When John purchased his engagement ring for Natasha, he added a special detail. On the inside of
the band, he had engraved, "S. Raphael, Ora pro nobis,” which translates as St. Raphael, pray for us.
The couple, who are both 27, have a special devotion to St. Raphael the Archangel, the patron saint of CatholicMatch, because —unbeknownst to them at the time—they had their first date on October 24th—St. Raphael’s feast according to the General Roman Calendar of 1960.
“I was so impressed by this fact and grateful for St. Raphael's protection that I included the inscription when I selected an engagement ring,” shares John.
He met his future wife within a week
In 2015, John, who lives in Washington D.C., wanted to get married, but he wasn’t having luck finding anyone in his local area. He turned to CatholicMatch because he had more than one cousin who had found a spouse on the site. “I joined CatholicMatch on June 30th, and I had contacted my future wife before the end of the week on July 4th.” John says he was attracted to Natasha’s profile because he was looking for an intelligent, attractive, and faithful Catholic woman who was domestically inclined. “I found all of these things and more in Natasha’s profile,” adds John.
The following day, Natasha, who joined CatholicMatch after her sister met her husband on the site, responded to John. “I was searching for a strong, intelligent, Catholic, masculine man who wanted to raise a good Catholic family. John's initial contact and his profile were strong indications of his character, intelligence, and skill,” shares Natasha, who is from Naples, Florida.
Natasha was smitten
From the time of the first message, the couple got to know each other through email and then phone calls. They intended to meet in person in August, but scheduling conflicts and the 1,000 mile distance between Naples and D.C. prevented them from meeting until October 24th—the Feast of St. Raphael. For their first date, they had a picnic lunch at a park in Naples, Florida, and then walked around the Ave Maria University campus—Natasha’s alma mater. “I also went to my regular voice lesson,” shares Natasha. “I was decidedly more nervous than usual, and my voice teacher later
commented that I was ‘smitten’ with John.”
It may have taken Natasha and John over three months to meet in person, but their relationship progressed quickly from there. John met Natasha's family at Thanksgiving, and then she met his after Christmas. On December 30th, which John says was the day his six-month subscription expired, he proposed at the little chapel of Our Lady of Prompt Succor.
“We were there to make a holy hour,” says Natasha. “Before leaving, John took me around to the back part of the chapel, which was closed off with a wooden screen, to show me the stained glass windows and beautiful artwork. When we returned to the front and the screen, John suddenly dropped to his knee, pulling out a shiny red box, and eloquently asked for my hand in marriage.” On the Feast of St. Joseph, March 19th, they were further bound together with a solemn betrothal rite, which is a formal way of blessing your engagement.
A traditional nuptial Mass and baptism
On June 25th, 2016, less than a year after John first reached out to Natasha—and the eighth time they had seen each other in person—the couple was joined together in a Latin Mass wedding celebrated by John’s cousin, Fr. Jeffery Jambon. Natasha's first goddaughter was the flower girl, and John's godson served the Mass.
The couple put their stamp on the bridal attire: Natasha made her dress, her veil, an
d the groom's suit. Likewise, the dresses of the bridal party were all handmade by either the bridesmaids or their mother. After the nuptial Mass, the bride and groom also became godparents for a niece in a traditional baptism performed immediately after. “This made for interesting pictures of Natasha holding her newest goddaughter while wearing her wedding dress,” adds John.
They are expecting their first child on April 1st. “Not a joke,” laughs John.
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