All Her Friends Got Married Because of CatholicMatch, So, She Tried It!

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Alexis spent her 20’s and 30’s establishing herself in a solid career as a journalist in Ecuador. While she loved her job, she felt unfulfilled.

“I started to feel sad that I was single because in Hispanic cultures, people usually get married very young. When you are older than 40, your possibilities of finding someone are considered much lower”, Alexis explained.

So, she thought about online dating...

She saw the success that some of her friends were having using CatholicMatch, including one of her best friends meeting and marrying a man from America. That friend’s husband decided to gift Alexis with a CatholicMatch membership. Alexis then spent five years on CatholicMatch before finding Eric.

Eric, who lived in the United States, had recently become Catholic but had not completely internalized all of the Church’s teachings. Nonetheless, he felt God nudging him.

“I had been dating a non-Catholic Christian and realized the differences were too large; I realized that I wanted someone Catholic.” Eric signed up for CatholicMatch and immediately reached out to Alexis, not even thinking about the fact that she was living in another country. 

Unfortunately, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake had struck Ecuador the day before, and Alexis’ city had been greatly affected. She was too emotional to think about dating, so she politely responded to Eric that it was not a good time to talk and that she was feeling too upset about all of the destruction.

Eric felt devastated for her as he read about the earthquake, and he sent Alexis a quick message: “I am praying for your country, I did some research about your country, let me know if I can help.”

That compassionate message touched her heart.

And, they began chatting that day!

After some initial conversations, Alexis began to feel hesitant because of the language barrier. “I told him, ‘This friendship is not a good idea because I don’t speak English and you don’t speak Spanish...’” Alexis explained.

But, something told Eric he should not give up on Alexis.

He responded, “We can use google translate!” His enthusiasm and persistence alleviated Alexis’ concerns, and they continued to get to know each other. 

Eric and Alexis chatted online for eight months before finally meeting in person for the first time. During that time, Alexis learned English, and Eric appreciated the effort she put into their ability to communicate. They had serious conversations about all of the “heavy topics”, like their opinions on Natural Family Planning and premarital sex. Eric explained, “I wanted to focus on God and His will, and if we were compatible on those meaningful topics.” 

Alexis deeply appreciated this approach. “He always talked about God and wanted to know how I was living my faith life. I had met really cool guys in the past, but, usually, the conversations were not about God. Eric didn’t even comment on my looks; we talked about faith and family. He was just a completely different kind of guy.”

Their faith was always first!

Alexis worried that she wasn’t practicing her faith well enough for Eric, and, once again, Eric’s confidence comforted her. “He asked me, ‘Do you love God? Do you really love Him?’ I said yes, and Eric responded, ‘Then we can work on this.’”

Eric elaborated, “I wanted to know if she was committed to God. It’s not about being perfect, but that we are constantly working on our relationship with God. Because without Him, we are all hopeless.”

When Eric finally flew to Ecuador to meet Alexis, she greeted him at the airport with a sign, and Eric knew that he was in love with her. They spent ten days together, during which they visited all of the beautiful Catholic Churches, went for walks around the town, and Eric met Alexis’ family.

At first, Alexis’ father was resistant to meeting Eric; he did not speak English and was sick with a terminal illness. He told Alexis, “I don’t want to meet just another boyfriend”. Alexis pleaded for him to just give Eric five minutes, and he agreed. Of course, once he met Eric, he loved him. He had been praying for years for Alexis to find a good man, and he believed that Eric was that good man.

Eight months later Alexis had to decide between her successful career in Ecuador and the possibility of going to the United States and spending time with Eric in the same city.

With much prayer, she decided to go to the U.S.!

During this time, Eric and Alexis attended an Adoration hour every Sunday and continued to keep God at the forefront of their relationship. Eric had been praying about proposing to Alexis, and he received the confirmation he needed at Christmas Eve Mass. “During his homily, the priest asked, ‘Has God given you a gift? Don’t just leave it there, take it.’ At that point, I realized that Alexis was that gift and I felt a real peace about asking her to marry me.” Eric proposed to Alexis on New Year's Eve, on the Feast of Holy Family, while at Adoration. 

The couple planned a wedding in Ecuador, where Alexis eventually went back to live until their wedding. They got married in a little chapel belonging to the priests of The Virgin of Schoenstatt movement on July 28th, 2018.

Though they have been married for almost four years now, Alexis and Eric still feel like they are on their honeymoon. Together, strengthened by their faith, they have faced some difficulties, like the loss of her father, and two miscarriages. “We recognize that we are older, and while we would like to have children, we have left that situation completely in God’s hands; we are open to whatever God wants,” the couple expressed. 

Alexis, along with three of her friends who have also met their spouses on CatholicMatch, has since started a community for Spanish-speaking, Catholic, single girls on Instagram. The ministry offers “hope, prayers, and good advice on how to connect with men who can really share their faith.”

Despite its challenges, the couple truly believes that their unconventional relationship was a gift from God.

Eric remarked, “We didn’t find each other until we realized that God was in control. We don’t know his plan for either of us. Once we said, ‘Okay, Your will be done here,’ things started lining up.”

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