He Proposed To Her… With A Ring Pop!
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Irene and Edmund, who goes by the nickname Anthony, began talking on CatholicMatch in the fall of 2017. At the time, Anthony had only been active on the site for about a year. But, Irene had been dating online on-and-off for about eight years.
Online dating wasn't part of her game-plan.
Coming from a traditional family, Irene did not know anyone who had met their partner on the internet, and she never expected to meet her spouse online. When she came across Anthony’s profile on CatholicMatch one day, she was struck by his authenticity. “I liked how straight-forward his profile was, and it was funny. He seemed to have values I could appreciate; in particular a large family, education, and the importance of friendship in marriage.”
Anthony came to CatholicMatch looking for an authentic relationship with a devout Catholic woman. His profile read, “If you haven't answered yes to the 7 Catholic Faith questions above, thanks for stopping by but I'm really looking for a practicing Catholic woman.” This openness about his intentions struck Irene as attractive when he first messaged her.
So, it was time to travel!
Anthony reached out first. They talked for two weeks and then they switched to email and phone conversations. Pretty quickly after that, Irene suggested that they get together. Despite the long distance between them, they got together as soon as they could. About two weeks after their initial messages were exchanged, Anthony made the long drive from Albuquerque to Denver to meet up with Irene.
“The first date was really fun,” Irene said, “I felt at ease with him.” They met up at a local coffee shop to chat. Because they had established a friendship already by talking online, they had plenty to talk about. Irene said that Anthony was so easy to talk to, and it was so comfortable, that she invited him back to her apartment for a party that very same evening! Her roommate was joining the convent, and they had planned to host a gathering to celebrate her departure.
Then, things got serious.
Anthony wound up spending three days in Denver that weekend. They went to Mass together that Sunday and took a drive up to the mountains to enjoy the view on Monday. They discussed their faith formation journeys and what intentions they had in dating. At that point, Anthony asked Irene if he could see her again, and she agreed.
Their courtship journey was very traditional. For the first few months of their relationship, they took the time to build a friendship and get to know each other. Irene had met with her spiritual director shortly after meeting Anthony and asked for guidance in proper Catholic courtship. When she expressed uneasiness about the fact that she and Anthony had met online, her priest advised her: “A lot of people find their vocation online, even religious vocations. It is not something bad.”
In early January, Anthony asked Irene’s father for permission to court her. At that point, they both had discussed and decided that the purpose of their relationship was to discern marriage. A typical date was filled with various activities, gatherings with friends and family, as well as good conversations. Irene and her sister hosted friends at their house often, so Anthony came over for dinner and activities quite a bit. They enjoyed going to mass together, mini-golfing, and out for dinner.
The ring was quite a surprise...
In September of 2018, Anthony moved to his own place in Denver to be closer to Irene and her family. On Christmas Day, 2018, he proposed. Irene said that to her, it was a huge surprise. They spent Christmas morning with Irene’s family. After all the gifts had been unwrapped, Anthony revealed “another gift” he had for Irene. After a short speech about what marriage meant to him, he got down on one knee and asked Irene to be his wife. She said yes, and then he pulled out a small box… and presented her with a ring pop!
After the laughter died down, Anthony revealed the real ring, which he had designed and ordered with the help of Irene’s sister. She would later be the Maid of Honor at their wedding that summer.
Anthony and Irene’s wedding was a beautiful and tremendous affair. The wedding took place on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, June 28, 2019. “I was the first in my family to get married, and the oldest of the granddaughters,” Irene said. The ceremony was a Traditional High Latin Mass, and their reception was attended by 300 guests. “Needless to say, the dance floor was never empty!”
The best memory from their wedding day, according to Irene, actually happened before the ceremony or reception. They went to a 6:30 AM Mass on the day of their wedding before the ceremony, in order to have some time alone with just themselves and God. She climbed out the window of her room so as not to wake anybody up, then walked to the church to meet up with Anthony. When she walked back through her front door an hour later, her family were all confused- they had thought she was still sleeping!
Irene and Anthony now have a 2-month-old son, Joseph, and are living happily ever after. Irene said, “The best part [of being married] is that you don’t have to end the conversation and go home because you are in the same house; you can keep talking about those good ideas, or lay in bed and finish watching the movie.”
"Say yes!"
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