Q: How did you meet? Richard & Carolyn: Online on CatholicMatch in December 2024 Q: What got you on CatholicMatch? Richard: My friend Christine met her husband on CatholicMatch a few years back, so that’s how I knew about it. I felt called back to my faith, and after fully finding my footing, the Holy Spirit had me on CatholicMatch. I found Carolyn on there 2 weeks later. Carolyn: After complaining too much about the dating scene to my brother, Peter, he told me to go on CatholicMatch. He met his wife, Paola, on there and seeing that she was normal, I had no excuse not to sign up. I was ready to give up on it after 9 months, but then all my hope was restored when I got a message from Richard. Q: When did you know he/she was the one? Richard: I had a strong feeling after our second FaceTime and remember telling my best man, Brendan, something to the effect of “I can’t imagine she’s not the one” because of our conversation and connection. It’s hard for me to claim in such an early moment I “knew”, especially long distance, but talking with Carolyn immediately felt familiar and we found an uncanny amount of shared beliefs, values, goals, and humor. After our second weekend spent together, I was praying before the altar at St. Francis Xavier in Philadelphia and received a vivid, clear message from God that she was the one. Up north Michigan with her and her siblings was when there was no more human doubt. Carolyn: Consistent with my melancholic temperament, I took a little longer to unite my head and my heart. In May, we went for a walk in the woods and I realized how much I loved him. God gave me a glimpse of the peace of heaven that day and I felt confident I was called to be Richard’s partner on the journey toward heaven. I was always skeptical that I would find someone with the same level of sacrificial love as my dad, but Richard wiped away that doubt. Q: What do you like most about your fiancé? Richard: Sense of humor, actioned devotion to God’s will, and her eyes. Carolyn: Richard’s authentic masculinity stood out from the beginning of our relationship. He is an independent thinker and does not conform to the crowd. Richard leads our relationship with a profound trust in God and confidence in His plan. His sense of humor and low-stress personality make every day more enjoyable. The cherry on top are his eyes. Q: What is your favorite memory together? Richard: Bar Harbor, Maine and Acadia National Park in August 2025. We took a long weekend trip where we drove up ~8 hours together, biked and hiked together, walked around Bar Harbor, and laughed about as hard as you can. I took summer trips there as a kid; nearly everything as an adult fails to live up to your childhood memories, but not with Carolyn. I proposed on the third day of the trip at Monument Cove. Carolyn: Last summer we went on a trip to northern Michigan with my siblings. I noticed how well he fit in with my family when he was eager to participate in the Chubby Bunny contest by stuffing marshmallows in his mouth. After a fun day hiking the sand dunes and playing football on the beach, we prayed the rosary together on the deck. At the end of our prayer, he told me we need to go ring shopping and I could not have been more excited. I felt an overwhelming sense of peace from God and realized that all of my prayers for a strong Catholic husband were being answered.