The 54-day rosary novena is a beloved devotion among many Catholics, and the members of CatholicMatch are no exception. Maria is one with a strong belief in the power of this novena and she used it bring to her husband into her life.
Just as the novena itself requires patience, Maria’s path was one took time. She joined CatholicMatch in January 2003, when she was 33, and had the opportunity to correspond with a number of men with whom there was mutual interest. But during these times her prayer had the result in steering off her a path that was less than the best. “Quite a few times when I thought I found someone nice, I prayed the 54-day rosary novena,” she told CatholicMatch. “I could always count on this novena for answers! It has NEVER failed me!”
A negative answer to prayer—i.e., just knowing the path not to go down—can be a frustrating experience, but Maria persisted in faith. She went to the well again in late 2006, praying the novena—which requires 27 days of petitioning the Blessed Mother for your request and the last 27 days of thanking her—and getting a nice message from Ed in response.
Ed, two years older, and living nearby in Massachusetts, spent a few months talking with Maria on the phone and getting to know her through the CatholicMatch message system. If the Blessed Mother had been vital it bringing them together, it would be the other side of the Holy Family that had his hand in their first date. They decided to meet in person on March 19, St. Joseph’s Feast Day. After getting together at church and praying the rosary together, they returned to her home, where Ed met her mom and sister and they had a belated St. Patrick’s Day meal together—“He even bought us Irish soda bread,” Maria said delightfully, “my favorite!”. After a pleasant walk around the neighborhood they made plans to meet again in two weeks.
Throughout the spring and summer they continued to date, to grow in faith and in understanding each other. In September, Ed proposed marriage. “I was shocked, but of course immediately said yes,” Maria recalled. “We picked June 16...the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary as our wedding day to thank God and Our Lady for bringing us together.”
It was a long road for both Maria and Ed, but they became proof that good things come to those who wait. It’s a valuable lesson after four years of marriage, as they continue to try and build a family, remaining open to adoption. They seek the prayers of the CatholicMatch community as they move forward in their lives together.
