Santiago and Michelle met online on CatholicMatch. Surprised? So were they.
They exchanged their first messages one Sunday afternoon in mid-August 2023. Santiago made the first move:
“Hi, nunca he estado en Puerto Rico pero me gustaría ir. I like tostones a lot. We call them patacones at home. I’m from Quito, Ecuador. Hope you had a great day!”
Michelle thought to herself, “Another one... what will this one say?” Not exactly the most romantic start—but God had a plan.
At first, their conversations were slow—just one message per day.
Eventually, Michelle asked for a video call. Smart move—she wanted to make sure the pictures were real! The first 45 minutes were in English, and then Santiago asked, “Can we switch to Spanish? It’s been a long day. My brain cannot think in English anymore.” The next 45 minutes were in Spanish. And from then on, they didn’t stop talking.
They spoke about their days, their cultures, and dove deep into shared interests: philosophy (Scholastic and Thomistic), and even history. Michelle was already familiar with Don Gabriel Garcia Moreno—one of Santiago’s role models and a former Ecuadorian president. It was a good start, as “friends.”
Michelle wasn’t sure how serious Santiago was...
One day she asked, bluntly, “Okay, so what are your intentions with all these calls and messages?” Santiago, a bit surprised, answered sincerely and with confidence:
“We are getting to know each other, and I’m enjoying the process. If we are meant to be together, it will be.”
A few days later, he asked if she’d like to get coffee in Dallas. Michelle said yes (even though she doesn’t drink coffee.)
Santiago left his apartment early that morning and drove 4 hours to meet Michelle. Their first stop: the Cathedral of Dallas (now the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe). After Mass, they went ice skating. Santiago tried showing off his “skating skills,” but promptly tripped and fell flat on the ground.
At the time, Santiago was just a week away from the 2023 Chicago Marathon, for which he’d been training for 8 months—despite a recent sprained ankle! The next day, they went to Six Flags Over Texas.
That evening, they played guitar together and had their first dance under the stars and moon.
Before the weekend ended, Santiago asked Michelle if she wanted to be his girlfriend. Michelle, cautious, responded, “Let me think about it. Let’s keep in touch.” That led to more prayer and discernment.
One of Santiago’s friends joked after hearing the ice skating story, “So this girl already put you on your knees? I wonder where this will go.”
After a successful marathon, Santiago and Michelle met again at the ECHO Retreat in Dallas 2023, which focused on Theology of the Body and intentional dating with the goal of marriage—something they often discussed. During the retreat, Michelle said “Yes” to officially dating Santiago. He wrote in his notes:
“This is the best day of my life.”
From then on, Santiago visited Michelle almost every other weekend. They spent quality time together, had deep conversations, and shared many joyful experiences. Michelle visited Santiago in the Houston area, too—including cheering him on at the Houston Marathon 2024. At the end of that race, Santiago handed her a note he’d carried during the entire 26.2 miles:
“If you receive this note from me after running 26.2 miles, it’s to say that… te amo.”
Santiago proposed on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, in front of the Blessed Sacrament, at the altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
On the first Friday of February, they followed their usual plan—Mass for First Friday devotions. They stopped by Michelle’s family home before heading to church. Michelle’s younger sister encouraged her to wear a dress that “looked nicer on her.” After Mass, during Eucharistic Adoration, Santiago invited Michelle to pray with him at Mary’s altar—something they did often.
As they knelt quietly, Santiago whispered,
“Michelle, what are your plans for the next 60 years of your life?”
While she tried to process what he meant, he pulled a small box from his coat pocket, got down on one knee, and asked her to marry him.
Michelle croaked, “yes.”
They invited Our Blessed Mother Mary to be the pillar of their relationship.
And on Thursday, November 21—the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—they were married.
This is how their wonderful journey began. They are aware of the challenges of marriage, but also hopeful for the blessings that will come from this sacrament.
