Fifteen years out of the dating world made Nila apprehensive to put herself back out there.
At 52, she had never been married and had no children, and still felt very called to the vocation of marriage.
“I knew that CatholicMatch would be the only place where I would search, because sharing my faith with my partner was a priority and of absolute importance,” Nila says. So she put her hesitation aside and created her online dating profile.
In July of 2019, she connected with 57-year-old John, who worked as a purchasing agent and was active in his parish.
Unlike her, he had been previously married and already had three adult children. But he lived in Virginia Beach, an easy drive from her town of Chesapeake, so Nila responded. They messaged sporadically for a couple of months, until John suggested meeting in person. They set up their date for August 16th at an Applebee's midway between them.
“Since this came up on a First Friday, I went to adoration from 7-8pm at my Parish and I was late!” Nila remembers.
But John found her commitment to prayer refreshing, and their first date went swimmingly. They bonded over their shared faith. Of course, just a few months into dating, the pandemic hit and their options for date nights were extremely limited.
They stayed connected as best they could, and took time to ensure each other felt comfortable with the pacing of their relationship.
John was at ease in the dating world because of his experience of using conventional dating apps.
He’d eventually come to CatholicMatch because he hadn’t found good matches for a future marriage, and he knew the right person for him would ultimately share his religion. Nila had been the primary caregiver to her elderly mother for these long fifteen years. This was additional to her work as an oncology nurse! She felt she was in unfamiliar dating territory after focusing on her caregiving roles for so long.
“I also had to adjust to dating someone with children because this was all new to me,” Nila says.
They bonded most over their shared faith, and over time, felt God’s call that this was the relationship they’d both been waiting for.
“For us, practicing our faith is a priority, and attending Holy Mass together is one of the most loving and fulfilling experiences I have ever had,” Nila explains.
In December of 2022, John asked Nila to marry him, and the two were joined in Holy Matrimony in February of 2024.
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