Mark C. Reed, Loyola president, in a statement. 

“While we feel grief and a sense of loss, there is great joy in her legacy. Her presence was a profound blessing for our entire community and her spirit abides in thousands of lives. In her honor, we can aspire to share with others the love and compassion Sister Jean shared with us,” he added.

Sister Jean, as she was more commonly known, was born Dolores Bertha Schmidt on Aug. 21, 1919, to Joseph and Bertha Schmidt. She was raised in a devout Catholic home in San Francisco’s Castro District.

Since the age of 8, Sister Jean had a calling to religious life. In her memoir, published in 2023, she recalled meeting a kind and joyful teacher who belonged to the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM). Admiring this teacher, she would pray every day: “Dear God, help me understand what I should do, but please tell me I should become a BVM sister.”

In 1937, she joined the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and took the name Sister Jean Dolores. In 1991, she joined the staff at Loyola Chicago and three years later became part of the basketball team, first as an academic adviser before transitioning to chaplain. 

Sister Jean burst onto the scene when her beloved Ramblers upset the University of Miami in the first round of the 2018 March Madness tournament with a down-to-the-wire three-point basket.

Following this win, Twitter (now X) featured Sister Jean in a Twitter moment, and she received shoutouts from high-profile accounts including ESPN and former President Barack Obama. The New York Times also ran a profile on her.

Sister Jean lead the team in prayer before each game — praying for her players to be safe, for the referees to be fair, and for God’s assistance during the game. She also admitted to praying for the opposing team, but “not as hard.”

In her memoir, she recalled her pregame prayers with the players where she would also get on the microphone at Gentile Arena and offer a prayer for all in attendance.

“Does God really care who wins a basketball game? Maybe he cares more than we think?” she wrote in her memoir.

“If nothing else, I imagine God must laugh sometimes when someone prays to win a game. God sees a lot of horrible stuff going on. Sometimes he needs a good laugh. I’d like to think I give him a chuckle every time I say into that microphone, ‘Amen and go Ramblers!’”

When she turned 100, Loyola Chicago announced a scholarship fund in her honor to support students, and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker proclaimed Aug. 21, 2019, “Sister Jean Day” across the state. At 103, the Chicago train station plaza at the Loyola campus was renamed in her honor, with a large sign that read “Home of the World Famous Sister Jean!”

She is survived by her sister-in-law, Jeanne Tidwell, and her niece, Jan Schmidt. Visitation and funeral arrangements will be announced soon by Loyola University.