Once upon a time there was a young man and a young woman who met at Franciscan University of Steubenville, a small college tucked away within the green, rolling hills of the Ohio Valley. Isabel had recently been guided by the Holy Spirit to transfer there from St. Mary’s College, having NO idea what awaited her there. They first met in the Schola Cantorum, a sacred music choir. When Chris first heard Isabel's voice, it was love at first song...well, not exactly. But it left a deep impression on him. Isabel quickly developed a crush on him, but once she found out that Chris had hopes of becoming a priest, she begged the Lord to help her let go of those feelings quickly, and He heard her prayer. After this initial disappointment, they soon came to relish their newfound friendship. Isabel began to discern a desire of her own for religious life, and both placed the Lord first in a fellowship reminiscent of that of Saints Francis and Clare. At the end of the school year, however, perhaps anticipating that Isabel would be studying abroad in Austria the next semester, they suddenly discovered it was hard to say goodbye.... Little did she know when she returned the following January that the dynamic of their friendship was about to shift dramatically. Chris kicked things off by spending an entire day with Isabel at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., finishing off with an “acci-date” dinner together at the train station. At the end of the day Chris finally asked for Isabel’s number. Needless to say, all of Isabel’s old feelings came flooding back.

It soon became clear that the Lord was acting in Isabel and Chris’ relationship in a special way. On the night of the Easter Vigil, there was a prayer meeting in the student center. As soon as Chris found out about it, he felt inspired by the Holy Spirit to encourage Isabel to receive prayer. Finally, after much persistence, she reluctantly agreed to go. When it was her turn, the priest, instructed her, “All you need to do is open your hands and let the Holy Spirit take over…." As soon as he started to pray over her, she became all wobbly and needed to sit down. A wave of peace washed over her, and she felt like God was wrapping her in a warm blanket of love, just as Chris had described! Then suddenly joy struck her to the core and she became “drunk on the Holy Spirit”. Somehow she made it back upstairs, but before she knew it, she was on the floor laughing and crying uncontrollably. Luckily, a dear friend was able to escort her and another girl back to their dorms. Thanks to Chris, her life was forever changed by the Light of this special grace! Chris was discovering, despite his conviction to pursue the priesthood, a deep, genuine and irresistible love for Isabel…. By the Fall of 2015, their feelings for each other had come to a head, and they could not hold off the talk any longer. God clearly had other plans for Chris; it was time for him to take the plunge and discern marriage! We will spare you the details, but let’s just say, it was one CRAZY ride!!!!! As they had never dated before, they had no idea what they were doing, but God had mercy on them and was very patient. At the end of the semester they parted ways, Chris to Nebraska and Isabel to Michigan. After about 3 months, the time had come for them to take a step back from their relationship. They began a much-needed time of personal discernment. It was VERY painful, especially because they feared it was over for good. Yet they held onto the Light and trusted that God had good plans for them.

The very next March, Isabel was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write a letter to Chris, and she totally released him to the Lord. In her heart she could say with great confidence, “If I never see or hear from him, I’ll be OK, because this life is a blip compared to eternity in Heaven.” Little did she know that her letter would set free the profound feelings in Chris that he just couldn't get away from. In that moment he was suddenly convicted for the first time of God's desire for him to pursue marriage. He truly works in mysterious ways!! He received the letter, and without a moment’s hesitation, he reached out to Isabel and expressed the desire to talk. She was unsure at first, but once she gave it to the Lord in prayer, she felt it would be OK. Although that first conversation in what seemed like FOREVER was very awkward, given all that had happened between them, the Lord blessed it abundantly, and just over a month later, they were reunited in person at the Holy Triduum at Franciscan (2017). Their friendship was resurrected! Although Chris was ready for relationship, Isabel's heart was torn between taking a job with the opportunity to stay in touch with Chris and becoming a Marian Missionary of Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA, and sacrificing a potential renewed relationship. To her great surprise, Chris had such conviction in the Lord's plan for them that he was willing to make the sacrifice and wait for Isabel. With this encouragement, she dedicated the next year to serving the Lord in the poor and the lonely. They kept their friendship alive with monthly letters.

"Hey, Chris!" Chris was delightfully terrified by Isabel's text, the first one in months. He didn't know where her heart would be after her missionary time, and his desire for marriage had only strengthened during the long months between letters. Isabel herself thought that her desire for religious life would most likely intensify during her time with the missionaries, but to her surprise, it did just the opposite. During her time in silent prayer, work, and ministry to others, the Lord was strongly placing marriage on her heart, more specifically, marriage with Chris. What especially inspired Isabel was the witness of a few young, solidly Catholic married couples who contributed to her incredibly formative, life-changing experience as a Marian Missionary. Thus prepared, Isabel reached out to Chris; both were anxious to find out where each other's heart was. They met up at the Power and Purpose Conference in Steubenville. During a dinner break, they headed to their special walking place, the golf course, to talk. Given the great suspense, they gradually eased into the conversation. Fortified by grace, Chris took the lead and shared how his desire for marriage had only grown that year. Then Isabel, with great relief, revealed that she, too, was ready to discern marriage. They decided to take some time to pray about when to begin dating again. They returned to the conference in time for a Eucharistic procession, where the Lord seemingly rushed out to meet them to share their joy. In fact, the priest walked straight over to them and raised the monstrance over them in blessing. After the conference conclusion the next morning, as Isabel was about to depart, she was inspired to announce her decision to begin dating again on the spot. What a joyful, anointed moment! The next day they began a new desert time long-distance, but with monthly visits to sustain them, their perseverance continued to forge their love as in fire.

By the following January, Isabel and Chris began to feel the need to talk about marriage. In March Isabel moved to Omaha to close in the gap between them. Finally, in April they arranged to go to the Easter Vigil at Franciscan together for the third time. Having ordered the ring just three weeks before their trip, Chris breathed a secret sigh of relief thinking of what he was about to do. As if this were “just another Easter” (did that really exist for them?), Isabel and Chris soaked in their time together as hundreds of miles slipped by unnoticed, awaiting the moment of the Resurrection. It was not until well after midnight that Isabel noticed something was unusual. Wanting to end the night in silent prayer, they headed toward the "Port," a small campus chapel. To their dismay, however (especially Chris’), the tabernacle still did not have the Eucharist inside, so Isabel suggested that they try Christ the King Chapel, where they knew Jesus was. Chris reluctantly agreed, and upon checking his phone he was relieved to find that his friend was not yet ready with his camera to capture the moment. 5 minutes later, to Isabel’s bewilderment, Chris asked again to pray at The Port, yet she still didn’t realize his intent. Agreeing, they returned. Chris was crushed as he watched the security guard walk up and lock the door of The Port. He stopped Isabel, and there in front of the Chapel, he got down on one knee and asked the question of a lifetime: “I want to lay myself down for you. Will you be my bride?” Overwhelmed and completely surprised, Isabel hardly hesitated a moment before saying, “Yes!” Now we invite you to join in a heavenly celebration on the lake that will solidify the lives of these two crazy young lovers.