Anni lived in London, England for two years before returning to her home in Australia. There she took a job as an
emergency nurse out in the bush of Queensland. She had found dating difficult in her busy life in London as a home health nurse, and it was even harder in the wilds of Australia.
"I realized it would take a miracle to meet anyone in this little rural town, six hours from the city, which had more kangaroos than men!" she said.
Earlier in January of 2015, she had gone on an Ignatian retreat and discerned that a religious vocation was not for her.
"I heard my grandmother say once that when we want something we must pray like it depends on God and act like it depends on us," Anni continued. "I prayed an extra two rosaries every day that I would meet, very soon the husband that Our Lady wanted me to marry. Then I joined CatholicMatch."
Prayer and Perseverance Brings Happiness
Jozef had used CatholicMatch for nearly eight years before he met Anni. He had spent time in a monastery to discern his vocation, but like Anni, he didn't feel called to religious life. He purposefully dated several women, but each time things didn't work out.
"How much time I wasted trying to put myself in the driver's seat, stubbornly for years! I only met Anni when I started praying earnestly for a spouse," Jozef said.
He worked for a financial firm in Kansas City, Missouri, a far cry from the Outback of Australia. However, when he saw Anni's profile in
March of 2015, he decided to go ahead and message her. It happened to be on her birthday, and within a day, the two were messaging constantly.
Uncanny connections
By the third day, they realized they had some uncanny connections: Anni's brother and Jozef's brother-in-law were in seminary together. Jozef's family was friends with Anni's sister-in-law and was actually invited to the wedding (though they had to decline).
"If they had been able to make it to the wedding, I would have met Jozef there! But I didn't even know he existed, or that he was invited to the wedding. Would I have given him the time of day if we had met then, a year ago? Probably not. I love how CatholicMatch gave us the chance to truly talk and get to know each other before we met," Anni said.
Time to Travel
After messaging and talking to Anni for a month, Jozef decided that if this relationship was meant to be, it was time
to travel across the world to meet her.
Jozef recalled, "I proposed to come and meet her, and she didn't hesitate. She just said, 'That would be great!'"
A month later, Jozef arrived at the airport in Brisbane. As soon as they met face-to-face, they both thought, So that's whom I'm going to marry!
Just two hours after leaving the airport, the couple went to Anni's parish, Our Lady of Lourdes Priory, for Mass. They then went to the Gold Coast together.
"We just walked through the park and sat up at Green Pointe, overlooking the ocean. It couldn't have been more perfect and so romantic. We realized up there, doing nothing but sitting and talking, that we were precisely what we were looking for in a relationship," recalled Jozef.
A Proposal on the Gold Coast
Through their conversations before his trip, Anni and Jozef had already felt they were meant to be together as husband and wife. Jozef came prepared with his great-grandmother's ring, just in case meeting in person confirmed their feelings. After their first date on the Gold Coast, Jozef spoke with Anni's father about marriage. Her father made clear his wishes for Anni's happiness and then gave his blessing.
Jozef decided to take Anni back to the Gold Coast to propose.
He said, "After tea at the Palazzo Versace, we drove up to the Marian Valley, where a famous set of shrines exists. After praying the Rosary in front of the Blessed Sacrament, I went down on one knee and asked her to marry me in front of Christ the King. She said, 'Yes.'"
Jozef's great-grandmother's ring fit perfectly.
Their Love Grows
Five months after the proposal, Jozef and Anni were married in Kansas City, surrounded by family. Any skepticism Anni's family felt about CatholicMatch melted away when they met Jozef and his family.
Anni said, "They were really happy and relieved to find out that Jozef was a normal guy, from a lovely Catholic family. No funky business at all."
Jozef's family had grown accustomed to his dating women through CatholicMatch. They had taken it in stride when he told them about Anni. When they met her in person though, they immediately knew she was perfect for him.
The relationship they started on CatholicMatch continues to deepen in love within the grace of the Sacrament of Marriage. There have been the normal adjustments that newlyweds
encounter as they transition into married life, but they are grateful they didn't extend their engagement.
Being physically closer makes their communication easier and more effective. Also, they keep prayer central in their relationship.
Anni says, "We say our morning and night prayers and Rosary together every day. Families who keep the rosary have a special protection by Our Lady, I truly believe this."
Jozef affirms, "Prayer brings us closer together more than anything else. It helps us to remember our priorities. We pray for the graces we received on our wedding to continually flow into our lives, to help us focus on our daily joys, and to endure our everyday crosses."
They are happily settling into their life together. Anni adds, "CatholicMatch worked for us, and I thank God for it every day."
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