Our marriage is a testimony to the power of prayer, specifically the
rosary. We both prayed many rosaries asking Mary that we would meet the
one we were called to marry, and Our Lady led us to each other through
Catholic Match.
Steve had been one of the earliest members, as
you can tell by his profile number, but one of his traits is that he is
very patient. He was a member for many years before I (Jeanne) joined
Catholic Match. Steve told me he was very attracted to my profile when
I posted it upon joining, but it was a year before he contacted me in
June of 2003. We started e-mailing and I knew he was special. E-mails
turned to phone calls and the phone calls lasted for hours, full of
laughter and good conversation. When we met in person a few weeks later
for lunch, it was the first time we had set eyes on each other, as we
had both agreed not to exchange pictures. Now, you might think the
meeting would be awkward, but it was actually very natural—two friends
meeting to continue a conversation already begun. We ended our first
date with Mass.
The next weekend Steve took me to a local bakery
for pastry and coffee. I knew he wanted to marry me when he took me
over to look at the lovely wedding cakes on display. We spent so much
time together that weekend. After that, we got together as often as
possible. It was so natural to be together and everything we did was
fun, whether it was going out to romantic dinners, to a fair,
mini-golf, a stroll through town, cooking together and enjoying meals
by candlelight, walking by moonlight, ballroom dancing, washing dishes
together, or sitting in Milford’s gazebo playing hangman for hours on
end. We couldn’t believe we had so much in common. Our courtship was
romantic and dreamlike, and yet it had a complete ease and joy in even
the less glamorous activities—like washing dishes. It wasn’t the
activity that was important. The joy was simply in being together.
Just
four months from the time Steve first wrote to me, we drove to the
Maine coast, and he presented me with a beautiful diamond ring, a tiara
(Steve always said I was his princess), and a proposal by a famous
lighthouse, and I accepted! We were married on July 24, 2004 in a
beautiful ornate Catholic church. Our wedding rings are engraved inside
with special thanksgiving to Mary. After a month-long honeymoon which
included three weeks in the Hawaiian Islands, we settled into life
together. We just celebrated our 1-year and 7-month anniversary. It’s
been wonderful, and we can’t imagine life without each other now.
Marriage is true bliss for both of us. We give thanks to Our Lady for
bringing us together, and to Catholic Match, which she used as her
instrument. We gladly recommend Catholic Match to other single
Catholics, as well as devotion to Our Lady, her rosary and sacramental
marriage in the Catholic Church. It is the way to go!
