I Helped Convince Her That He Wasn't Too Good to Be True

Almost every Catholic seems to have a couple who met on CatholicMatch in their lives. I know more than one married couple

who met their spouse on CatholicMatch, including my own aunt and uncle.

Each of those couples has exciting and heartwarming stories uniquely their own. Victoria, a CatholicMatch member from Utah, hasn’t met her spouse on CatholicMatch, but she played a key role in bringing together two other members, Barbara and Mike, who were married in July 2018.

Victoria was so touched by their story that she knew it had to be told. She shared their story with CatholicMatch with their permission.

And so it begins.

Victoria and Mike met on CatholicMatch in 2015. They quickly discovered that they weren’t a romantic match, but they became good friends. Victoria continued to talk to the 72-year-old from Missouri as he tried to find love with other women on CatholicMatch.

“We commiserated over our dating woes,” shared Victoria.

Later, Mike started dating another woman from Utah. Victoria found out that the woman attended her parish, so she got to know her.

“It turned out badly and I cautioned him, but by that time, he had figured it out himself,” Victoria revealed.

The third one's the charm.

A few years later, Mike announced to Victoria that he’d found another woman on CatholicMatch. He was speaking to Barbara, 70, who was also from Utah. Barbara, who was a widow after being married for more than 40 years, contacted Mike when he was just about to give up on CatholicMatch. Barbara was literally everything that Mike—who had his previous marriages annulled—was looking for in a woman.

“In the spring of 2018, Mike texted me that this time he has really found the one! I was very skeptical after three years of us communicating, but he was adamant,” said Victoria adding with emphasis, “she was the third woman from Utah!”

Mike soon started telling Barbara that he wanted to marry her, but she was afraid that it was all too good to be true. It took meeting Victoria to assuage her fears.

"I consider myself the closer,” revealed Victoria.

After speaking to Victoria on the phone, Barbara drove the five hours from her home to Salt Lake City, Utah, to visit her daughter. While there, she met Victoria in person.

Victoria helped calm Barbara's fears.

“I actually met Barbara before I ever met Mike,” noted Victoria. “We met at Mass and then went to breakfast to talk. She was

scared because Mike was ready to marry her without meeting her. She had only been widowed three years, and her family was very against Mike.”

Victoria continued, “My job was to let her know how well I had gotten to know him and that he was the real deal. That meeting was the tipping point for the relationship. My meeting Barbara helped her believe it wasn’t too good to be—it really was the real deal. She thought it was a fairy tale come true!”

Things moved quickly after meeting. Victoria convinced Barbara that Mike’s intentions were real. When Barbara made the trip from Utah to Missouri to meet Mike, she got a ring and proposal to boot. She accepted.

When you know, you know.

“They were so sure about one another before they met that when they did meet it just confirmed their feelings,” shared Victoria. “They were both devout and chaste Catholics, and they proceeded to get to know one another over the next months.”

Mike decided that he would be the one to move since he rented his home and didn’t have any children. The couple packed up Mike and his dog, Ellie, and moved from Missouri to Utah to be near Barbara’s children. They have since sold Barbara’s home and bought a beautiful new home together.

While the couple was sure that they were meant to be together, Barbara’s children—particularly her daughter—weren’t so sure about Mike. Still, the couple persevered and tied the knot.

“They had no desire to wait at 70 and 72. When you know you know,” said Victoria, who stood at the altar with the couple when they said their vows as Mike’s “best person.”

They met in God's timing.

She said that Barbara and Mike are now living happily ever after. Since the wedding, Barbara’s brother has been a huge supporter of her marriage, and her daughter is coming around.

The couple went to Salt Lake City to celebrate Christmas with her, her husband, and their four children.

Victoria also shared that their love story has given her renewed hope. She clearly saw God’s hand in their romance.

“What I love most is how God made Mike wait for Barbara, but when he was ready, Mike didn’t question it and jumped in with both feet. Their love story is miraculous to me and teaches me again: God’s time not mine! Trust in the Lord.”