Her Sweet But Simple Message Appealed to Him

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After witnessing the way in which God brought his son and daughter-in-law together through CatholicMatch, Steve White––a recent widower interested in pursuing a woman of faith––decided to create a CatholicMatch profile.

Just one week later, he was pleasantly surprised to see that a beautiful woman had sent him “a sweet, simple message” that appealed to him. He was thrilled when he realized that she lived not too far away!
This woman was Mary Litton. A widow of 5 years, Mary joined CatholicMatch out of a desire to share her life with a spouse who shared her beloved Catholic faith. After experiencing many frustrations throughout her first year on CatholicMatch, she was just about to delete her profile when she noticed that 5 new members had joined.

Resolving to take one last look before ending her membership, Mary instantly found herself intrigued by Steve’s profile and photo, and she messaged him right away!

Little did Mary know how much that message would mean to Steve. He read it once. . . Some time passed, and he read it again. He started to feel that the Holy Spirit was leading him to talk to Mary.
As he sat in his study reading her message for the third time, Steve felt the Holy Spirit telling him, “Contact this woman.” Steve continues, “It was real, and I replied that night. It was definitely God who brought us together.”

Steve responded to Mary’s message, and before they knew it they were spending hours talking, enjoying each other’s company, and getting to know each other! Eventually, they exchanged phone numbers and started FaceTiming regularly over the weeks that followed.

By the time they planned to meet in person about a month after Mary’s initial message, they had had many deep conversations and felt very comfortable with one another––but they still didn’t know exactly what to expect!

Steve and Mary arranged to meet at Mary’s home in Baytown, Texas, a 48-mile drive from Steve’s hometown.

As Mary prepared for their first in-person meeting, she tried to decide what to wear for their first date! She was going to her niece’s soccer game that day, and was so excited to meet Steve after the game.
Steve arrived in Mary’s driveway a little before she got home from the soccer game.

“I was sitting in front of the house in the car,” Steve describes, “and she pulled into the driveway. I got out of the car and she had stepped out of the driver’s seat. I turned around and saw her and I was stunned. I thought she was gorgeous and thought ‘Wow, this woman is interested in me! That’s exciting.’”

Mary describes this first moment of meeting in much the same way. As she stepped out of her car, Steve rounded the back of his vehicle and “stopped in his tracks,” a surprised look on his face.

A little alarmed, Mary asked, “What’s the matter?”

“I just can’t believe I’m meeting you and that you’re so beautiful!” Steve told her. “We started to introduce ourselves personally, talking and discussing things,” says Steve, “It was a perfect first date.”

After enjoying this first date so immensely, there was no question as to whether they would go on a second date.

They continued to date for the next 6 months, enjoying their time together more and more and getting to know each other’s family and friends.

As he got to know her community, Steve shares that many of Mary’s friends commented to him in a lighthearted way, “You better take care of our Mary.” It became clear to him just how many people loved her and admired her.

While their journey toward marriage was rather straightforward and God’s will clear to them, Steve and Mary faced a few challenges along the way.

Steve and Mary each had a son and a daughter-in-law, and they wanted to make sure that their children understood their decision to begin a new relationship after losing their first spouses. After Steve and Mary spoke to their children about their intentions for the future, their children were very supportive and understanding.

Additionally, though Steve and Mary lived relatively close to one another to begin with, marriage would mean that one of them would be leaving his or her hometown behind. It was very important to Mary, who is deeply entrenched in her community, to stay local. After meeting her friends and experiencing her community, Steve knew he would be willing to move away from his own hometown to hers.

After 4-5 dates, Steve knew there was a good chance he would marry Mary.

Mary felt certain engagement was coming soon when Steve asked her if she wanted to go to Las Vegas with him on Valentine's Day. She just knew––or so she thought––that he would propose there. . . but, when he didn’t propose there after all, she had to go home with her hopes dashed. Little did Mary know that Steve had a surprise planned for her in Texas right after their trip.

The morning after they arrived back in Texas, they went out for breakfast at First Watch. There, Steve asked Mary to be his wife, and she said yes!

Another surprise was in store for Mary that night when Steve brought her to a Mexican restaurant. As they entered a back room in the restaurant, a large group of Mary’s friends––ready to celebrate with Mexican food and margaritas––greeted her while singing “Going to the Chapel.”

Four months later, on June 25th of 2022, Steve and Mary received the sacrament of marriage at Christ the Redeemer Church in Houston, Texas.

This was Steve’s home parish, and the couple deeply admires the pastor, who prepared them for marriage and celebrated their wedding mass. Wanting a small and private ceremony, Mary and Steve invited their sons, their son’s wives, their grandchildren, the brother of Mary’s late husband, and a deacon friend to the ceremony. After their wedding, Steve and Mary took a trip to the French Quarter in New Orleans, a city near and dear to both of their hearts.

During these first months of their marriage, Steve and Mary reflect on the gift and complementarity of their relationships with God and with one another. They are both overjoyed to have a companion with whom to discuss their Catholic faith. They love praying together each night and each morning, and love being able to attend mass together.

Having a companion who shares her faith, Mary says, is the greatest gift she has ever been given.

“Our marriage strengthens our faith, and our faith strengthens our marriage,” Mary shares. Further, Mary’s experience dating and marrying Steve has strengthened her faith that God’s timing and His plans are perfect.

After experiencing God’s presence in his relationship with Mary, Steve shares some closing words of wisdom for other Catholic couples discerning their vocation on CatholicMatch: “Go on with the right intentions, be prayerful, and be guided by the Holy Spirit.”

As they prepare to host a big party in Baytown, Texas, to celebrate their marriage with friends and family members, Steve and Mary continue to rejoice in the beautiful relationship God has given them!

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