Greg and Jordan connected on Catholic Match after years of discerning God's will for their vocation.

~Jordan~

I did not want to put myself on Catholic Match. Greg & I have talked about how we both would have preferred to meet each other organically, in-person, ideally through friends or church. God had other plans for us! After listening to a very convicting “Hot Takes” episode of the Poco a Poco podcast hosted by the Fransiscan Friars of the Renewal, I had an argument with the Lord. I was obstinate, I was annoyed, I was mad, even. I wanted to know why He couldn’t just give me a partner on the terms that I set for myself. However, during my tantrum, I realized I needed to give it a shot. I didn’t want to short circuit grace just because I didn’t think the Lord would want to deliver me a spouse through the online dating channel. So, I did it. I created a profile. Then proceeded to wade through 6 months of people that didn’t fit with me. Until October 13th, the date I had prayerfully discerned would be the last day I was on the app. Little did I know, that was actually because I WOULD find someone, not because I wouldn’t. Upon opening Catholic Match that afternoon, I saw that I had a very sweet & intentional message from Greg!!! We quickly hit it off & he asked me if we could get off the app together. I said, "HECK YES!!!" Go Jesus ♡

~Greg~

After entering the online dating scene, I noticed that Jordan's profile on Catholic Match was unlike any that I had seen. Her smile was authentic, her pictures were modest and fun, and her responses revealed her care for others. While I was skeptical that I'd find someone compatible online, this girl was worth the risk.

Greg & Jordan met for their first date in Cincinnati after many phone calls, FaceTime dates, & much anticipation!

~Jordan~

On one of the earliest phone calls we had, Greg so bravely asked me, “is this something you would like to pursue?” After highlighting the many things we had in common & how enjoyable & easy our conversations had been. I was delighted to hear the confidence & clarity in his words. I responded excitedly that I would LOVE to try to date Greg & navigate the long distance together. He then eagerly tried to set up a date to come visit me in Lexington. Our schedules didn’t line up as soon as we hoped, so we planned to meet up about a month out from that conversation. The waiting was so hard, but the anticipation made it so much more rewarding to meet him in-person for the first time.

For our first date, we decided to bring our loves together in Cincinnati— plants, the outdoors, Jesus, & authentic Mexican food. We spent goofy time walking through Khron’s Conservatory re-naming the plants based on looks & admiring the artistic displays; walking around the park across the street in the chilly fall air, asking each other thought-provoking questions; attending mass at St. Mary’s where I received two gifts— receiving the Precious Blood of Christ for the first time since COVID & singing alongside Greg’s angelic voice; & finishing the night at a delicious authentic Mexican restaurant.

Some of my favorite memories from that date were: asking the Lord for peace as my nerves & heart rate ramped up in waiting for Greg in the lobby of the conservatory & then experiencing immense peace washing over me when Greg came in & wrapped me in a gentle hug; receiving a dozen red, full, roses from Greg on our way to mass during a 54 Day Rosary Novena I was praying; getting to receive the Blood of Christ for the first time since COVID with Greg; & Greg encouraging me to taste his horchata while he tried to recover after I asked him what his non-negotiables were. It was truly a blessed beginning that left me feeling enamored & excited for our next meeting!

~Greg~

My biggest takeaway from our first date was a feeling of peace. My nerves were eased soon after I realized just how easy it was to have a conversation with Jordan. It truly felt like I had known her for years, when it was mere weeks in reality. I appreciated her adventurous spirit in braving the winter cold and walking with me throughout the nearby parks.

The second takeaway came as we included Mass in our date. Going to mass as a single person can leave one feeling lonely and disconnected, but the feeling of sharing this special event with someone who cares for you and brings you peace helped me experience God's love and connection in a new way. I remember simply bracing my knee next to hers as we sat by each other in the pew and feeling a deep connection as if she was saying, "I'm here, I accept you, and I'm not going anywhere." I still feel the same way at Mass sitting by her today.

Jordan & Greg officially became boyfriend & girlfriend when she visited Dayton for the first time.

~Jordan~

I was excited to visit Greg in his hometown for the first time. I was a little bit nervous about meeting his whole family my first time there, but glad that he was eager for me to meet them. When I arrived at Greg's house, he informed me he scored some tickets to a Dayton Flyers basketball game that we would go to together that afternoon. As we were walking into the stadium, Greg turned to me & said, "Just to give you a heads up, I am probably gonna know a lot of people in here. When they see us, they're going to ask who you are. When people ask, I'm gonna tell them, 'This is my girlfriend Jordan.'" As he said this, my whole face flushed & I said, "Really?!" At this point, Greg & I hadn't had any conversations about this, but I was pleasantly surprised. He says his thought process was, "You don't just drive 2.5 hours to spend the weekend with a guy & his family if you don't want to be in a relationship with him." To his credit, he was right. I did want to date him! It was just unexpected for me. A great memory!

~Greg~

When I learned that Jordan was making the commute from Lexington to Dayton for the first time, I acquired UD Flyer Basketball tickets to give her the 'Dayton Experience.' Knowing that I would have many students, family, and friends there, I simply told Jordan “When people ask, I'm going to tell them, ‘this is my girlfriend Jordan.’” We were unsuccessful in our attempts to avoid my students who didn't know I was dating.

Greg proposes to Jordan!!!!!!!!!!

~Jordan~

The week leading up to our engagement, I had a strong intuition that Greg would propose. However, with any intuition, there is always the chance that it won't go how you think it will. So, I joyfully offered my thoughts to the Lord & asked Him to help me remain detached-- excited if Greg did propose, contented if he didn't, knowing the Lord's timing would be best.

There were a couple of reasons I had a feeling Greg was going to propose: 1) He was very insistent that we follow a stricter timeline (he's usually a fan of structured spontaneity), that we go to adoration to pray, & that we go to a nice dinner where we were to dress up. 2) He was very encouraging of my sister Bella "practicing" her trade & doing my nails the Friday before.

However, Greg & the rest of my family did a great job throwing me off the scent. The day we got engaged, Greg literally told me the story of his friends' engagement & asked me if there was anything I'd really like to have in ours... So of course I thought maybe it wasn't planned yet! He did say, "I'm tired of talking about it & I'm ready to do it." though, which was encouraging! Also, my whole family had been avoiding spending time with me & saying that they were busy that weekend, so you can imagine my surprise & delight when all of them were together with us for dinner after the proposal! My sisters even told me my feelings that Greg might propose were probably like all the other girls on social media who said, "He's taking me to a nice dinner... He's going to propose!" & then ended up with nothing. So, long story short, I was still surprised even though I had a gut feeling it was going to happen.

Greg did such a sweet thing by including so many things I loved to lead up to the proposal. He drove down on Friday night after a long work day so he could wake up really early on a Saturday morning to go open water swimming with me, something outside his comfort zone. He played Dayglow, one of my favorite bands, in our car rides under the guise that we were going to see them in concert soon. He sacrificed rest, after an exhausting evening & morning, to make food to take to my friends' Katie, Brandon, & their baby Calvin's house to meet & spend time with them. Then, we forewent a nap to spend time with our Blessed Lord in the perpetual adoration chapel, which is where I have spent years intentionally praying for my Vocation, especially, for my future husband. After asking me to marry him in front of Jesus Himself, he asked my Maid of Honor, Maureen, to be there to capture the moment. He called every single one of my family members to share the news with them & asked for my parents' blessing. Finally, he orchestrated the crazy schedules of 9 people & got them all to end up at Carson's for dinner to celebrate.

Greg is SO good!!! Thank You, Jesus!!!

~Greg~

After a series of difficult conversations, I learned that Jordan was willing to be my 'ride or die' partner. I wanted to express the same to her. After the adventure of ring shopping assisted by my mother, Carolyn, I curated the perfect ring for Jordan. For the engagement, I knew that Jordan would want her 3 favorite things - Jesus, her family, and me. The perfect surprise proposal was in order and we had a "Jordan Day!"

We went open water swimming at Cave Run lake (an experience outside my comfort zone), lunch with friends, and spent some time adoring Jesus in the perpetual adoration chapel where I proposed (forgetting there would be other people present). After the initial yes, among Jordan's first words in front of the blessed Sacrament were YOU STINKER!!! Mission accomplished. Following the proposal (photos provided by the Maid of Honor, Maureen), Jordan and I shared an unforgettable meal at Carson's surrounded by her family.

Greg and Jordan get MARRIED and YOU get to be there!