Roy Proposed With a Handwritten Card

For a year, Roy’s grandmother had been praying to St. Anne that he “would find a sweet Catholic girl."

Roy, 29, says he joined CatholicMatch because he was having trouble

finding a Catholic girl living in the South. “I had dated some very nice people in the past, but not sharing the Catholic faith always made things difficult.”

Ann joined CatholicMatch for similar reasons. “At 27 years old, I had finally tired of dating men outside of my faith. I thought it would be really nice to settle down with someone who shares my beliefs.”

Roy and Ann were attracted to each other for the same reason: they were struck by each other’s smiles.

“I remember thinking, ‘He looks like a fun, sweet guy." She also liked that he opened his "About Me" section with "Howdy!" “I figured he must have been a sweet, Southern boy! He’s also handsome, well educated, and conveniently lived in my area,” Ann shares.

She and her sister were looking at profiles together when they saw Roy's. Ann’s sister—taking the initiative—said, ‘Roy is the best! I am sending him a smiley face for you.’”

Roy felt like Ann’s profile stood out. “It really showed how beautiful, sweet, and fun she is. She was clearly very dedicated to her Catholic faith as well.”

Roy and Ann met for the first time at a Starbucks close to her apartment in Summer 2015. “We sat there and talked for three hours!” They found out that they had a lot in common. Ann went to college at Georgia State University, which is right across the street from Georgia Tech, where Roy went to school. They also both come from families of three children and have two sisters.

“We shared a lot of stories about college life in Atlanta and found out we have very similar interests in music,” says Ann.

“We talked about where we went to Mass, told funny stories about our families, and talked about our favorite bands. Ann was very easy to talk to, and we hit it off right away,” adds Roy.

As they got to know each other better, they found out they have other oddly coincidental things in common. “Roy and I met on July 26th, the same day that my parents met and got married. We quickly found out that we both grew up with beagle dogs named Buddy (Roy's Buddy is 15 years old!). Our mothers are both Catholic Italians, and we’re both of Irish and Italian ancestry,” shares Ann.

A Mutually Supportive Relationship

Ann says that her relationship with Roy has been “nothing short of a miracle.” She adds that they told each other “I love you” after dating for only one month. “He is the most kind, loving, and thoughtful person I have ever met. From the very beginning, I just knew that Roy was the one.”

Both say that they have had very few downs in their relationship. “This is mainly because Ann is such a sweet, accommodating, kind, and loving person. She is quick to forgive, and she loves me for who I am,” says Roy.

Still, the couple has had their challenges. “A struggle I face daily is my health. I have had Lyme disease for eight years. I remember the day I told Roy about my Lyme disease. He looked at me with a smile on his face and said, ‘I'm in, babe!’”

About six months into their relationship, Roy hit a rough patch at work. “This forced me to work late nights and weekends. I worried that Ann would get frustrated, but she was so incredible and supportive. It definitely confirmed what I already knew. God had put Ann in my life for a reason.”

Proposal 

After dating for eight months, Roy proposed to Ann. On March 14th, 2015, Ann had a big event at

work and Roy said he wanted to take her out to a nice dinner afterwards to celebrate. Roy arrived at Ann’s apartment a little early to pick her up. In order to celebrate another month together, Ann and Roy often gave each other cards.

“When I came to pick her up for dinner, I told Ann that I had written her a note, but she couldn't look at me while reading it. The last line of the letter read, "There is something very important that I want to ask you, but first I need you to turn around," says Roy.

“It was the sweetest note I have ever received! At the end of the letter it asked me to turn around. When I turned around, Roy was on one knee with a ring in his hand! It was the most romantic, perfect moment,” exclaims Ann.

After she said, "Yes," Roy took Ann out to dinner where her family was waiting to celebrate with them. “Ann looked so beautiful that day, and I will never forget it,” says Roy.

Ann and Roy will be getting married at the end of November in the Cathedral in Atlanta.