(Église Saint-Irénée, photo taken by Christabelle Miñoza)

It was on a warm summer afternoon in July 2018, at the intersection of avenue Atwater and rue Delisle, that Jade and Paul first met. They were standing just outside Église Saint-Irénée, having attended Mass and waiting for the lights to change so they can cross towards the Metro.

This first encounter lasted less than 5 minutes, from the first hello to parting at the subway platforms, but already Paul knew that he wanted to get to know Jade better. He thought she was beautiful, intelligent and pious, and he intended to get her number and ask when he would see her again.

But he didn't (he thought Jade was in a hurry to leave), and he figured they would see each other at church anyway.

Unbeknownst to Paul, Jade was also looking for him at church (she went to daily Mass). But after not seeing him again for the next fortnight, she had forgotten about him. So it was hilarious (and embarrassing for her) that, when they saw each other again a month after at church, she couldn't remember who he was!

Thankfully, Paul was so good-natured that he simply re-introduced himself, and although he was disappointed that Jade was not in the mood for conversation, he simply added her on Facebook with the hope of eventually becoming friends.

(At Quebec City, Photo by Szymon Rudziński)

They started talking via Messenger in October, and after a week their conversations exchange started to lengthen and increase in frequency. Finally, they agreed to meet, attend evening Mass together and to have snacks afterwards.

Their lives intertwined since that night, Jade and Paul continued to weave their days together.

Long conversations over meals and coffee. Braving strong winds and snowstorms. Volunteering at a soup kitchen. Attending the Polish independence anniversary Mass. Traveling to Quebec City to visit friends. Playing bowling, arcade games and archery. Him walking her home to ensure her safety. First Friday Masses. During these months, as Jade and Paul spent time together and shared their joys and difficulties, they also learned more about each other. Genuine friendship grew, rooted in trust, respect, mutual admiration, and the pursuit of virtue.

(Photo by Szymon Rudziński)

Towards the end of December, when they both had to spend some time away -- Jade was with family in Vancouver and Paul was on retreat in Ontario -- they realized how much they missed each other when they were apart.

One night in January, despite the threat of a snowstorm and a late night at the office, Paul showed up to meet Jade at the subway station nearest her workplace. (They hadn't seen each other in ten days.) The combination of his sincere efforts to see her, a ruggedly handsome unshaven face, and a purple shirt triggered erratic heartbeats in Jade. That was how she knew that she liked him more than a friend.

For Paul, the realization dawned two weeks after, on the way home from a trip to Quebec City. He was in his reverie, replaying the fun he had that weekend and thinking about how he didn't want to let go of Jade's hand, even after helping her up snow mountains and across icy surfaces. A waltz (Enya's Caribbean Blue) suddenly started playing on the car radio, and that was when it struck him: he didn't want to dance with anyone else but her.

After their individual prayerful discernment, on February 10, Paul showed up at Jade's door with a rose and officially asked Jade on a date. She responded with a delighted yes.

With their values aligned, Paul and Jade spent the next four months having fun, being romantic and talking about the future, as well as discovering how to love better and seeking to put the other first. They have long prayed for the intercession of Our Lady and St. Joseph and have entrusted their relationship to God's care. This journey they thus undertook in constant remembrance of God, praying and continuously discerning; ultimately, they agreed that the goal was to be a saint and rejoice with God in heaven.

(After putting flowers at the foot of Our Lady, photo by Szymon Rudziński)

On June 20, at the very same spot where they met nearly a year ago, the two of them sheltered by an umbrella under the rain, Paul knelt on the pavement and asked Jade to marry him. She said yes.

Later, they danced to one of the first songs they've ever danced to (Ed Sheeran's Perfect), on the grass by the bench in the park where they pray the rosary. They afterwards had dinner at the Restaurant Il Boccalini on rue de l'Église; it was where they were that night the snowstorm hit, when one of them first let love in.

Together with their parents and close friends, Paul and Jade received the grace from the ancient rite of betrothal in July, as officiated by Fr. Garrick Huang, FSSP, at Église Catholique Saint-Zéphirin-de-Stadacona in Quebec City.

(Photo by Szymon Rudziński)

It is with joyful anticipation that Paul and Jade await their union in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. As husband and wife, they are excited to build a home, to start and raise a family, to love each other forever, to live a life of faith, and to receive and bear testimony to the bountiful blessings of marriage.

Jade: Shy, quiet, distracted, always thinking. Like a professor. In retrospect totally my type, but I didn't think that then. Not yet.

Paul: Outgoing, talkative, smart, full of energy. She had the most beautiful innocent smile and her face was beaming. I knew immediately I really wanted to get to know her better.

Jade: When we were in Quebec City, and there was storm. Lots of rain and wind, the golf umbrella we borrowed broke. We were soaking wet trying to find an ice cream place. But Paul never grumbled, he just kept laughing and making the most of the situation. I was impressed. Later on, we would always have bad weather, and I told him this, and he just shrugged. "We haven't had our seasons yet," he said. I always remembered that.

Paul: I would have to say it was the time Jade took me to an archery lesson as a gift for my birthday. (She made my birthday into an octave.) I thought it was cute that the bow was taller than Jade.

Jade: People were always asking about us, but even though I admired his intellect and his heart, I wasn't sure I was attracted to him. Romantic attraction, for me, was always a three-fold process. The intellect had to be first (the man had to be brilliant and not boring), then the heart (the man had to be kind and virtuous), then finally the looks (I just had to like his face). So that night, when he had that beard on his face, and the purple shirt he wore so well... I remember thinking, how dare he look so attractive?!

Paul: In January, on the way back from Quebec City, I was very quiet because I was thinking about everything that had happened. It was during a song (Enya's Caribbean Blue) that all the pieces fell into place, and I realized that I wanted to dance with her and no one else.

Jade: I always say that Paul has the universe in his mind, so he can never bore me, so he must be the one for me. :) Seriously speaking though, there was no one moment of realization. It was a slow buildup to the point where I realized that, more than loving him because of all that he is and he does and will be, I was happy to have the opportunity to love him, hopefully forever. And of course that he feels the same way confirms that he's the one!

Paul: Since my realization on the way back from Quebec City, I have been doing a lot of thinking, and I realized that I've had feelings for Jade this whole time. I knew I wanted to marry her and start a (large!) family with her. I already knew her well enough to know with confidence that she would make the best wife and the best mother for our children. I only hope that I can be the best husband for her and the best father.

Jade: So many to choose from... But I think my favorite was when he made French toast for me, after Sunday morning Mass. He even had an apron on! The French toast was really delicious, like melt-in-your-mouth delicious.

Paul: When I took Jade for the first time to the promenades in Quebec City, we walked along the walls and went up the stairs from platform to platform. On the highest one, which felt like 100 meters from ground level, we danced a waltz to our own music.

Jade grew up in the Philippines, where she finished degrees in molecular biology and in medicine. She moved to join her family in Vancouver in 2013 and then to Montreal in 2016 to pursue graduate studies in pathology. She currently works as a medical writer and, in her spare time, best enjoys reading ophthalmology and theology.

Favorites: Paul, ice cream with peanut butter cups, anything chocolate-y, pink, sour gummies, tea, Oreo cookies, St. Bonaventure and St. Claude de la Colombière, winter

Paul was born in St. Catharines but grew up in Montreal. He finished a degree in computer science but started his business way back in high school. Originally providing website design services, Paul now successfully runs his own digital marketing company. In his spare time, he best enjoys watching and reading science fiction and history.

Favorites: Jade, vanilla ice cream, lemon-y treats, blue, gummy candies, coffee with cream or latte, cream inside Oreos, St. Joseph and St. Thomas Aquinas, winter