"Wouldn't it be nice if there were a Catholic Tinder?"
That was the question that Mirya asked herself in August of 2021. That one question then prompted her to a Google search, where she came across CatholicMatch. Little did she know that would be the place where she would meet her future spouse!
Meanwhile, Edouard was discerning the priesthood. After praying and asking God for guidance, he decided he would try CatholicMatch for just one month.
On October 15, 2021, Mirya met Edouard on CatholicMatch. Mirya reminisced, “I remember it vividly because it’s my father’s birthday, and I had just come out of quarantine due to COVID.” She was not certain that she would find a boyfriend; she really just wanted a good Catholic friend.
Edouard turned out to be much more than that.
“What caught my eye was that he was a convert.”
While scrolling, she came across Edouard’s profile; she was interested because he was a convert from Orthodoxy. Mirya was curious to know his story, so she liked his profile. About two days later, Edouard messaged Mirya.
He started with a Harry Potter joke, and luckily, Mirya is a fan. From there, they spoke more and began to learn about each other. They bonded over shared experiences even though they had different heritage. Mirya surprised Edouard by telling him she was originally from Peru! Edouard thought she was from Canada; Edouard himself is Canadian-Lebanese.
After a few days, Edouard asked Mirya to watch a movie with her. When the movie failed to work, he proposed praying the rosary instead. Mirya was charmed! This was the first time a man had asked to pray a rosary with her on a date.
In April 2022, Edouard visited Peru to meet Mirya’s family.
“When I first saw her at Lima's airport it was pure excitement, I rushed to hug her and thought she was the cutest thing on two legs when I saw her holding her balloon.” Edourard continued, “this event reaffirmed to me that she was the girl God called me to marry.”
Mirya added, “my family loved him immediately. From the moment I saw him in person, it felt like I had known him forever. Being with him was so easy, comfortable, happy, and peaceful.”
They spent Holy Week together, Edourard met Mirya’s friends and loved ones, and they even traveled to Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Mirya had served as a missionary in 2015-2016.
“Revisiting the place where God called me to serve was a dream come true. Seeing Edouard interact with the children there warmed my heart. I remember watching him play with the kids and thinking, ‘I want to marry this man.’”
On January 20, 2024, Edouard and Mirya received the sacrament of matrimony in Lima, Perú surrounded by their families and loved ones. They thoroughly enjoyed the well-deserved celebration after overcoming the challenges of being from two different countries.
They now live in Canada in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where they are enjoying the blessings of their young marriage. They even shared that they are expecting their first child!
