She Learned English So She Could Talk to Him

“When I joined CatholicMatch, I never thought that one day the success stories I read would be about my husband and me!” Gadia, 28, exclaims.

In December of 2016, Kenneth, from Canada, sent Gadia, from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, a “Happy Advent" emoticon because he liked her smile and because she was strong in her faith. 

“It was a long shot,” Kenneth, 35, says.

When Gadia saw his profile and read about what he was looking for in a perfect match, she felt like he was describing her.

Kenneth agreed.

Gadia used an online translator to converse with Kenneth

The couple chatted on CatholicMatch for few days until Kenneth worked up the nerve to ask Gadia to Skype. Gadia was just learning English, so speaking was a comedy of errors. To communicate effectively, she had to translate every word from Portuguese to English, and she also had to use a lot of gestures.

“Once we were on video chat and I tried to pronounce the word ‘accustomed’ and Kenneth started laughing. No matter how I tried, I couldn't say the word correctly,” she recalls. “We laughed together for 10 minutes about it.”

Kenneth had his own struggles with Portuguese. He bought a book to learn Portuguese and read a page of the book to Gadia. When he paused, she asked him, “What language are you speaking?”

He said, “Portuguese!”

They broke out in a fit of laughter.

Though he may have had a rough start learning Portuguese, Gadia says that Kenneth was a fast learner and would surprise her with phrases in Portuguese.

Another challenge

The language barrier wasn’t the only challenge they faced. “Because we couldn't go out together, we had to overcome our physical distance by praying the rosary, reading the Bible, cooking together and watching movies via video calls. Those things were very important to keep our relationship and love strong,” she says.

They would also have long conversations about expectations for their married life.

For their first date, he brought chocolate made with Brazilian fruit

In March of 2018, after 15 months of online dating, Gadia traveled to Vancouver to study English for three months.

Kenneth met her at the airport with a box of chocolate in hand. “The chocolate was made with acai—a typical fruit from Brazil. I gave a kiss to thank him, and he became very shy.”

They began their first date with Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral. Afterward, Kenneth showed Gadia around the city. He remained in Vancouver for three days to help Gadia to get settled before returning home to Regina.

The couple continued to Skype like they had done when Gadia lived in Rio.

Their relationship moved quickly after she moved to Canada

It was difficult for them to live in the same country and still not be able to see one another because they lived over 17 hours apart. A few weeks later, Gadia joined Kenneth in Regina for Holy Week and Easter.  During that time, Kenneth suggested that they speak to a priest about getting married.

“He didn’t want to be away from me,” she says.

On May 29th, after finishing her English course in Vancouver, Gadia visited Kenneth in Regina again. They were at a restaurant when Kenneth pulled out a ring, and he asked her to be his wife. Three months later, on August 25th, they were married at Holy Rosary Church—the same church where they had their first date.

“Our families traveled from India and Brazil to support and bless our marriage,” they say. "It was touching for us to have both of our families come together."

The couple has made their home in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, where Gadia is learning to make the spicy, traditional Indian dishes that Kenneth loves. Gadia also shares that she likes living in Canada, but that it's really cold and she misses her family in Brazil. Despite the adjustments, she is loving being married.

Gadia closes, "When we have faith in God, we can expect wonderful blessings. Thank you CatholicMatch for making this happen!"