Melanie was frustrated with the dating scene. It’s a common phenomena among people who come to CatholicMatch. What was perhaps uncommon is that Melanie figured this out an exceptionally young age, being well-grounded in her faith at age 22 and knowing clearly what she wanted in a date.
“It was very important to me that my husband not only share my faith, but also that he know his role in our domestic Church,” she said. “I definitely wasn’t finding this guy in a bar.”
Where she was finding him is through an institution that knows something about duty and honor, and that would be the U.S. Naval Academy. Carl, 20-years-old, was already dedicated to the service of his country and was attending Annapolis. He was from a family of eleven children, and his brother met his wife on CatholicMatch. When they suggested he make a profile, he was more than receptive.
Melanie was not yet a full member of CatholicMatch when she came across Carl’s profile. “His Navy uniform caught my eye, but more important were his actual words,” she recalled. What impressed her most was that in his seeking section, he had a simple answer: “7 out of 7.”
“This showed me that not only does he believe what the Church teaches, but it is also important to him that his future wife does,” Melanie said. “I definitely was intrigued…but being the traditional girl that I am, I wasn’t about to make the first move.”
Carl was ready to take the bull by the horns, and he checked out Melanie’s profile in return and decided to send her a message. He was worth it for Melanie to take the chance and try a full subscription to reply.
They spent several weeks sticking to messages and then upgraded to a phone conversation. It took a few months before circumstances allowed them to meet in person, but when it happened it was worth the wait.
“We couldn’t get enough of each other,” Melanie told CatholicMatch. “We would talk as often as we could for as long as we could. By the time we met it was like meeting my best friend for the first time.”
This was in the spring of 2011, and things moved quickly. Their shared values of faith, family and commitment generated a natural match, and when Carl came to visit Melanie at her North Carolina home to celebrate her birthday in July, he came with a ring. “He proposed on my birthday at the top of a mountain in North Carolina,” she recalled fondly.
Carl and Melanie were married in December 2011, and ten months later they welcomed their daughter into the world. Their second child is due this coming November. “Things moved quickly for Carl and I, but I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Melanie said. “We couldn’t be happier to say that we met in a good Catholic atmosphere.”
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