After just five months, Martha and David decided to get married. They just knew that it was right!
Martha and David met on CatholicMatch in April of 2021. They shared a similar reverence for the Mass, and it was their similar values that attracted them to each other. They both knew a month or two into their courtship that they were both looking for marriage, and saw potential in each other for a future spouse.
Their Shared Faith Brought Them Closer
It was their strong faith that bolstered them to discern marriage after just five months of dating. David is a convert who discovered his love for the Catholic faith later in life. Initially, it was the rich history and tradition of the Catholic Church that attracted him to the faith. He began attending traditional Latin masses while he was stationed at a military assignment. His faith formation led to him developing a desire to receive the sacraments, and he eventually signed up for RCIA and was later baptized and confirmed in 2017.
Martha is a Cradle Catholic. She grew up in a small Italian-American Catholic community in the Diocese of Little Rock. During college, she began experiencing a deeper faith formation and understanding of the importance of the sacraments. Also around 2017, she felt a calling to explore her faith and began to ask deeper questions about her own faith. In 2020, she participated in a virtual conference on Theology of the Body, and she began returning to confession and growing in her faith.
They both had their profiles for a couple of years but did not actively use their accounts. During Lent of 2021, they were both active at the same time and began messaging each other.
They Began Discerning Marriage Quickly
They had their first date shortly after they began talking online. At the time, Martha was living in New York City, and David was located in Georgia. Martha took a business trip to Atlanta and decided to meet up with David while she was there. They met up for coffee and wound up spending the entire weekend together. They went to a traditional Latin Mass together and brought along some of David’s friends as well.
Shortly after meeting, they began using a Marriage Prep Program online as a tool for discernment. They knew that if they wanted to get married, they would need to make a decision quickly because of David’s unique situation as a member of the military. So, they used the marriage prep program as a tool to guide their decision.
They had to put their faith in God in order to know whether or not marriage was the right step for them. David said that they asked themselves, “Do we take this leap of faith?... If we don’t, we’ll be apart for two years. Even now I’m so glad we did it otherwise we would be separated even more.”
A Series of Moments Reinforced Their Decision To Get Married
A series of tiny moments- fondly referred to as “God Winks” by Martha- led them to make the decision to be married in September of 2021.
First, Martha found out that she would need to move for work if she was not married. Secondly, after using the marriage preparation program for discernment, they felt confident in their choice to get married and it was convenient to simply finish the course with the intention of actually getting married.
They Focused on Reverence
For a wedding, they desired something simple. They said that they wanted to focus on the reverence of the Mass and avoid much of the vanity that is often associated with modern weddings. They had an intimate ceremony which was attended by their parents. The sermon at the Mass was all about the importance of reverence and tradition in society and marriage.
Martha and David are now approaching their six-month anniversary. David will be deployed soon and they are spending their time enjoying each other. David said, “It feels rushed but not forced at all. It feels like it’s supposed to be like this.” They are best friends and share a seamless connection, as well as a similar sense of humor. They followed the signs that God let for them, and they said that their marriage feels like it is supposed to be what it is.
In the future, Martha and David plan to become volunteer marriage prep counselors at their local parish. They also recently adopted a Heeler/German Shepherd rescue named Jack.
Continue Reading
