Bob, 33, and Kathy, 27, from Minnesota belonged to the same parish, and they even share some of the same friends, but it took meeting on CatholicMatch to get their relationship off the ground.
Bob had been looking into different online dating sites; he joined CatholicMatch because he had decided that he wasn't interested in dating anyone that wasn't Catholic. “I spotted an ad for CatholicMatch on the back of my church bulletin, and I just knew that this site was going to be different.”
Kathy joined CatholicMatch at the suggestion of her mom. “I was willing to join because I wasn't having luck meeting anyone I was interested in on my own, and I wanted to meet someone whose
faith was important to him. Even so, I definitely had mixed feelings about joining. At first, I was a little scared, not knowing how honest people were about themselves on their profiles. I knew I needed to be cautious.”
Bob had been a member for four and a half years and Kathy had been a member for two years before they connected on CatholicMatch.
"As for why we had not connected on CatholicMatch before we did. One reason is because we are a few years apart in age, and so we were a little outside of the age range we were searching for. At one point, I expanded the age range of my search and found Kathy. I contacted her shortly after that," he explains.
They Met First in Person, Then Online
Prior to contacting each other on CatholicMatch, Bob and Kathy met briefly after a Young Adults Prayer Night in August of 2013 where they introduced themselves. In passing over the next couple of months, they saw each other, but nothing developed. Then in October, they attended the same wedding, which allowed them the opportunity to talk a little. In November, Bob found Kathy on CatholicMatch and sent her a message. After conversing for a month, they decided to meet on purpose for a first date. “We met at a coffee shop even though neither of us drinks coffee, and we had a nice long conversation (for 3.5 hours) over hot chocolate. We felt interested enough to continue conversing regularly online and we went on several more dates,” Bob recalls.
Over the next several months, they dated, discovering that they had a lot in common and that they enjoyed spending time together, which included attending church together, taking walks, watching movies, cooking, and visiting each other’s families.
A Bump in Road
Bob was cruising along in the relationship, so it came as a surprise to him when, in March of 2014, Kathy expressed concern that she wasn't feeling good about their relationship, and she didn’t feel special. Ultimately, Kathy wasn't sure if there was enough there for her to continue pursuing their relationship.
“She went home, and I pondered what she had told me over the next day or so, and when we met again, I presented a plan. Since she wasn't feeling like she was special, I would treat her to a night on the town to show her how special she is to me. We would dress up in nice clothes; go to a fancy
restaurant, and go to see a play. We went out the following weekend, and it was wonderful. She felt special again, and I was happy to help her feel that way,” Bob shares.
Kathy challenging Bob resulted in bringing them closer, and it was also a good reminder to both of them of the importance of not taking each other for granted.
Easter Proposal
Not long after, Bob invited Kathy to join him during his usual hour of Eucharistic Adoration, which happened to follow immediately after the Easter Vigil Mass, which both of them attended.
“During this hour of Adoration, after we had said a few prayers together—including two of my daily prayers, the Rosary and the Chaplet—I proposed to her right there in the Adoration Chapel, with the Lord as our witness.”
Kathy was surprised and shocked, but she said, “Yes!”
The couple will be married on April 16, 2016, at All Saints Catholic Church in Lakeville, MN, where they are both parishioners. "We have a large guest list—about 400 invited and we are expecting 330-350. For our honeymoon, we're planning a week and a half in Hawaii! That will be right after the wedding, which we are very excited about!"
Parting Advice
Bob and Kathy recommend being as honest as you can and to put some effort into finding someone. “It's worth a try, but it's not magic; you don't just put your information in and expect the rest to take care of itself. The more thought and effort you put into it, the better things will go.”
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