I met Sarah when she was placed on my team to be a FOCUS Missionary at Columbia University in NYC. I initially noted that we had a lot in common, but turned off the romantic part of my brain since I would be her supervisor. We became good friends, but at the very end of the year, an attraction was kindled. I told her how I felt and was excited to find out that it was mutual - however it wasn't the right time. I went through about 2 months of not talking to Sarah to give her time to think about what she wanted. During this time, I fasted and prayed for her and my own vocation. Sarah and I both went on summer mission trips and upon returning, we spoke and decided that our feelings weren't going away and that we needed to start going on dates. In order to "go slow" and have quality time together, we started a puzzle of the Sistine Chapel ceiling together (trust me - it was very slow). In September of 2016, I visited Sarah in NYC for her birthday and gifted her the puzzle which I had framed. I later I told Sarah that God showed me who He is through her and that she was she was the missing peace that I needed. I gave her the last puzzle piece and asked her to be my girlfriend. She said yes and, together, we completed our first puzzle.

Sarah and I had been dating for about 6 months, but heartbreak from previous relationships had me hesitating to say "I love you." I had a feeling that Sarah was there but that she was waiting on me to take the first leap. One day in the spring, I had been praying with the creation story in Genesis. Here, God asks Adam to protect and keep the garden. The Hebrew word for protect and keep is "shamar." I prayed realizing that no matter what Adam did in the garden to care for it - he was still unhappy. It is only when Eve enters the garden that his task to "shamar" seems to be fulfilled, as he says "at last this one is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh." As a success-driven perfectionist, I often place my identity in the work that I do. This has only left me longing for something more. As I thought about Sarah in prayer, I realized - I've been chasing the wrong thing. God isn't asking me to "shamar" by working more - he is asking me to "shamar" by loving Sarah. I took Sarah on a date in Brooklyn, NY and brought her to a garden by a restaurant (the same exact spot you see at the top of this page). I told her that in prayer I realized that she is the garden I am meant to protect and keep. It was the only way I would ever be satisfied and that although I may mess it up, I wanted to do it because I loved her.

In the summer of 2018, I knew that I needed to either propose to Sarah or let her move on by the end of the year. In God's Providence, I met an amazing priest, Fr. Reynaldo OFM, who became my spiritual director and friend. He walked with me, prayed with me and guided me as I shared my fears. In December he invited me to go on a retreat with him in Delaware to live a life of prayer and simplicity. One day in prayer, I began repeating this phrase to myself: "May I dwell in the shadow of the Holy Family and conform myself to their silhouette." I left the retreat with a conviction that I needed to propose! I spoke to Sarah and she was very happy to hear that I wanted to move in that direction and shared that she had been praying to St. Joseph for me and felt a particular pull to get married on the feast of the Holy Family on December 29th. When she said this, I immediately thought to my prayer and took it as a consolation that I was going down the right path. The first decision that Sarah and I made was that we wanted our marriage to be a commemoration of the Holy Family. Due to liturgical reasons, it is not possible for us to celebrate a vigil service (yes, you will still have to go to Mass on Sunday) or celebrate our wedding on the actual feast day. However, we chose December 28th, the day before, in order to honor and dwell in the shadow of the Holy Family. It was truly their intercession that led Sarah and I to our wedding day and we hope you will continue to invoke their aid as you pray for us leading up to our marriage!

Knowing that Sarah would soon be ready for engagement and marriage, I began to wonder what my timeline would be. I turned to the Lord and said, "God if this is what you want from me, show me." I looked to the calendar of feast days for any day that would be appropriate to propose and saw March 18th - the feast of St. Joseph, husband of Mary. My heart was burning with joy, but this was 4 weeks away and I had no plan, no ring, and no idea if this was possible. I turned to God again and said, "You will make the way if this is Your will." I began researching, calling people, and asked Sarah's dad for her hand. One by one everything fell into place. I was able to get the perfect ring within 2 weeks and now - all that was left was to ask her. I turned to Sarah's family friend, Deacon Al Clay and asked if he could invite Sarah to an "event" at her home parish. He obliged and two days later, Sarah invited me to join her for "some event" that Dcn. Clay invited her to. I kindly agreed ;) On March 18, I picked Sarah up from her place and drove over to the Church. When we walked in, 30 of our family and friends were lining the pews holding candles decorated with greenery (check out pictures in the Photos section). Upon entering the doors, Sarah's sister Rebecca, who came in from Virginia, began singing the song "Garden" by Matt Maher with our friend Trevor from NYC. We walked halfway up the aisle, surrounded by our friends and family. We approached a small table, on which there were four statues of the Saints whose intercession we've been asking for throughout our relationship, and a statue of the Holy Family, the feast we hoped to marry on. Flanked by our parents and watched over by Jesus in the tabernacle, I got down on one knee and, at last, asked Sarah to marry me. She said yes!