Ace joined CatholicMatch because he was looking for a woman “with plans of building a family inspired by the Holy Family, a woman who is faithful and trustworthy.”
Catherine had been on various online dating sites, which didn’t work out for her. “When I found CatholicMatch, I decided to settle with it and trust this site is reliable because it is faith-based.”
Catherine was looking for a man “who was Christ-centered, with a good upbringing and values.”
“Lovely smile,” was all Ace wrote on his first message to Catherine!
She didn’t respond because she thought he was just having fun. A month later, in June 2021, Ace sent another message. This time Catherine responded because she had a little free time to chat. Their first conversation went very well...however, their relationship didn't take off right away.
“He talked differently than I had expected!" Catherine didn’t feel a spark and that bothered her after their nice conversation. But, neither of them gave up on getting to know each other a little bit better.
They both lived on Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines, though they lived in different regions. On June 22nd, they connected for their first video chat.
Ace asked Catherine where exactly she called home. To her surprise, Ace was familiar with her hometown, Manticao, as his job involved traveling there. In fact, he would be in her region the very next day!
He wanted to see her soon!
Ace asked if he could meet Catherine then but....
“I refused because I wasn’t ready. And, I wasn’t really interested in him,” Catherine recalls.
Luckily, Ace didn’t give up easily.
After traveling for eight hours on business, he sent Catherine another message asking to see her.
When she finally agreed to meet him, Ace traveled another hour to reach her hometown. He waited until her evening class was over and they met briefly.
The next day, June 24th, Ace asked to court her and brought Catherine doughnuts and a single rose. He assured her that he didn’t want to move too quickly but was eager to use the opportunity of being in her region.
The following day, June 25th, Ace sent a messenger to give Catherine a bouquet of roses.
“From then on, we continued our communication,” Catherine shares.
That July, they became an official couple!
Ace would visit Catherine whenever he had work near her hometown. Then he visited once every month. They kept communicating during their time apart through phone and video calls.
“I slowly realized that I was starting to really like him,” Catherine recalls.
Ace appreciated that Catherine was trust-worthy and shared his Faith and values. As Catherine came to realize what an amazing gift God had given her in Ace, she was moved to tears during her prayers. “It’s really a different feeling and experience if a man is a God-fearing person.”
On Christmas Eve 2021, Ace proposed to Catherine in the presence of her family.
At the stroke of midnight, Catherine accepted through many happy tears. “We believe we met on CatholicMatch because of God’s plan. God was our only matchmaker,” they share.
In May 2022, the couple pledged themselves to a future union in a betrothal ceremony. “During our betrothal, we declared our intention to marry before the altar in the presence of a priest and two witnesses,” the couple shares. “It's like preparing ourselves for the sacred state of matrimony.”
On Candlemas, February 2, 2023, they were married at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Iligan City.
“After the ceremony, we both offered flowers and prayers to St. Joseph and Blessed Mother Mary,” the couple recalls.
The couple have settled into married life and are now expecting their first child.
“God’s plan is always the best. He always works in mysterious ways. We believe God made us join CatholicMatch because it was His will,” the couple shares.
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