Porter Moser remembers Sister Jean: 'I was blessed to be her friend'

Before Sister Jean became, in her words, an international star, Porter Moser knew her as the independent, energetic, positive chaplain for his Loyola Chicago Ramblers men’s basketball team. At SEC Media Days, Moser remembered her fondly following her death earlier this month.

Sister Jean died on Oct. 9 at 106 years old. He wanted the world to remember her the say way he does.

“I never knew her wheelchair until that winter of the Final Four year,” Moser, now the head coach of Oklahoma basketball, said on Wednesday. “She was always running around in her Nike shoes that had on the back, one side said ‘Sister,’ and the back of the other said ‘Jean.'”

Moser told several stories that highlighted Sister Jean’s unique impact on her community. She was 98 at the time the Ramblers made the Final Four run (Moser was the head coach then) and until she became wheelchair-bound, she lived on her own inside the dorms with the students.

Sister Jean had to travel from the dorms, to across the street to reach her office. Most often, she would opt to take on this task by herself. One time in particular, Moser spotted her making this trek.

“It had to be 8:30 at night I was coming out,” Moser said. He had already gotten in his vehicle and was beginning his drive home. “It was cold, really, really cold, and she lived in the dorms by herself, self sufficient. … So I remember walking out and she had her bag, and she’s hopping across. And I said, ‘Sister, jump in. I’ll take you across the street.’ She’s like, ‘No, no, this is great for me.’ It had to be 10 degrees. And I just remember her smile on her face.”

Additionally, Moser recalled Sister Jean’s interactions with his own children. On more than one occasion, they’d get a stern talking to by the team chaplain — especially if they had been acting up during her precious Loyola Chicago basketball games.

Her longtime service has been recognized by Pope’s, president’s and even has a plaza named after her on campus. This came amid her longtime commitment to the Ramblers basketball team.

She lent a helping hand to the program as an academic advisor in 1994 and stayed on as the team’s chaplain until her retirement last month. She stepped away from the program due to concerns over her health.

“My heart is so sad,” Moser continued. “I talked to her on her 106th birthday. I went back for her 105th birthday party. I took my team to Chicago last year. We were her second favorite team. So, as my heart is sad, it’s also joy and gratitude that she was in my life.

“I vibe with energetic, positive people. I’ll never meet someone who had such a positive attitude and poured that attitude into other people, more than Sister Jean. I was blessed to be her friend.

Moser revealed that he’ll be flying from SEC Media Days to attend her celebration of life on Thursday morning. The wake service and visitation occurred on Wednesday.