Claudia had been struggling with trusting that God would send her a husband. She felt strongly called to marriage, and began to feel a pull toward CatholicMatch, but decided to wait until after Lent. “I felt God telling me to stop trying to make people like me, and to just let it happen.” Through prayer throughout Lent, she began to trust more fully in God’s plan for her life, and then when Lent concluded, she joined CatholicMatch.
Ryan had been on CatholicMatch for two years because he, too, felt strongly called to marriage. When Claudia appeared on the “New Members” highlight on the website, Ryan immediately messaged her. Aside from finding her beautiful, he noticed that she mentioned attending traditional Latin Mass in her profile. As a fellow Latin Mass attendee, Ryan thought they could be a good match.
As a new member, Claudia received a lot of messages.
She liked Ryan’s profile, specifically what he described that he was looking for in a wife. They began to casually chat, but she was slower to respond to Ryan since she was focusing on getting to know someone else. Ryan, however, did not want to give up on her. Wanting no ambiguity, he messaged her saying, “I am interested in pursuing a relationship with you, but if you’re not, please let me know.” Claudia appreciated his boldness and decided to focus exclusively on getting to know Ryan.
They both lived in Pennsylvania, but on different sides of the state. After a few weeks of talking, they decided to meet for their first date at a state park about halfway between them. Claudia said, “I kept going back and forth in my head about if I should greet Ryan with a hug or a handshake, and once I saw him, I decided to greet him with a hug.” Ryan appreciated that gesture, as it confirmed her interest in him and that she felt comfortable with him. They were enjoying their time together so much that they got caught in a torrential downpour mid-hike!
However, neither rain nor distance would prevent Ryan and Claudia from building a relationship. On her way home from their first date, Claudia thought, “This could be the guy I marry”, and hoped that he would be.
Ryan frequently demonstrated to Claudia how much he cared for her through thoughtful gestures.
In addition to bringing her a gift on their first date, he drove out to an amusement park across the state to meet her family, and he even surprised her with tickets to see her favorite performer, Josh Groban. Claudia remarked, “I was so touched that he would do so many meaningful things for me, and that he was just such a gentleman.”
By their fifth date, Claudia knew she wanted to marry Ryan. Ryan was feeling the same way, but his spiritual director encouraged him to wait a little longer before proposing so as not to act impulsively. After all, they had only been dating for about two months. Ryan shared this conversation with Claudia, and she was relieved that they were on the same page about their feelings for one another.
Ryan planned to propose on December 17th, after about 6 months of dating. He met with her father while Claudia was at work to ask for his blessing, and then made plans to bring Claudia to Longwood Gardens, somewhere she had grown up going with her family.
Everything was going as planned, until Ryan realized that he left the ring at his home across the state! Not to be deterred, he scrambled to plan a ring transfer with his best friend from his hometown. They met about halfway, in a snowstorm, and Ryan, full of gratitude for his friend, was on his way to propose to the love of his life.
That day, Claudia noticed that Ryan was more dressed up than usual, but she didn’t think he had gotten to ask her father for his blessing yet. She resigned herself to the fact that he probably wasn’t going to propose and decided to just enjoy the beauty of the gardens. Claudia said, “I was looking back and forth at this cluster of beautifully decorated Christmas trees and at Ryan, and then when I looked away from the tree, he was down on one knee!”
Unfortunately, the COVID shutdowns began soon after their engagement, posing a bit of an obstacle to the couple that frequently met halfway for dates. With restaurants and many public places closed, their dates became long conversations in the parking lots of fast-food restaurants. Occasionally, they would spend weekends visiting each other’s families. Planning a wedding through the pandemic involved a lot of uncertainty, as they were never sure what the venue capacity would be. In the end, their wedding did not go quite as planned, but it was not because of COVID.
Their wedding was planned for July 11th...
At their rehearsal dinner on July 10th, the priest asked them for their marriage license, and they realized they didn’t have one! Claudia explained, “There had been a miscommunication since we were going through marriage prep at one church and getting married at another, and we wound up not getting a marriage license!” This meant having to postpone their wedding for a week. The church, organist, and photographer were still available; unfortunately, the reception they had planned could not be rescheduled.
Nonetheless, Ryan and Claudia continued to trust in God and overcame yet another obstacle thrown their way, and married on July 18th, 2020. While they were disappointed that they didn’t get to have the reception they had planned, they both felt that the most important thing was that they were joined by the Sacrament of Matrimony and that their families were there to celebrate with them.
Now, nearly two years into their marriage, Ryan and Claudia are as in love as ever.
Sadly, they recently endured a miscarriage, but they continue to trust in God’s perfect timing. Through all the setbacks, large and small, they recognize and appreciate God’s constant presence in their lives and strive to image Christ to each other.
“Ultimately, we are two imperfect people trying to get each other to Heaven,” Claudia remarked. “We both thank God for bringing us together through CatholicMatch; we couldn’t be happier.”
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