Jason was hopeful that his first date with Natalia would go beyond the standard weather conversation.
He was in awe when Natalia suggested, “Let’s go to church before the Blessed Sacrament”. Jason, 41, had already been in a marriage outside the Catholic Church, and during his conversion, he went through a two-year annulment process. Now he had been on CatholicMatch for two years searching for a conservative Catholic woman who understood the primacy of God within marriage.
There were some frustrations with online dating, though, Jason recalls. “Setting the right tone without a prior established narrative is difficult. Finding mutual attraction was a challenge. My initial search only revealed three women in a 150 kilometer radius who fit my criteria, so distance was huge. I felt that online dating would be a slow burn.”
But then Natalia, 32, saw Jason's profile.
Natalia was a little surprised to find herself on a dating website at all. “I had thought the online dating world was for those who were into the hookup culture. I had no interest in that whatsoever.”
After no success meeting a potential husband, a friend suggested CatholicMatch. Natalia quickly realized she had found a reliable site. “It wasn’t free, so I knew it was a company that ensured that their users were actually serious about the vocation of marriage.” She had only been a member for one month when she saw Jason’s profile. After reading that he believed in all that is Catholic and was also traditional, she checkmarked his picture. Though Jason was not interested in dating someone with children (Natalia has two), thankfully a friend convinced him to contact her. They chatted for a while before Natalia asked if he would like her phone number. He called the very next day.
Back to that first date. Upon arriving at the church, they went to Natalia’s favorite devotion, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Jason says, “In that moment, I fell in love with her. I can’t explain other than what my spiritual director said, which was that Mother Mary revealed the beauty of her soul and that was what I fell in love with. Yes, on our first date I fell in love with her. In that moment, it was like time stopped and was in some sort of twilight zone!”
Before a second date, Natalia let Jason know her expectations.
“I told him I do not want anything that Jesus doesn’t want; this train ends here if you disagree with purity and try pushing against my convictions.” Jason was not getting off the train. He responded, “I promise you I want to follow this standard all the way through as this is the only way and I don’t want to make the same mistakes as I had in my past.”
A serious courtship followed, but there were some things to work out before marriage. Natalia had also been through a previous marriage and a long-term abusive relationship. She was going through a court battle with the biological father of her children. Jason’s response to this was to get a better lawyer and assist with the financial burden.
“He wanted what was best for me even if it didn’t work out,” Natalia marvels. Even with this support, Jason still had concerns with dating a woman with children. “Babysitting was not readily available. How long do we date until I am introduced? How do I establish trust with them? How much influence do I have to accept from another parent? And I have a two-seater sports car!” Besides that, Jason also struggled with his own past relationship baggage, spending habits, and insecurity about his appearance. He was also unemployed while finishing his master’s degree.
With a priest’s guidance, they worked through their issues, and soon it was time for Jason to meet Natalia’s girls.
He decided to bring along some Hubba Bubba bubble gum for them. “Natalia had shared with me a wonderful memory of her and her father sharing a moment and getting closer when he had given her a piece of Hubba Bubba gum, so I thought it would be a nifty gesture to make a little tradition,” Jason smiles. Natalia shares that when they attended a Halloween party for the kids in October, 2018, Jason looked sad. “I asked him what was wrong and he replied, ‘I think I am falling in love with you.’ I said I think I am too!”
With a priest’s guidance, they worked on their concerns, and by March of 2019, Jason was ready to propose. He had already designed a ring and placed the order. “I had intentions of asking her later, but our priest was like, do you love this woman, do you love this man, and then he looked at me with a boyish grin. So I proposed in front of the priest, but I hadn’t asked her father and the ring was not finished!”
Jason got the jeweler to rush the order, asked Natalia’s father for permission, and then officially proposed again with ring in hand on April 4, 2019.
They had a betrothal ceremony in Latin and then there was a rush to get through the pre-wedding classes and readings before their wedding date of May 13th, 2019. “This was a day close to my heart, the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima,” Natalia explains.
“The moment she walked down the aisle, I had to remember to breathe,” Jason remembers. Natalia adds, “I was so nervous! I was wearing 4-inch shoes, it was raining, I was in white and I had to walk down the aisle without doing a Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality wipe-out! The doors opened and I saw my love. The vision itself of being married by Jesus took my breath away. I held my rosary and held my Mother Mary’s hand and thanked her for having prayed for me to find God in the Catholic Church and for suffering with her Son Jesus so I could have a whole new life. This man was my gift and a great gift from God, for he too had his past but our priest led him to truth and is now marrying us together in Christ.”
During the homily, their priest mentioned that the rosary would keep this couple together along with the Mass.
When Jason’s rosary got caught on Natalia’s wedding dress, the priest mentioned it was a sign that his rosary was meant for Natalia and that Natalia should give hers to Jason. They also presented flowers to Our Lady during the ceremony. Natalia chose lilies because of the Song of Songs 6:2: “I am for my beloved, and my beloved is for me. He pastures among the lilies.”
Married life has been wonderful, but there are still some struggles integrating an instant family, dealing with finances, and communicating well during disagreements. And what do they appreciate most about each other now? Jason says, “Her humility, charity, femininity, and she is an incredible mother. Her sense of humor and her deep passion for God has brought me closer to God. I appreciate her confidence to speak what she wants, her love of books, her singing voice that fills our home with musical joy, and her creativity.”
Natalia appreciates “his intellect and standards on homeschooling, his ability to be patient and gentle with two children, his love for the Catholic Church and leading our family spiritually.” Jason is ready for the fullness of his immediate family. He even traded in his car for a four seater! Natalia adds, “I really felt we were both chosen to finish this journey with Christ together and with his ability to understand my past mistakes.”
Continue Reading
