Remember this success story about three sisters?
Well, it’s about to get even better. Their FOURTH sister just married her CatholicMatch husband! And like her older sisters, she and her beloved were also in a long-distance dating scenario. How did this all play out?
Where are the older sisters now? Let’s find out!
Picture this: a large, happy, homeschool family of eleven (yes, eleven!) lived in the idyllic driftless area of Minnesota. The set of four oldest sisters finished college and started their nursing, teaching, and dietetics careers, but couldn’t seem to find love locally. So their mother dared Morgan, the eldest, to join online dating. Thus it began!
Morgan and Jedidiah met on CatholicMatch in the summer of 2016.
Jed was residing in Florida while he finished law school, and Morgan was living at home in Minnesota (where Jed was originally from!) They would date long-distance for ten months before getting engaged the following year.
“There’s got to be some genetic formula in these ladies that makes them so good at online dating,” Jed reflects, looking back on the past decade.
Cadence and Samara, twin sisters who look NOTHING alike, joined CatholicMatch a few months after Morgan.
Five minutes after she set up her online profile, Cadence received her first message from Christopher. She was doubtful and relegated him to “just a pen pal.” You guessed it, the connection didn’t stay “just pen pals” after Chris made the drive to see her! These two would date long-distance for ten months before getting engaged, as well.
“For a hot minute, Chris suggested a double wedding with Morgan and Jed, but that kind of planning would have sent my mother to her grave!” Cadence laughs.
Poor Samara. She had to wait for two more years before meeting her future husband!
She went on many wonderful dates and talked to lots of great guys, but none were her guy. Until 2018, when she finally met her Dr. Right. Derek was in residency in Iowa, and they dated just over a year before getting engaged.
Cue those wedding bells and throw that rice! Morgan and Jed married in August of 2018, Cadence and Christopher followed suit twice in January of 2019 (the bride missed the first wedding), and Samara and Derek had a Covid-small celebration in June 2020. Whew! Talk about a whirlwind.
First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage . . .
The little ones began arriving! Cadence and Chris had a medical crisis during their first pregnancy, and moved back to her hometown to be near family. When their first son was born in 2020, he had a bewildering start. Remember how Morgan, Raquela, and Cadence looked so much alike that they confused their husbands sometimes? The trend continued with the next generation: the new baby couldn’t tell the difference between his mother and his aunts for the first six months of life. “It was really convenient for a while, but eventually figured out I wasn’t actually in three places at once!” Cadence laughs. “Raquela and I accidentally made him cry once; we wore matching sweaters and he didn’t know who was the real Mama.”
Samara and Derek welcomed their first little boy in 2021 while they were living in Iowa. Then Derek accepted a new job an hour away from Samara’s parents and siblings, and shortly thereafter they bought a local house. They would welcome another son and a daughter within the next two years!
Morgan and Jed had a different road to walk.
After many job changes and moves, they settled in the area and pursued fertility treatment through a local NaPro Technology expert. After several extremely difficult years, they received crushing news: they would never have children. They prayed, grieved, and turned their attention to their many nephews and nieces. Then, in 2021, they had the fluke opportunity to pray over Saint Gianna Molla’s wedding gloves, as well as saying her Novena. To everyone’s shock, Morgan and Jed received a miracle pregnancy! Her sisters planned the biggest baby shower you’ve ever seen, and in March of 2022, the first little girl of the crew arrived!
But WAIT! Where was Sister #4 during all this?!
Well, Raquela was in high school in 2016, so she really couldn’t online date. Instead, she served as maid of honor at Morgan’s wedding, and bridesmaids in the others, while she finished college for a double major in special education and vocal performance. Eventually, seeing her sisters’ wild success with CatholicMatch, she too joined in 2023. Within a year, she met Indiana native Justin, who was also a teacher. They dated for exactly one year to the day and got engaged on their anniversary spot. When she went wedding dress shopping, her sisters carted three babies along, effectively turning the dressing room into a day care. Raquela and Justin kept up the trend by including all their siblings, nieces, and nephews in their June 2025 nuptials–making their wedding party a grand total of 26!
Raquela and Justin moved to a little town in Iowa a couple hours away from the other three sisters, and a month later announced their first pregnancy! At the same time, Morgan and Jed moved back to their hometown and are now neighbors with Chris and Cadence, who have three little boys.
“I don’t think Chris makes X-chromosome gametes,” Cadence suspiciously wonders.
On top of all that, Morgan and Jed then revealed a second miracle pregnancy! Combined with the other sisters and the growing family of their brother and his wife, that currently makes . . . ten cousins under age 6!
“When we go to church together, we trade toddlers like we’re playing Hot Potato!” Cadence laughs. Baptisms are frequent and noisy. Different couples take turns standing at the font to be Godparents, while the other couples try to contain the chaos in the pews. Samara always brings the best snacks, which has saved many a tantrum. Chris quietly prevents votive candle disasters. Raquela shares her glorious singing voice, and Derek valiantly tries to stay awake after his night shift. And the toddlers all compete for the best seats of all: their grandparents’ laps. (They are excited that their grandchildren finally outnumber their own kids!)
Now that they’re on the other side of marriage and family, what advice do these four couples have for CatholicMatch users?
“Guys, send out a lot of messages! I was sending 5 new messages per night, and Samara was, I believe, #3 in a set of 5,” Derek recalls.
“Go into marriage with hopes and goals but NO expectations—God will take you on adventures you don’t see coming!” Morgan advises.
Chris keeps it simple and sure: “Be bold.”
