When Steven, 73, saw the most exciting profile ever, he made sure to contact the lovely lady quickly.
For her part, Beth was immediately interested when she saw his picture. Even better, his profile matched up well with her standards of education level, interest in fitness, and of course faith!
Since Steven lived only half an hour away from Beth’s Pennsylvania home, they chatted online and on the phone for only a week before going on their first date. “Neither of us really liked email or phone but prefer face to face,” Beth, 66, says. They had both joined this dating service because they were looking for fellow Catholics. Beth had also met one of her previous husbands on a Catholic dating service as well.
Steven, however, had never been on a dating site before. He wasn’t expecting anything big to come of it, but three weeks in, he saw Beth’s profile.
On their first date, they hit it off big time.
They we were both attracted to each other's looks, personality, intelligence, faith and wisdom. They chatted for about three hours before attending Mass and going out to breakfast after. They discovered so much in common!
For one thing, they both had four grown children, and both had been married before. Three years ago, Steven’s wife had passed away, whereas Beth had been divorced and annulled for one year. They both enjoyed biking on the York Rail Trail too, and their next dates would be filled doing happy outdoor activities like swimming and hiking. They are both bowling fans, enjoy spontaneous movie nights, and hanging out with friends. Perhaps most importantly, they shared a love of attending daily Mass.
Like any relationship, Steven and Beth had to go through some obstacles.
First, they both reflected on their past marriages.
Beth was recently married for only a short time before pursuing an annulment, since her previous husband had been hiding a drinking problem. Before that, she’d had a marriage that had brought her four children, but had ended in a divorce and annulment. In between she had a marriage of eight years that ended with her husband passing away due to a heart attack.
Steven's marriage of fifty-one years came to a close when his wife passed away after years of illness. He had been a faithful husband and Catholic throughout those years, even through what he termed a not-good marriage. These trials have pushed Steven and Beth to overcome hurt, sorrow, and pain in different ways. Time, they say, has healed many wounds, and they both made it through by relying on God and His Sacraments. “Our love of God and the Mass always brings us together,” Beth says.
Another hazard was introducing a new significant other to their total of eight grown children.
Steven’s children were slow to warm up to the idea of him dating again, whereas Beth’s were pretty positive right from the get go. One of her daughters even starting calling him Dad, saying he’s a positive person and she truly loves his company.
Steven knew he had to live his own life, however, even as his children took time to adjust to the idea of him finding love again. So while he and Beth were visiting friends near Boston, he got down on his knees and proposed--advice he had gotten from a friend’s young children. Beth felt this was awkwardly formal and lacked a personal touch, so they decided to try another proposal later, after looking for rings together.
“Our best time together so far has been Thanksgiving this past year,” Beth recalls.
As an engaged couple, they went to her daughter’s fiance’s house in New Jersey for the long weekend. There were twelve people all together and everyone reports it was an amazing time. This was quite something to say, since Beth’s family has had some real Thanksgiving parties in the past! However, this one featured a newborn grandchild and a puppy, which is hard to beat. One of the favorite memories was how everyone prayed together.
Steven and Beth are currently going through the process of marriage preparation. Due to Beth’s past marriages, they are going through extra mandated counseling together, which they report is going well. Soon they will be able to set a wedding date and start planning.
“Steven and I want a small wedding with just our children and grandchildren and siblings, which will be about 65 people at the most,” Beth plans. She is hoping to have their reception somewhere with a dance floor, since her family loves to dance. Steven has become a member of the Legion of Mary where Beth is a member, and they hope to marry there.
“I appreciate the most that Steven is a very positive person who takes things in stride and smiles and jokes a lot,” Beth says.
“He keeps me very happy and brings the best out in me! I love how Steven has been a good father and caregiver of his wife and a strong believer in marriage. I love that he is a hard worker and willing to help in all areas of life. We have so much in common that we are looking forward to another chapter in our lives with excitement and hope!”
“Beth has lived through many years of pain and sorrow, while becoming a complete, loving and wonderful person. She brings a constant and consistent joy into my life,” Steven reports.
“Our life's experience has brought us wisdom and understanding about love. Beth always has a song in her voice, is perpetually energized, has a womanly style about her all the time yet physically active, and most importantly religious in spirit. I look at her and feel full of life!”
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