Today, Ed and Mari-Celeste are living a marriage marked by laughter, faith, and deep companionship.
They attend Mass, pray together before meals, share life with their blended family, and continue building a home shaped by gratitude and joy.
After both experienced pain in their prior marriages, Ed and Mari-Celeste both did not expect to marry again.
But God had other plans for them.
Their story began on CatholicMatch. When they began dating, they were looking for companionship rooted in faith and shared values. What they found in each other was a relationship that felt natural, steady, and peace-filled from the start.
The connection between them was instant.
For Ed, he was drawn in the very first time he saw Mari-Celeste’s beautiful smile. Her profile photos got his attention, and he was intrigued to read her profile and send the first message.
When he reached out, something about his message immediately stood out to Mari-Celeste in a way she had not experienced before. When she looked at his profile in return, she felt an immediate sense of ease. She said, “I loved his face. His smile and his eyes just seemed so sincere and authentic.” He felt real to her, unaffected, unpolished, and honest, and she found herself thinking, “I just wanted to get to know him.”
They began talking on October 9, 2023. In the days that followed, that first impression quickly deepened. Within a week, they were chatting extensively through Catholic Match’s video chat feature, logging nearly eight hours of conversation per day!
Within the week, they decided to meet in person for the first time. But, according to them, their first date didn’t feel like a first meeting at all. The conversation flowed so effortlessly, it seemed as if they’d known each other forever.
They extended the date for coffee afterward, simply because they weren’t ready to say goodbye.
Neither was searching for a second chance.
Before trying CatholicMatch, Ed had never considered online dating. But he knew that if he ever tried a dating app, he would want to practice a faith-centered approach.
Mari-Celeste had tried several platforms in the past, but found them lacking in sincerity. She said that CatholicMatch stood out to her because it felt different.
“I knew—or hoped—that people of faith were on it,” she said, “looking for a real, meaningful relationship and not just a casual connection.”
Still, her expectations were guarded. While she was looking for a serious relationship, she did not necessarily consider marriage as an option.
Ed felt similarly. He was simply open to companionship and the possibility of meeting someone aligned with his values.
Neither of them was looking for a story that would change their life, but that is exactly what they found.
When they are together, they feel at peace.
From the beginning, their relationship carried a sense of peace that neither of them had expected.
Both had lived through previous marriages and understood complexity, disappointment, and healing. So what stood out most was not the intensity of their romance, but the peace they both felt when they were together.
“We spend so much time laughing,” Mari-Celeste said. “We are very good at communicating, compromising, and showing appreciation for each other.”
Within two weeks of meeting, they made a mutual decision that their relationship would be exclusive.
They also closed their CatholicMatch accounts shortly after.
What began as a cautious step toward companionship had quickly become something more serious, grounded, and clear.
Their relationship is grounded in shared faith.
As their relationship deepened, so did their shared life of faith.
Ed describes realizing, through his relationship with Mari-Celeste, how central his faith truly was.
“I never realized how important my faith was until we met and began sharing it together,” he said.
Mari-Celeste experienced something similar in return.
“Meeting Ed has shown me how much God loves me and wants me to be happy,” she said. “I truly believe God brought us together.”
Together, they began building simple spiritual rhythms into their relationship.
They attend Mass together when they are able, participate in parish life, and pray before meals with a spontaneous grace that they take turns offering.
They share a lived faith that is quiet, consistent, and shared.
Loving each other through sacrifice.
Like many couples with deep parish involvement, one of their early challenges was learning how to navigate their commitments. Both are deeply rooted in their respective parishes, where they have been active for decades. Ed is involved in his parish folk group, while Mari-Celeste serves as a lector, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, and a pastoral council member.
Balancing their timely commitments meant that even something as simple as attending Mass together regularly required intention and compromise.
Even Holy Week became a shared negotiation of love and logistics.
“That was our biggest challenge,” Mari-Celeste said. “How to navigate the Triduum.”
They split the liturgies between their parishes—Holy Thursday together at one, the Easter Vigil at another, and Good Friday separately.
Yet even this became something they can now laugh about.
“This is not a terrible problem to have,” she added.
A proposal rooted in respect and love.
When Ed decided to propose, he did so with great care and intentionality.
First, he drove two hours each way to ask Mari-Celeste’s mother for her blessing. It was not required, but it meant a lot to them both.
“It was such a beautiful gesture,” Mari-Celeste said.
When he finally proposed, he did something else deeply meaningful. Despite having recently undergone knee replacement surgery, he still got down on one knee.
Mari-Celeste did not hesitate when she said yes!
Their engagement marked not just a commitment, but a continuation of the respect, honest communication, and sacrifice that had defined their relationship from the beginning.
Building a marriage together...
Ed and Mari-Celeste were married on April 12, 2025 in a personal and intimate marriage ceremony.
The celebration afterward was small, shared with their children and close loved ones.
“It was beautiful,” they shared.
For Ed, the most meaningful part of this season is simple: more time together.
For Mari-Celeste, it is continuing to build a home that reflects both of them—filled with laughter, hospitality, music, and shared life. They look forward to concerts, gatherings with loved ones, and deepening their life together as a family.
Most of all, they look forward to continuing what they already began: a life rooted in faith, friendship, and joy.
Their advice for other Catholic singles...
Their advice for others who are searching for love on Catholic Match is straightforward.
Trust God’s providence always, stay hopeful, and do not compromise who you are just to be in a relationship.
“It took us until our 50s and 60s to find each other,” they said. “It will happen in God’s time.”
In the meantime, they add, the best thing you can do is to live the life you already have—fully, gratefully, and with faith that God is planning something wonderful for you.
