He Thought His Hometown Was Too Remote For CatholicMatch To Work For Him!

In the spring of 2019, Chase created a CatholicMatch profile because his chances of finding a like-minded Catholic woman in “one of the most remote towns in Montana” were “low.” His experience on CatholicMatch was not initially a resounding success, as he noted “ I had my fair share of chats that did not go anywhere on this website. I can think of 6 individuals who I had talked to for a couple of months each, but didn't go anywhere in a 2 year period. I was going to give up dating so long as I lived where I did because the remoteness made it too challenging and I had invested a large amount of time into putting myself out there.” 

He was ready to give up, but then she viewed his profile

Carmen had been discerning whether she was called to marriage or religious life, but she found that “no doors seemed to be opening” in the direction of religious life. While she had been fortunate to grow up in a heavily Catholic area, she found that “I knew everybody already and was related to a lot of people” locally. While she’d previously tried several dating sites, she had trouble finding practicing Catholics on them. Still, she initially felt reservations about joining CatholicMatch, specifically over the prospect of entering a long-distance relationship. 

Then, in the spring of 2021, she and her sister visited their older sister, a Carmelite nun, on the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker. While there, Carmen decided to make her Consecration to St. Joseph. She made another decision at that time too. Recognizing “I know I want to marry a Catholic,” she opted to try CatholicMatch. 

Her profile picture was blurry!

In August of 2021, Carmen came across Chase’s profile. She liked his profile first, and though he noted the 10.5 hour distance (and a different time zone), he “decided to give it a shot and message her, not expecting much.” Asked what each first admired about or was intrigued by in the other’s profile, Chase laughed, recalling “Her profile picture was blurry!” Fortunately, she had other pictures that were clearer! He appreciated the similarity in their backgrounds, he comes from a ranching family and she grew up on a farm in Idaho. He especially liked that she attended daily Mass as often as she could. 

For her part, Carmen thought Chase looked “cute,” and she too loved that they had the same core values and were both clearly devoted to their Faith. The two began exchanging texts and frequent phone calls, and tried a video chat before meeting in person in October. Carmen shared, “One night early on, I texted him and he wasn’t responding for several hours. But then he said that he’d been busy at Adoration.” She was impressed! 

Their first in-person meeting lasted nearly 24 hours! 

One weekend in October, Chase and Carmen met halfway between his and her hometowns, in Helena, Montana. They shared lunch, visited the Cathedral, went for a hike, and walked around Helena. They visited Last Chance Gulch, the (now) historic district that put the city on the map when gold was discovered there in 1864. They then shared dinner and headed to an Airbnb Chase had booked for them, separate rooms in a house owned by an elderly Christian woman and located on a mountain outside Helena. The couple got lost driving there in the dark!

That evening they stayed up stargazing and talking. The next morning, they said goodbye with a hug and a plan for Chase to visit Carmen in Idaho. The idea of a 24-hour first date might sound daunting, but in the couple’s words, because “We built up a connection through texting and phone calls, when we did meet in person it was as though we really knew each other and were not strangers.” Chase and Carmen understood that they were embarking upon a long-distance relationship, with a 22-hour round trip whenever one drove to the other’s hometown. Still, the weekend had flowed so smoothly and naturally that both were willing to try. 

In November, Chase and Carmen officially started dating, and in the months that followed they visited each other back and forth as often as possible, the distance notwithstanding. In spring of 2022, just months after they began dating, Chase, an avid fisherman, signed them both up for the local Milk River Catfish Classic, a fishing tournament with a $10,000 prize for the winner. The weekend before the June 2022 tournament, he asked both Carmen’s parents’ permission to propose, and received their blessing. 

His was the best catch at the tournament!

Chase described the scene of the fishing tournament proposal, explaining “The Milk River is pretty muddy, we had to carry our cooler down the bank, and there were ticks and it was hot.” Furthermore, the tournament lasted until midnight! It wasn’t exactly a glamorous backdrop for the life-changing question he was about to ask, but both Chase and Carmen love the outdoors and being together, so the scenery and circumstances suited them just fine. At one point, shaking off a strong desire for God to give him some sign that *now* was the right time to propose, Chase “got out of my chair, kissed her on the forehead, and knelt down.” 

The couple had certainly discussed marriage beforehand, but Carmen, while thrilled, was so surprised that after he got the words out, she said “Oh my gosh! We’re doing this?” She immediately followed up with “Yes!” In the excitement of the moment, Chase accidentally dropped the engagement ring on the riverbank, but quickly retrieved it! He reported that while they didn’t win the fishing tournament that day (though both caught several fish apiece), “I still think I caught the best catch!” 

Who will move?

During their engagement, the couple decided that Carmen would move to Glasgow where Chase lived and worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While moving was difficult for Carmen, who is very close to her family, she considers it the easiest decision she’s ever made because of the good she was moving toward— marriage and a beautiful future together. 

A memorable wedding day...

The couple was married in Idaho on January 7, 2023. Despite a relatively last-minute change in plans for which deacon would officiate at their wedding alongside the priest (good news! Carmen’s cousin was able to officiate, and it was his first time officiating a wedding as a deacon!), plus a few other “hiccups” like a forgotten groomsman’s shirt, a momentary misplacement of the wedding rings, and inadvertently leaving the wedding license at the church, “all in all, the day was beautiful and perfect.” 

Instead of a first look, the couple opted for a first touch before the wedding Mass. Capturing their special moment became surprisingly complicated!  Because “there was a stained glass window as the only source of natural light, our photographer asked if we could somehow cover it up,” which required a joint effort of “Carmen’s sisters, Chase’s sister, and Carmen’s childhood friend…trying to balance against each other while holding coats over the window!” 

During the homily, Chase was surprised when the priest began “grilling me” with questions like “What’s the most important name you can call your wife?” When Chase responded “My Love,” Father answered, “And what will you call her in five years?” Chase replied, “My wife.” The congregation laughed, and the couple understood Father to be emphasizing the point of not letting their love grow cold, of continuing to pursue and respect and honor each other all the days of their married life. Also, during the homily, the priest referenced the reading about the wedding feast at Cana, encouraging the couple to run to Mary before running out of wine. 

The couple are consecrated to the Blessed Mother and to St. Joseph (Carmen gave Chase a copy of Fr. Michael Gaitley’s Marian consecration prep book 33 Days to Morning Glory while they were dating), and they were intentional about placing flowers before statues of the Holy Family during their wedding Mass. 

Living the Faith as a married couple...

Now, Chase and Carmen are settling into life as a married couple. He continues to work for the USDA and she’s employed as a dental hygienist. They are active members of their parish. They’re both involved in Music Ministry and regular adorers at their parish’s weekly day of Adoration. On Wednesdays, Chase teaches Faith Formation to 4th and 5th graders. 

Advice for others considering trying CatholicMatch...

Asked what advice they’d give others hesitant about signing up for CatholicMatch, Carmen said, “Be willing to take a leap of faith and pray that God will reveal His plan for you and your life. Our Blessed Mother, St. Joseph, St. Anthony, and St. Valentine are also great helpers regarding finding God’s path for your heart.” Chase added, “Be patient with whoever you are chatting with. Don’t be afraid to have conversations that go deeper than surface level.”