They Deleted Their Profiles Together!

When Patrick heard of the CatholicMatch “Valentine’s Day Special,” he couldn’t pass up a good deal.

Freshly out of law school, Patrick, 31, figured he had nothing to lose by signing up for a 6-month subscription. Now living back home in Southern California, he was ready for a serious relationship. It did not take long—just two weeks—for his eye to catch on the profile of a woman who lived nearby.

“The virtue of having a profile is really helpful on CatholicMatch compared to other dating apps,” Patrick says. Knowing that the person you are connecting with is actually living out their faith by reading about their favorite saints, or seeing pictures of them at church or with their siblings, helps start the conversation on a common ground.

Veronica, 27, a dentist, first joined CatholicMatch at the encouragement of her younger sister. “The older I got the more I realized what was important to me,” she says. Using a dating app helped filter out less of what she did not want from a relationship. When Patrick “liked” her profile, she “liked” his back and the conversation began from there. However, Veronica’s 6-month subscription was nearing its end, and she was hoping Patrick would soon ask for her number.

“I didn’t say anything about my subscription ending, I just wanted to see how it would play out,” Veronica recalls. As providence would have it, Patrick asked for her phone number the night before her subscription ended! The next day, Veronica could no longer access their messages online, but thankfully they had begun talking over the phone.

He used a different name on their first date!

A month after connecting online, Patrick and Veronica met in person for their first date. Patrick made reservations at a local Italian restaurant but did not realize it was under his legal name, Thomas. “She thought I was catfishing her at first,” he laughs. But after clearing it up, they enjoyed a beautiful evening together over dinner. Conversation flowed easily, and they soon realized that they had so much in common.

The only mishap was when Veronica, who is gluten-free, ordered the gnocchi...after Patrick assured her that gnocchi is gluten-free. He had worked at an Italian restaurant where the gnocchi they served was gluten-free. But after waking up sick the next morning, Veronica realized that the gnocchi was the likely culprit. “My friends called him the gluten-man for a while,” quips Veronica, joking that Patrick tried to poison her.

Yet this did not slow things down; about a month later the two decided to make their relationship official by deleting their CatholicMatch profiles together. “We were getting coffee together when Veronica had the idea to delete them,” says Patrick. “We didn’t need them anymore!”

Relationship advice from Emily Wilson helped set a solid foundation.

As their relationship grew, the two faced a few minor challenges with communication and clarifying intentions. Since this was the first serious relationship for either of them, it took time to navigate deeper conversations. With the help of a resource from Catholic dating expert Emily Wilson, they began monthly “check-ins” where they would answer a set of questions tied to feelings or expectations. “Neither of us wanted to initiate asking where this is going, so these questions helped guide our discussions on the harder topics,” Patrick says.

After about five or six months, Patrick and Veronica got more comfortable with where things were heading. In early 2023, just under a year before they first met online, they began scoping out rings together. “People always look at her ring and say ‘oh, that’s exactly what she would want’ and I say that’s because it is what she wants,” laughs Patrick. Patrick began planning a proposal for early May, not wanting to overshadow the wedding of Veronica’s sister that spring.

A beach proposal in the same neighborhood that their wedding would take place!

On May 6, 2023, Patrick and Veronica made plans to meet her sister and husband at a local Chinese restaurant. As they arrived at the restaurant, they got word that Veronica’s sister and her husband were running late, so Patrick suggested they go for a walk near the beach. This was out of character for Patrick, making Veronica suspect that something might be up. As the couple walked out onto a pier at Dana Point, which overlooks the ocean, Patrick proposed. Hidden nearby was Veronica’s sister and her husband who were taking pictures of the special moment.

Afterwards, Patrick surprised Veronica by taking her to an Italian restaurant filled with both sides of their family! “I hadn’t met one of his sisters before, and all three of his sisters had come in from the Midwest,” Veronica says. Their families had also not yet met each other before, which was a special time for everyone to come together in support of their relationship. “Though I really was hoping to go to the Chinese restaurant we planned on,” Veronica laughs. But as it turned out, the restaurant they ended up at was in the same neighborhood of San Juan Capistrano where they would hold their wedding, which made it all the more significant.

Marriage prep and wedding planning lent itself to a beautiful Sacrament.

Like any couple, Patrick and Veronica faced some headaches with the logistics of wedding planning, but seeing it all come together on February 3, 2024 “made it all worth it.” They held their Nuptial Mass at the San Juan Capistrano Mission, which was especially significant for Veronica, who had received all of her other Sacraments through the Mission.

“Everything about the Mass was so beautiful,” Veronica recalls, sharing that she especially loved how they tailor-picked each detail of the Mass. For Patrick, his highlight of the day was the “first look” that they had before the Mass. The special moment between the two of them before entering into the Sacrament is one that they will forever cherish. The rest of the day went smoothly, and even the weather was beautiful for their outdoor reception—not always the case for February in Southern California!

Newlywed life brings adventures together and learning about each other every day.

Upon returning home from their honeymoon in Hawaii, the happy couple began settling into their new home and their newly joined lives. Patrick shares how he “learned so much” about Veronica in those early months. The beauty of waiting to live together until after entering into marriage brought so many new surprises and lessons about each other. They also have enjoyed traveling on business trips and fun trips together—something they did not get to do before they were married. The blessed couple knows that this time together in the early stages of their family should be cherished.

Veronica and Patrick hope to inspire others who may be looking for their spouse to trust in God’s timing. “God has a plan for you, it’s not too late, the right person will be there.”