Oden asked Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, to help him find a spouse; he credits Our Lady’s intercession for bringing him, Kelsie.
Oden, 33, who had been on CatholicMatch on and off for years, says that shortly before he met Keslie, 26, he had been praying to find his future wife.
“I prayed very descriptively for the kind of woman I wanted to marry. They were unique qualities that I was asking for. So if God was going to answer the prayer, it would be immediately clear to me,” says Oden. One of the things that Oden wanted in a wife was a woman dedicated to chastity. Oden has a daughter, Olive, 8, from a previous relationship and he wanted a woman who would help him be holy.
Oden immediately recognized those qualities in Kelsie’s profile after they were matched by CatholicMatch. He was impressed by her “yes” to all seven faith questions. Another thing he found attractive about Kelsie—besides her pretty face—was her honesty: “One of the coolest things that she had on her profile was a listing of her faults and an interview question about which was the most annoying. Her honesty and humility increased my interest in her greatly; other guys might have been a bit put off by some of the things she put as her ‘faults,’ but her pointing them out showed her virtues.”
Kelsie was equally impressed by Oden’s profile. “I glanced at Oden’s profile and was impressed enough to pay for another month of CatholicMatch just to send him a message. I guess it was like love at first sight of his profile!”
In mid-October of 2014, the couple, who both live in the Twin Cities area, had their first date at the West Metro Young Adult sports night. It was a group event and they spent the whole night playing, so it wasn’t the typical pressure of a first date.
“This was good way for us to get used to the other's presence,” says Oden.
Kelsie adds, “Secretly I tried not to look too much at him, so that I didn't get dissuaded or intimidated by his good looks and consider him out of my league!” Afterwards, the whole group went to Applebee's. Once there, they had a chance to get to know each other more.
Both Keslie and Oden were struck by how like-minded they were and by each other’s genuine personality. “He is a real gentleman in all authenticity. He takes a genuine interest in everything that is happening, and he has an ability to listen with such interest and to hold a real conversation about holy, substantial, or deep subjects. On the flip side, he remains down to earth. He has a good sense of humor as well as a good sense of time and good habits of health and fitness.”
“Her modesty, mannerisms in speech, and facial gestures speak of a unique sweetness, and honesty,” he adds.
The day after their first date, they took a long walk around Lake Calhoun in the Twin Cities. “I was amazed at how openly we spoke and how much we saw eye to eye on such dense topics. It was like two worlds colliding into one without anything being lost or destroyed,” says Kelsie.
Oden says that he knew he wanted to marry Kelsie the moment they met. “I had an inkling that my prayers were answered in that first meeting, but I wanted to be prudent.”
Kelsie’s feelings were equal to Oden’s: “I forced myself not to imagine being married to him too fast, but actually the reality of the idea forged itself into my mind from our first official date.”
The couple began dating regularly, seeing each other several times a week both at church events and one-on-one. As the two saw more of each other, Oden saw qualities in Keslie that he had forgotten he had prayed for in the past. “I just knew more and more as the days rolled on that I wanted to marry Kelsie.”
On December 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Oden proposed to Kelsie—seven weeks after the beginning of their whirlwind romance. After attending Mass, Oden proposed in the St. Therese parlor of St. John the Baptis
t in New Brighton, Minn. It was especially meaningful to Kelsie that his proposal take place there because St. Therese had helped Kelsie in discerning her vocation.
Oden got down on one knee and asked Keslie, who had lived in France and spoke the language, to marry him in French. “I asked her to marry me, "Veux-tu me épouser," and she replied "Oui oui.”
When asked if their family was concerned about the speed of their relationship, Oden says their families were very supportive. “We had both met the other's parents and we each gave them a very good impression, and received their blessings after the engagement. My parents were engaged after six weeks and are still happily married, so it wasn't difficult for them to understand.”
Continue Reading
