“What You Have, I Want”
Paula Warren ‘27 first noticed their joy.
She had just finished Sunday Mass at St. Mary’s when she met a group of women who were also student-athletes at Texas A&M. They were joyful, confident in their faith, and comfortable talking about the Lord with one another.
Paula wanted to know where that joy came from.
“What you have, I want,” she remembers thinking.
The women invited her to join a Bible study. Paula hesitated. Between swimming for Texas A&M and studying civil engineering, she did not think she had time. Still, she accepted the invitation.
That decision would change much more than her schedule.
Paula describes meeting a group of joyful Catholic athletes and accepting their invitation to Bible study.
The things that were supposed to be enough
Paula grew up Catholic in Cedar Park, Texas. She attended Catholic school before entering public high school and came to Texas A&M knowing her faith well.
“I knew the Catechism,” she said. “I knew the things that I had to do, but it didn’t go any deeper than that.”
During her first two years at A&M, Paula competed on the swim team. She had a clear picture of what would make her successful: swimming fast, earning good grades, and having plenty of friends.
“There was no faith in it,” she said. “I went to Mass on Sundays because that’s what I was supposed to do, but there was nothing besides that.”
Then the things Paula relied upon began to feel less secure. She was not swimming as well as she wanted. School became more difficult. The life she had worked to build was no longer giving her the confidence or happiness she expected from it.
“I felt pretty broken,” she said.
The women she met at St. Mary’s did not offer Paula an easy “fix-it” answer. But they did welcome her into their lives. She saw them pray, attend daily Mass, and make time for Jesus while carrying many of the same responsibilities she had.
Their joy had a source. Paula began to understand that it came from a relationship with God.
Loved apart from performance
Bible study opened the door, but Paula’s growth did not happen through a single conversation. Women walked with her personally and encouraged her to pray. She began spending time in Adoration, even when she did not know what to say.
At St. Mary’s, Paula discovered something she had needed for a long time: the Lord’s delight in her.
She did not have to earn His attention. Her prayer did not have to be perfect. Sitting before the Eucharist, she could begin to see herself as someone already known and loved by God.
Someone once told her, “Jesus just wants to be your friend.”
The words stayed with her.
Prayer became less complicated after that. Paula could tell Jesus about her day, bring homework into the chapel, or stop by with a cup of tea. At times, she simply sat with Him.
“Jesus just wants to be my friend,” she said. “It’s just that simple.”
Paula shares what she found at St. Mary’s and how she learned to approach prayer as friendship with Jesus.
Giving away what she received
Paula no longer competes on the swim team, but she has not left the athletic community behind.
Today, she leads a St. Mary’s Bible study for women from across Texas A&M Athletics. Cross country, soccer, volleyball, softball, gymnastics, tennis, dance, and swimming have all been represented.
Paula knows the pressure these women carry because she has lived it. Their schedules are crowded with classes, practices, workouts, team meetings, and competitions. A disappointing performance or an injury can quickly begin to feel like a judgment on who they are.
Paula wants them to know that the Lord’s love does not depend on any of it.
“They’re loved by the Lord whether they compete well or not,” she said. “There’s nothing they can do to lose that love.”
The Bible study gives the women room to remember that. They begin by sharing the highs and lows of the week, along with moments when they noticed God at work. Then they turn to Scripture.
They also show up for one another outside Bible study. They attend meets and competitions. They pray for injured teammates. They encourage one another to get to Mass after a hard practice.
Paula explains why she leads female athletes and how their shared faith creates community across different teams.
Faith reaching another team
Several women in the Bible study are also going through OCIA at St. Mary’s. What they learn on Tuesday nights is finding its way into conversations with their teammates—about Mary, the Eucharist, and the Catholic faith. Paula has even heard of entire teams discussing those questions together after practice.
She has also watched the women grow in their trust in God.
Paula remembers speaking with an athlete whose season was threatened by an injury. The young woman knew the road ahead would be difficult, but she trusted that the Lord had a greater plan for her.
In that moment, Paula realized how much had changed. A year earlier, the athlete would not have responded that way.
“That just shows that they have that relationship with the Lord and that trust,” Paula said.
Two years ago, Paula would not have imagined herself leading these conversations. She attended Sunday Mass, but she did not yet know Jesus as a close friend. Now she looks forward to Bible study, daily Mass, and time in Adoration. She is helping other women discover the joy she first recognized after Mass.
Paula shares how faith is spreading among teammates and reflects on becoming a Bible study leader.
An invitation that keeps moving
Paula’s story began with women who noticed her and invited her in. Their investment gave her room to encounter Jesus, learn to pray, and understand her life differently.
Now Paula is making that same invitation.
St. Mary’s Bible studies are supported through our partnership with FOCUS, whose missionaries help form and accompany student leaders. Those leaders can then reach people already around them—in their classes, residence halls, workplaces, and teams.
Your generosity makes that work possible.
It provides the people, spaces, and resources needed to welcome a student, walk with him or her, and prepare them to do the same for someone else.
From October 2–4, every gift to St. Mary’s will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $125,000. Together, we have the opportunity to raise $250,000 to continue serving students at Texas A&M, Blinn, and RELLIS.
Double your gift and help more students share their faith. →
