She Didn’t Want Her Love Story to Include Online Dating...

After a year and a half of dead-end conversations on CatholicMatch, in January of 2020 Wisconsin native Ryan was ready to call it quits, and, in fact, canceled his subscription. With one week left before his membership ran out, he saw Minnesota native Morgan’s profile in the new members' section. 

She didn’t want her love story to include online dating...

After graduating college, Morgan entered religious life with the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus, a religious order based in Minnesota. Ten months later, she discerned out because she felt the Lord calling her elsewhere. For a time, she had resisted the idea of joining CatholicMatch because, in her words, “I didn’t want my love story to include online dating.” But after she saw it work for her two closest friends Liz and Laura, she signed up. Morgan logged in just days before Ryan’s subscription ended. 

He asked her this question first!

In his first message, he asked her “If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would it be?” Surprised but intrigued at the question, Morgan messaged back that it was tough to choose just one place, since she’d both studied abroad in Europe and traveled to the Holy Land. When she turned the question back on him, he responded saying that he’d really enjoyed a trip to Nashville (TN). Little did either one know at the time that they’d visit Nashville on their honeymoon eighteen short months later. 

During the series of messages following that initial question, Morgan was more and more impressed by Ryan’s intentionality, obvious interest, and evident desire to get to know her better. Ryan was struck by Morgan’s willingness to “actually hold a conversation with me” and that she “seemed to care and show interest in who I was as a person.” Two weeks after the first message, they met in person, and two weeks after that they made their relationship official. 

Their entire dating relationship was long-distance.

For the next six months, the couple took turns commuting on the weekends between his Green Bay, Wisconsin home and her home in the Twin Cities. As was the case for many CatholicMatch couples in the time of COVID-19 lockdowns, their budding relationship went completely virtual for a time. Morgan shared an unexpected blessing, noting “we also took this time to ask each other a lot of questions and get to know each other more deeply. We had many serious conversations about what we wanted in our futures, and I think our relationship grew in ways it wouldn't have been able to (as quickly) without the lockdown!” 

In addition to in-depth conversations, Morgan shared that “We played a lot of games on the computer,” Ryan specified that UNO and Monopoly were among them. He added, “We also tried to watch movies together, and wrote letters.” Additionally, during quarantine Ryan crafted an end table - his most ambitious woodworking endeavor to that point- as a surprise gift for Morgan. 

Once they were able to be together again in-person, the couple enjoyed lots of time with each other’s families, especially bonding over board games like Settlers of Cataan and Ticket to Ride. Morgan noted lightheartedly that while they were dating “We ate a lot of ice cream!” On a more serious note, they made sure to put first things first, frequently visiting the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help as a couple during her visits to Wisconsin. 

She knew the day the proposal was going to happen!

In August of 2020, Ryan was ready to propose. After calling Morgan’s dad without her knowledge, there was little opportunity to keep the actual proposal date from her because Ryan wanted it to take place in her hometown. Morgan smiled remembering that while they usually made their plans one weekend ahead of time, Ryan checked with her about whether they could go to the Cathedral in St. Paul three weeks later. As they walked there that day down historic Summit Avenue, a street lined with stately old buildings and known for its classic architecture, they prayed a decade of the rosary. Morgan purposefully offered to pray the Luminous Mysteries (since the 2nd mystery is the Wedding Feast at Cana!). Ryan knew, though, that on Fridays the Sorrowful Mysteries are traditionally prayed. The couple both laughed as they recalled that they prayed and meditated on the Agony in the Garden on their way to the proposal! 

On the church steps, Ryan presented Morgan with a photo book he’d made, starting with a screenshot from their very first video chat (which he insists was taken accidentally, but which came in handy when he was documenting their relationship chronologically in the book), and progressing to the present. 

Ryan was bummed to find that “There were tons of people around. I prayed for the people to go away for just 5 minutes, and they did!” During that time, he got down on one knee and on August 21st, 2020, asked Morgan to be his wife. She happily accepted. Like clockwork, once they had their special moment more visitors entered the Church and they were no longer alone for the rest of their time there. 

A wedding on the hottest day of the year.

Asked about the memorable parts of their big day on July 23rd, 2021, Ryan remembered that it was the hottest day of the year in Morgan’s Minnesota hometown. Morgan shared that the couple opted to do a totally private first look, without even a photographer present. Both reported being really glad that they had chosen to do things that way, to be completely present to each other in that moment. During that time, Ryan presented Morgan with a St. Rita rosary, knowing that she has a devotion to St. Rita of Cascia. Morgan tucked that rosary into her bridal bouquet and it was with her throughout the rest of the day. 

The wedding Mass was concelebrated by four priests, including Morgan’s uncle! A deacon and religious brother, who was a friend of Ryan’s from college, were also present! The couple both appreciated that their seats during Mass faced the sanctuary rather than the congregation, which made the Mass feel so intimate. 

After the Mass, the couple found that, to their chagrin, the party bus that would transport them to the reception venue did not have air conditioning! And since the day was so unbearably hot, the stereo overheated so there was no music! They had to travel with all the windows down, which negatively impacted the bridesmaids’ carefully crafted hair-dos! While a hot party bus wasn’t ideal, the couple laughs looking back on it now, acknowledging that it was a memorable part of an unforgettable day. 

His and hers words of wisdom...

Asked what advice she’d offer other singles hesitant to sign up for CatholicMatch, Morgan pointed out that while she was reluctant to have her love story start with online dating, “the Lord gifts you with so many unique and special moments in your relationship, that the focus isn't on how we met. I hardly consider the fact that we met online!” Instead, she remembers “all the excitement and little gestures of love from Ryan as he pursued me and we began dating. If you're experiencing reluctance to join, I encourage you to surrender!”

Ryan said, “If you're discouraged it's okay to step back and take a break! I feel like when I signed up I expected to find ‘the one’ on day one, which was just not the case.” While there may be bad dates and heartbreaks, with persistence and the grace of God “they will come when the time is right!”