Maria and I (Thomas) had
met on Catholic Match (then called St. Raphael.net) in July of 2002.
Our previous dating had produced little success, but we were a perfect
match together. We enjoy the same types of activities and have similar
views on life, despite the fact that I am Polish and Maria is Mexican.
We wanted to find a faithful Catholic spouse, and thanks to each other
we grew more fully in our Catholic faith. I had an eye for Maria—a.k.a
Storm's, profile for a while before I contacted her.
After a few
emails, we decided to meet each other at Cafe Iberico in downtown
Chicago, and we fell in love almost instantly. By the second date I
knew Maria was the one for me, and she felt the same way too. I
proposed to Maria next to Wawel Cathedral and Castle in Krakow, Poland
on July 2, 2003 and we were married on June 11, 2005 at St. Mary of the
Angels Church in Chicago, with Father Hilary Mahaney being the
celebrant. In gratefulness to Saint Raphael for having helped us find
each other through your website, we used a reading from the Book of
Tobith (in which Saint Raphael appears prominently) for our First
Reading.
Maria has been an inspiration to me. Thanks to her I
have become more involved in being an active Catholic, including
preparing kids at Mary, Queen of Heaven Parish in Cicero for
confirmation, joining the Knights of Columbus, being active in the
Catholic Physicians' Guild of Chicago, etc. Maria on the other hand has
decided to study for a Masters in Pastoral Studies so she could direct
religious education at one of the parishes in the Chicago Archdiocese.
Thank
you Catholic Match, for having helped us find the love of our lives.
Without you (through the guiding hand of God) we would have never met
our other half. Now we are complete for the rest of our lives.
By
the way, Maria's sister Elizabeth met her husband, Charles, through
your website as well, and they were married on New Year's Eve 2004.
God bless.
