Valerie Delgado
I’m a cradle Catholic, born in Puerto Rico. My family moved to Houston when I was three, and some of my earliest memories are praying at night with my mom in Spanish before bed. As a little kid, I would ask God for things with complete confidence, like praying every night for a little sister and later a little brother. Both prayers were answered.
I didn’t realize it then, but that was the beginning of my relationship with God. Before I understood theology or even really knew who He was, I knew He listened and that I could trust Him completely.
In high school, my faith became more real to me. On my first retreat, I experienced Eucharistic Adoration for the first time. I didn’t fully understand what was happening, but I knew something was different as I watched the people around me who were crying, praying, encountering Someone I didn’t yet know how to encounter myself. I remember looking at the monstrance and praying, “Jesus, help me know it’s You.” I opened my Bible and landed on the words, “Be still and know that I am God.” That moment changed me. For the first time, I understood that God wasn’t distant. He wanted a relationship with me.
After high school, I felt unsure about my future. I worked at a preschool while attending community college, trying to figure out who I was and what God wanted from me. One conversation with a coworker stayed with me. She admitted she was afraid to ask God what He wanted for her life because she feared the answer. I realized I didn’t want fear to make my decisions. So I prayed, “Lord, I’m open to anything.”
Soon after, I was invited into youth ministry, and that season shaped me deeply. Ministry stretched me, humbled me, and taught me how to love people more intentionally. I walked with teens through struggles, questions, retreats, prayer nights, and moments of encounter with God. At the same time, God was working on my own heart.
Eventually, burnout hit. I had poured so much of myself into serving others that I lost balance and felt completely exhausted. During that season, I prayed for rest and one summer, I unexpectedly felt drawn to painting. What started as a restful creative outlet slowly became prayer. In the silence of creating, I encountered God again in a new way. During COVID, I started sharing my art online, and it eventually became a full-time business.
But after a few years, it turns out I really didn’t love running a business. I simply loved creating with God. So once again, I surrendered it back to Him. And once again, He opened a new door, inviting me back to serve my parish in a creative role.
Looking back, every step has come from the same place: meeting the Father with complete trust. And every time, He has done something bigger than I could have imagined.