Sara, 28, and Adolfo, 31, from Puebla, Mexico, planned their first date for a child-friendly restaurant. They did this so Sara's three-year-old daughter could play games while Sara and Adolfo got acquainted. When Adolfo walked into the restaurant, it was love at first sight for Sara.
"He was wearing a suit, and he looked so handsome.”
However, Sara doubted whether Adolfo would find her attractive, considering she had just gotten off work and hadn't had time to change into something nice.
“I was in my uniform and sweaty,” she remembers. “I thought, ‘I don't know if he's going be okay with my outfit.' But to my surprise, Adolfo told me it was love at first sight for him too, and he liked that he met me looking natural.”
The couple talked for hours until they noticed that it was pretty late, and they’d overstayed their welcome.
The backstories
Prior to meeting Sara, Adolfo was a CatholicMatch member for three years. He was primarily looking for friendships—though he was also open to finding a spouse. He'd talked to many female members, but none of them had caught his eye. That is until he saw Sara’s message and profile.
Sara joined after a bad breakup with her ex-fiancé. “I didn't want to have a new relationship because I was mourning,” she shares.
It was her dad who convinced her that it would be a good idea to get a CatholicMatch membership. “At first, I told him that he was crazy but then I thought that could be a good idea, so I signed up."
He wants my number already?
When Sara saw Adolfo’s profile in her “matches," she said to herself, “Oh, my goodness, he’s so handsome!”
She sent him a message, wondering if he would reply. “To my surprise, he answered quickly.”
Though Adolfo made a request in his message that Sara didn’t like. He asked if they could talk via WhatsApp.
“I thought, ‘Who does he think he is? I don't know him, and he wants my number already?’”
Sara told him that she would rather chat through CatholicMatch, but after a few days of messaging, she felt comfortable enough to give Adolfo her number so they could talk via WhatsApp.
You seem too religious...
Discovering that Adolfo was an active member of the Legion of Mary seemed like a good sign to Sara because her grandmother founded the Legion of Mary chapter that he belonged to in Puebla.
However, Sara was worried about Adolfo being a daily communicant because she only attends on Sundays and holy days of obligation. She felt this difference in religiosity could become a point of contention for them.
“At first when I saw that he was in the Legion of Mary, I thought, 'He's a Catholic that is in the church every day.' I was a little worried about if we would mesh. To my surprise, we matched perfectly because he told me going to Mass was his way of relaxing. If my way to relax is doing other things, it was fine with him.”
Similar backgrounds
Raised similarly, Sara and Adolfo found it easy to get along. “We have in common that our families are similar in education, values, and religious formation.”
The couple was thrilled to learn that Adolfo’s parents knew Sara’s grandmother and one of her uncles. “My grandmother was like a mother to me; she passed away 12 years ago,” she shares. “We had never seen each other even though we lived very close, so I think this is the work of my grandparents in heaven.”
He makes me feel calm and loves my daughter
For Sara, the most important thing in her relationship with Adolfo is that he loves her daughter. Sara's little girl feels the say way.
“My daughter loves him so much, and when we are not with him, she asks, 'Where is he?' and begs me to call him,” she shares.
Sara also appreciates Adolfo's calm personality.
“He almost never gets angry, and if he does, it’s not explosive. I'm the opposite because I get angry easily and I'm explosive. When I'm like that, he says, 'My queen, do you need anything? Don't be angry; we can talk things out.’ When he says that, I get calmed quickly.”
An exchange of rings
The couple is not officially engaged, but Adolfo gave Sara a promise ring to let her know that he’s serious about their relationship. They have plans to get engaged officially in a few months.
"He wanted me to know that he only has eyes for me and that he respects me and my daughter.”
After Adolfo gave Sara a ring, she also gave him one to show that she too was committed.