Panita didn’t meet Craig until she was in her 30s, but she knew she wanted to marry someone like him—that is, someone who is Catholic—ever since she was 12.
Panita was raised in Thailand, a predominantly Buddhist country, but chose to follow her mother and be Catholic.
Panita came to this commitment amid her upbringing in Thailand, a Buddhist-dominated country where Catholics comprise just .46 percent of the population. Her father was Buddhist but her mother was Catholic. Her mother ensured that she and her brother were baptized into the faith, went to Mass every Sunday, and prayed in the evenings.
But it wasn’t until she was 12 that Panita was faced with a choice. “My parents had some fight about their faiths and they asked me what faith I wanted to take and practice. I stated to them I want to be Catholic and practice my Catholic faith,” Panita said.
That’s also when she made her mind about what kind of marriage she would have. “Since then I said to myself I wanted to have my future spouse who has the same faith as mine. Otherwise I would stay single for my whole life,” Panita said.
While pursuing a masters degree in New Jersey, she actually met Craig at a young adult's group!
Panita would end up meeting her match on the other side of the globe, but it would not be a long-distance relationship. Panita moved to New Jersey in 2006 to get her Master’s degree in education at St. John’s University in New York. That’s when she first crossed paths with Craig, who was trying to start a young adult group at Our Lady of Victories, their local parish.
“Panita signed up for it and I called her at her aunt's house. I talked to Panita about the group but she did not understand all of it because she was just beginning to learn English,” Craig recalled.
Given their language differences, nothing happened.
To help overcome the language barrier, Panita spent two intensive years learning English.
Panita decided to focus on learning English. She enrolled in a two-year Intensive English Program at the Queens campus of St. John’s. She also had to adjust to the culture and the weather. “My first winter was so tough for me because I came from a hot climate country and it never snowed. It was hard for my body to adjust to the cold weather so I got very sick then. I also was overwhelmed with my commute to school during snow days,” Panita said.
But Panita persevered and became accustomed to her new way of life. “I had learned so many new things in America and adjusted very well with the American culture and spoke English well. My great-aunt and my aunt always complimented me about my English because I started it from zero at St. John’s,” she said.
As Panita settled in, her Aunt Nonthali encouraged her to sign up for CatholicMatch, which she did on January 3, 2011. Twenty-two days later she met Craig.
Craig felt the Holy Spirit encouraging him to message her. So he did.
“I was attracted him when I read his profile that he loves God so much and practices his Catholic faith. I was looking for a man who has strong faith and practices his faith. Craig is absolutely Mr. Right for me. When a couple share the same faith, it is like speaking the same language,” Panita said.
Craig, who had been on the site for a few months, also was drawn to the strength of her faith—as well as her respect for the elderly and kindness towards animals. Then he noticed that one of her pictures was from his parish, Our Lady of Victories.
He had never immediately written to a potential match, but this time was different. “The night I read Panita’s profile, there was a voice inside me saying, ‘Write to her.’ I can only believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding me that night,’” Craig said.
They met for the first time at Mass at their parish. A second date quickly followed.
After chatting via email and phone for two weeks they had their first meeting in person at Mass at their parish. “We smiled at each other without saying words when people delayed to get up before Our Father prayer. We knew right then that was a connection,” Panita said.
Afterwards they went to Ruby Tuesday for dinner. At the end, Panita gave him a batch of her homemade almond cookies as a thank-you gift for dinner. Two days later they had their second date.
It took a brief separation for them to realize they were meant to be together. In June, after dating for about four months, Panita had to return home to Thailand to visit her family and renew her student visa.
“While we communicated frequently through Skype, I realized there was something missing while she was away. While at church, I looked to my left when sitting in the pew at Mass and felt that missing piece in my life,” Craig said.
Meanwhile, Panita was counting down the days to her return.
It didn't take long for them to realize they were meant for each other.
When she returned, Craig picked her up at the airport, armed with a bouquet of flowers. “The hug that we shared when she arrived at Newark Airport was like a scene from a movie,” Craig said.
On May 19, 2013, Panita graduated from her master’s program. On June 1, she and Craig married.
“As I look back at how Panita and I met, I think back to what Jesus said in the book of Matthew, ‘With God, all things are possible,’” Craig said.
