Both Richard and Adrienne were in the Bible Belt, with relatively fewer Catholics to choose from in finding a community or a spouse. Richard signed up for CM while stationed in Fort Rucker, AL where he was serving the United States Army. Adrienne had attended the devoutly Catholic college, Christendom, but after moving back to Texas to teach Catholic high school, she became aware of few of her brethren in the Faith were around. After prayer and reflection, she too signed up for Catholic Match.
Richard caught Adrienne’s attention with a simple emotigram, short and sweet and they made arrangements to chat. Now if either one was the type to give up after hitting an initial obstacle, this relationship wouldn’t have started. The chat function was hitting some bugs that evening. While CM’s crack technical staff straightened them out, Richard and Adrienne were both unaware. They both thought that each one had decided they were “above” chatting with the other. Their communications briefly ceased, until Richard reconnected with her and the misunderstanding was straightened out. “It’s something we definitely laugh about today”, Adrienne recalled.
They were soon getting together for dinner, and Richard impressed Adrienne with his gentlemanly nature, opening car doors for her, pulling out her chair and keeping her laughing all evening. It was the start of a time of getting to know each other. Richard had moved back home to Texas after his time at Fort Rucker was complete, and they were able to get to know each other’s families. What impressed Adrienne most of all was the faith Richard clearly exuded. “He has such a simple faith”, she said lovingly. It was that simple faith that convinced Adrienne she had found the one.
In July of 2008, they flew out to Virginia for a friend’s wedding. While visiting, Richard took Adrienne to the chapel at Christendom College and asked her to be his wife. Adrienne accepted. On February 21st, 2009, the couple was united in Holy Matrimony and their first child arrived in November.
It was not only a happy ending, but an ironic one as well. Adrienne used to vow that she would never get online. She’d had the conversation with her college roommates. Unbeknownst to her, one of them was online, and Adrienne declared such venues to be the province of the truly desperate. She apologized profusely to her friend when she found out. All was forgiven, and its one more thing Adrienne and her old roommates have to laugh about today. For she’s happily married with a new baby and a long way from desperation. “We love Catholic Match and recommend it to all our friends”, she said enthusiastically.
The young couple is not without challenges, and Catholic Match asks the prayers of the community for Richard, who just shipped out to Haiti to do a six-month tour helping the devastated people of that poor country. Please include him in your prayers, as well as Adrienne, who will be on the homefront caring for their newborn. She is blessed to have family close by to lean on, and we are all blessed by the commitment of military families each and every day.
