They Were Friends for Many Years before Marrying

For a more natural introduction online, Bob looked to see which members were having a birthday.

If he liked what he saw in their profiles, then he would send a greeting wishing them “Happy Birthday.”

“This is how I met Gloria, whose birthday is eight days before mine,” shares Bob, 58, from Vermont. “What attracted me to her first and foremost was that she had a very strong faith. She was also a strong family person, and she had kids close in ages to mine.”

Another important quality about Gloria was that she indicated that she was willing to relocate for the right person. “At the time, both of my parents were still alive and quite elderly, so I couldn’t relocate,” he explains.

Gloria, whose first marriage was annulled, was looking for a man who shared her Catholic faith and someone she could grow with spiritually.

They had reservations about meeting someone online

Both Bob and Gloria had reservations about online dating. The biggest being that you don’t really know who is behind the profile until you actually meet, they say.

Bob adds that the reason he gave online dating a chance—despite some concerns—was that he knew some people who had success with it and because there weren't a lot of single Catholic women in his area.

“I picked CatholicMatch because I hoped that I would find more honesty on this site compared to secular dating sites,” he added.

After Gloria's deacon talked her into joining, she reluctantly signed up for four months. When she received Bob’s greeting, she checked out his profile.

“I was looking for credibility. I liked that he was family oriented and that he was strong in his faith,” shares Gloria, 55, who was living in Florida when she met Bob.

They lost touch online but Facebook reconnected them

When the couple first met online, they exchanged email addresses, and they also became Facebook friends. “This allowed us another way to learn about each other,” he says. “Interestingly, we would connect for a while, then lose contact, see a post on Facebook, and reconnect. This went on for about five years.”

“We just kept popping in and out of each other’s lives,” she exclaims.

It was one of Bob’s former Confirmation students that ultimately brought them together. This student asked him if he knew where she could get a Spanish missal. Bob couldn’t find one in Vermont, so he messaged Gloria to see if she could send him one from her parish.

“That got us talking again, and I felt like it was time to try to meet somehow. My company gives away trips every year, and the trip for 2017 was in Florida at Disney. This gave me the opportunity to take a few extra days while I was in Florida to try to meet,” he explains.

Gloria picked Bob up at his hotel because they had plans to take a tour of South Beach and go out for dinner. “When we first met, we both felt an immediate connection—like we both really knew each other,” he says. “I was there for four full days, and we spent every day taking day trips. We both knew right away that we had something special.”

Paint, sip, and...meet the family!

When Bob, whose previous marriage was annulled, went home, he shared the pictures from his time with Gloria with his four daughters. “They were happy for me and anxious to meet Gloria.”

During his second visit to Florida, in August of 2017,  Bob and Gloria began talking about marriage.

A month later, Gloria made her first trip to Vermont to meet Bob’s family. “Gloria is an artist and does a lot of paint and sip parties, so as a way to meet my girls and grandkids, she did a paint party. We did that the first night, and it was a huge hit. My kids loved it and liked Gloria too. She has a son and daughter, and when I met them, it went very well too.”

I still managed to surprise her

Bob and Gloria officially became engaged in October of 2017. “I gave Gloria a ring at the spot where we had our first kiss. Even though we talked about it quite a bit already, she was still surprised,” he shares.

Both of their families were concerned about the quick engagement, but Bob and Gloria didn’t think it was too soon. By then, they had known one another over five years. “One thing we always talked about is to trust God, and if it’s meant to be, then it will happen,” they share.

On Oct 6th, 2018, they were married in Gloria’s home parish. Her daughter was the maid of honor, and her son gave her away. Bob’s daughters did one of the readings and prayer of the faithful. “We both wanted a small wedding with the emphasis being on the Mass,” he says.

They also had a beautiful blessing and a small reception in Vermont after their honeymoon.

Thoughts on the annulment process

Bob and Gloria both had previous annulled marriages, and they were gracious enough to share some of their thoughts on how the annulment process went for them.

Through the annulment process, Gloria began to truly understand the sacramentality of marriage. “Answering the questions [on the annulment form] helped me to realize the mistakes I made in the past and to understand more about the sacrament,” she reveals. “I learned to be closer to God and listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I experienced spiritual growth. Also, I didn't feel like I was a victim.”

For Bob, the annulment process was initially difficult but ended up being a source of healing for him.

“After my divorce, I knew that I needed an annulment, but when I started the paperwork, it was too early.  I wasn’t ready for it," he explains. "I finally completed the paperwork about a year after my divorce with the help of a priest, who was a friend.”

Bob received two denials before his degree of nullity was finally was approved. “The denials were a good thing because it forced me to express my feelings, and I think that’s where the healing began.”