"Come and you will see..." (John 1). This was the invitation that Jesus gave his first disciples. And the invitation that He used to invite Paul into many places of “unknown” in his life: from Ph.D to seminary to Kansas City... and which ultimately led him to give Catholic Match a try.

“I will lead the blind on a way they do not know; by paths they do not know I will guide them. I will turn darkness into light before them, and make crooked ways straight. These are my promises: I made them, I will not forsake them” (Isaiah 42:16). Erin was first struck by this verse while walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain, as it beautifully captures her own journey of discernment and dating. What seemed like a never ending crooked path led Erin and Paul to one another at just the right time in both our lives (and, one month before the pandemic shut down the world, clearing our calendars and creating space for us to get to know one another).

Erin: I noticed Paul first! On Catholic Match, Sept. 2019. He caught my attention because it was clear he had a deep personal relationship with the Lord. And it also helped that he was very handsome, articulate... and used correct grammar (if you’ve experienced online dating, you can likely relate). I reached out and he responded…then after I sent my second message to him: CRICKETS! Nothing. Nada. Zilch. “How rude!” (said in my best Stephanie Tanner voice from Full House). Which, as I’d later realize, turned out to be a blessing...because my heart wasn’t quite ready to meet my future husband, when I still had one eye in the rearview mirror.

Paul: What first caught my attention about Erin was her obvious love of the outdoors, adventurous spirit, and her apparent closeness with her big family (and I should have led with this…her absolute beauty!). Now to defend myself against the crickets: over the course of a few month period, I composed several responses to Erin, but right at the point of hitting send, I was convicted it was not the right time. DELETE. Again. And again. I didn’t understand it at the time. I just sensed God saying “wait, not yet.”

Erin: 2019 was a hard year for me. A very “crooked path”, so to speak. And when December 31, 2019 finally came, I told God I was ready to turn the page and walk forward. No more looking back.

Paul: On December 31, 2019, again I found myself writing a message to Erin. But this time, when I went to click “send”, there was no hesitation. Only peace.

Erin: I woke up on January 1, 2020, with a message waiting for me from Paul! How unexpected! And this time, I was finally ready to receive it. One month later, on February 1st, we met in person for the first time, over coffee. The beginning of a beautiful courtship that has led us to our wedding day!

Erin: It is so common for people to ask the questions: “How did he propose? Tell me about the day.” I understand, as I’ve asked that question countless times through the years...and who doesn’t like to hear a heartwarming love story? While it IS a beautiful story of Paul’s thoughtfulness and sweetness (and evidence of how well he knows me), the proposal was the culmination of our courtship and of the more important journey of discerning marriage to one another. This is what we feel compelled to share, because it’s the story of trusting in Jesus and in His goodness, providence, and timing.

Paul: Although I didn’t tell her this until the day of my proposal, I knew we were called to marriage shortly after our first coffee. On March 1st, exactly one month after our first date, Erin and I attended a choral concert at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church. In the middle of the performance, I just happened to look over at her sitting next to me...and in that moment, I was struck with a thought:

You are sitting next to your wife.

This brought me great peace, but yet I kept it to myself until the proper time.

Erin: Anyone who knows me well knows I am not quick at making decisions. Especially large-scale decisions, ones that involve change and a good dose of the unknown. If Paul had told me then what he knew, I would not have been ready to receive it. In fact, I probably would have laced up my running shoes and headed straight for the door! For me, it was a much longer journey of trusting the voice of the Lord. What I knew deep down was that this relationship was really good, but it took me much longer to trust it was right.

Paul: Throughout our courtship, God brought “our” Scripture passages fully alive in our lives, but in an unexpected and funny way (God’s ways are so beyond our understanding). In a way, God began to invite Erin to “come and you will see” and me to trust that He will “make crooked ways straight.” The Scriptures that once guided our individual journeys were now being used in such a beautiful and mysterious way to unite our paths together, drawing us ultimately more in love with God and each other.

Paul & Erin: Our discernment of marriage has been a time of God continually calling us “into the deep” (Luke 5:2-4) and asking us “do you trust Me?” It has been a season of joy and challenge, searching and discovery... but through it all we have (together) come to more intimately know the voice of the Authority. It is a story of God’s GOODNESS, perseverance, and promises fulfilled! We look forward to sharing more of our story in the future. For now, we are excited to share our wedding day with you, rejoicing in God’s goodness!! Glory be to God!