If I’ve learned anything in my twenty-three years, it’s that Catholics are everywhere and that CatholicMatch works. While on a business trip to Pennsylvania, I met someone who excitedly told me that his cousin met his wife on CatholicMatch. Lucas praised the website, telling me that his cousin Brandon was so shy that his family thought he’d never get married.
Brandon and Meris weren't sure about online dating. It seemed a little weird...
They were wrong. Brandon met the love of his life because he and Meris decided to let go of any bias they had against online dating. Their story is a reminder to us all that God’s plan is greater than we can anticipate.
Brandon, 32, says he initially hesitated to join CatholicMatch because of the stigma surrounding online dating. After a few weeks, he decided to take the plunge because he wasn’t meeting people anywhere else.
“I joined CatholicMatch because I am not one to ask someone from church to go out. I also felt like searching in public places, like in a bar, would be futile because odds were I would not find someone who shared my faith,” shared Brandon.
Meris had similar motivations for joining CatholicMatch.
“I felt pretty familiar with the Catholic circles in Houston,” shared Meris, also 32, “I decided to expand my horizons and broaden my search radius to go outside of Houston! Thus, enter CatholicMatch!”
Meris had been on CatholicMatch a few times over the years, but nothing had materialized.
But things didn’t happen immediately for Meris and Brandon. Meris had been on CatholicMatch three or four times over the years—sticking with it for a month at a time—before she met Brandon. Meanwhile, Brandon was on the website for over a year before he finally met Meris.
“You have to have a lot of patience with online dating,” advised Meris. “You won’t meet Mr. Right on day one of your subscription! My only frustrations in online dating involve having to get to know many different people before you find ‘the right one!’”
On April 3, 2015, Meris finally took a step toward getting to know the right one. She was attracted to his smile, his curls, and his passion for Catholicism, so she sent the first message.
Brandon was equally impressed by Meris’s beautiful smile, and he thought she sounded like a fun person to be around.
In August of 2015, their love story started in earnest. Meris drove to Dallas with friends for the baptism of a college friend’s child. Since they’d been talking for a few months, Brandon picked Meris up at her hotel, and they headed out for their first date. After getting beers, they walked around Dallas’ Uptown. As they walked, Meris reached out to hold Brandon’s hand.
They realized God had been leading toward each other for years, attending the same events and living so close.
From there, the couple learned that God had been trying to bring them together for years.
They discovered that they had been in the same place at the same time at least a few times. In 2003, they both attended NCYC in Houston when they were seniors in high school. In 2014, a year before they met, they were both at the Houston Rodeo for an Alan Jackson concert.
“We didn't meet until 2015, so
it's crazy to think we were in the city we would one day call home,” exclaimed Brandon.
The couple not only bonded over common experiences, but they also shared a love of good food and drink. “We both love chorizo, iced coffee, and grilled mushrooms,” revealed Brandon.
That doesn’t mean that things were immediately perfect for the couple. Even though they both lived in Texas, they struggled with the three-and-a-half hour drive between Dallas and Houston.
“The distance was definitely challenging, especially in a new relationship,” said Meris. “Eventually Brandon found a job in Houston and permanently relocated in August 2016.”
Brandon proposed with a quote from St. John Paul the Great.
Two months after his move, Brandon took another big step. He asked Meris to marry him on a day that was already very important to her.
“The weekend of my golden birthday, Brandon asked if we could attend Saturday Vigil Mass at the Chapel of St. Basil on the campus of the University of St. Thomas since we hadn't done that in a while,” recalls Meris. One of Meris’ favorite priests, Fr. Ted, celebrated Mass.
Afterward, they walked into the Labyrinth Garden adjacent to the chapel. He used a quotation from Karol Wojtyla's The Jeweler's Shop to pop the question: “Meris Rebecca, will you be my life's companion?"
Meris enthusiastically replied, "Yes!"
They were married in Brandon's hometown so that his grandmothers could attend.
On July 8, 2017, the couple tied the knot in a ceremony at the Catholic Church in Brandon’s hometown, Portland, Texas.
Being married in that parish was meaningful to Brandon because it’s the church where he was baptized, and it’s also where his mom works. They also chose the location because it allowed both of his grandmothers to attend.
For the ceremony, two of Meris' priest friends, Fr. Francis Thérèse, CSJ and Fr. James Claver, SCJ, came from Colorado to witness their marriage. The couple adds, “Their presence and personal contributions to the liturgy really meant a great deal to us!”
Planning the wedding wasn’t stress-free, especially because Meris had to plan it all the way from Houston.
Meris remembers being super stressed on the big day, but all that stress went away the moment Mass began.
The couple, who recently celebrated their one-year anniversary, says marriage has been a joy even if it has required compromise.
“I had never lived with someone who wasn't a roommate or relative,” shared Brandon.
“There were many adjustments we had to make as we learned each other's preferences and pet peeves.”
But Meris says those compromises are entirely worth it: “I find it is incredible to have a partner in everything we do! Marriage has been such a fun journey so far! I love cooking with Brandon and grocery shopping and the simple everyday things I might have done alone.”
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