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May 30, 2025Due to the generosity of supporters, our FOCUS missionary team is thriving as is their outreach to students. These last few years have led to the addition of specific FOCUS affinity groups: Varsity Catholic and FOCUS Greek. These ministries have flourished the last few years. We'll about FOCUS Greek in a forthcoming post! Today, Gabrielle Schmidt (pictured in right image, center) , shares about Varsity Catholic:
Gabrielle, can you give us a brief introduction?
"I’m originally from Ohio, and I studied Psychology at The Ohio State University. As a student, I was on the varsity rowing team. Through my time on campus, and the presence of the missionaries, I desired to grow more deeply in my relationship with the Lord and to continue to receive deeper formation. As I continued to take the idea of being on mission to prayer, the Lord replaced my fears about mission with His peace."
You and Kam work together to serve the athletes. Can you tell us what this looks like on a weekly basis?
"Our big event is a bi-weekly Varsity Catholic dinner. Around 20-30 athletes come over for a free meal and to hang out with one another. We always present them with a question at the start of the dinner on topics such as their God-moments for the week, prayer, or rest, to create deeper conversations amongst themselves. Going to the athletes’ sports practices and games to cheer them on and to support them is also a large part of outreach. Our presence is important to show them we are here to support them in all parts of their lives."
Why is there a need for a specific outreach to athletes?
"In athletics, so much of their worth and pressure is put into their performance whether it be from their coaches, their teammates, families, or even themselves. As a former athlete, I remember the biggest obstacle for me was time. We’d have 2 practices a day on top of classes and homework. It was easy to put prayer to the side when there were other ‘more pressing’ things in my schedule. For athletes, and many college students, there are so many things trying to grab their attention. To have community with others striving to grow in their relationship with God is so vital as an athlete and college student."
What brings you the greatest joy your ministry?
"What brings me the greatest joy is seeing the women show up and make the time for things, such as VC dinner, casual hangouts, Bible study, and discipleship. Here at St. Al’s, there are 6 total athlete studies, 3 for the men and 3 for the women. Seeing that desire in them to grow in community and in their faith, in the midst of their sport, is such a joy."