They Both Used CatholicMatch Because They Wanted a "Serious" Relationship!

Basia had used CatholicMatch two separate times before matching with Michael in 2023.

She was initially hesitant to join because she found online dating time-consuming and frustrating due to the amount of people and lack of deeper connection.

But, she wanted to find someone...

However, living in New York City meant that it was difficult to find good, Catholic men, and Basia really wanted to get married. 

Meanwhile, in Topeka, Kansas, Michael was also ready to find a serious relationship and had a hard time meeting quality Catholic women in his area. He had been on CatholicMatch for a few years before he came across Basia’s profile. 

After some convincing from her friend, Basia agreed to join CatholicMatch for the second time and began to search for men nearby. Eventually, she began to plug in different zip codes for towns and cities all around the United States when she landed on Kansas City—roughly 63 miles away from Michael.

She came across his profile and was interested but moved on due to the massive distance between them. Michael saw that Basia had viewed his profile, and unfazed by the distance, decided to reach out with a simple “hello!” 

It turns out that distance was no match for Michael and Basia!

After talking on the phone for a little over a month, Michael flew to New York City for their first in-person date. The two headed to a diner for breakfast after Basia greeted Michael at the airport and continued the date throughout the duration of Michael’s weekend visit. 

Even though their first date went well, the two note that distance was a challenge for their relationship.

In order to compensate for in-person dates, Michael and Basia found ways to make their virtual dates a little more creative through movie nights, games, and trivia. Michael even surprised Basia by sending her sunflowers at work!

Michael also expresses that the distance has been a sort of “blessing in disguise.”

It was important for Basia and Michael that their relationship should be founded on friendship, so the hours spent talking on the phone early into the morning allowed them to really get to know one another and “establish a really strong foundation upfront.”

Even though the distance was not ideal, Michael remarks that it has allowed them to “receive a lot of graces.”

Michael proposed after just two months of dating!

He flew to New York to have Thanksgiving with Basia, but little did she know that he was also planning to propose!

Prior to the proposal, Michael wanted to ask Basia’s parents for their blessing, but ran into a few obstacles.

Having moved from Poland to the United States in 2008, Basia was a long way from her childhood home, so Michael had to navigate a phone call to her parents who didn’t speak English.

Even though Michael had been learning some Polish, he enlisted the help of Basia’s best friend to mediate the FaceTime conversation where Basia’s parents gave Michael their blessing!

After arriving in New York, Michael planned a nice candle-lit dinner at Basia’s apartment, complete with flowers and romantic music. After dinner, the two exchanged letters they had written that expressed where they saw the relationship headed...

They read the letters out loud, and at the end of his letter, Michael popped the question! 

Michael and Basia will be married on Friday, June 7, which also happens to be the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The wedding Mass will take place in New Jersey with a reception to follow in New York.

After the wedding, Basia and Michael will reside in Kansas where they will no longer have to endure the trials of long distance!