The years of friendship built a solid foundation of trust and familiarity, and as our relationship transitioned to dating, it did not take us long to realize we were being called to give ourselves to one another through the sacrament of matrimony. We went on our first date on All Saints’ Day in 2022. It marked the first time in a long while we could start spending significant time together. We celebrated the feast day with Mass and followed that up with a lovely dinner and a long chat filled with laughter and thrilling conversation. I found immense joy in sharing our first date at Mass and with God. For both Francesca and me, our faith is at the center of our beings and building a relationship around faith is our top priority. Three months into dating I bought a ring, and three months later I enacted my “grand” plan to propose. Since God was at the center of our lives, it was only fitting that He be present at such a momentous occasion. Moments before she was scheduled to lead the music for a youth group Mass, I proposed to Francesca before the Tabernacle in the chapel at St. Jerome Catholic Church.

Although we dated for just a few months, our engagement stretched over a year and a half. The long engagement was certainly a test of strength and patience for both of us. Wedding planning is romanticized in movies, especially for the bride. It is the moment she has waited for her whole life, and she is hoping it will be perfect, romantic, and beautiful. This is what I wanted for my future wife, but as anyone who has planned a wedding can tell you, they rarely go according to plan or without any headaches. Our engagement was filled with the stresses of planning the wedding coupled with Francesca completing her law degree and successfully studying for and passing the Florida Bar — all the while being an announcer for Spirit FM 90.5, where she shares the love of Christ and beauty of the Catholic faith with listeners. And I was busy building my career in finance. Easy, right? Luckily, we had the support of Father Robert Cadrecha, who led our marriage formation as we prepared to enter the sacrament of marriage. In our sessions with him and during our day retreat, all our fears and questions regarding marriage and our Catholic faith at large were answered with love and patience.

During our most stressful times, I found strength in knowing all we truly needed on the day of our wedding was a priest, my beloved, and two witnesses to validate the marriage. All else was extra. When stripping away the rest, I realized the sacrament of matrimony is a step in moving me closer to God. The vocation I willingly engaged in, with the person I have grown so close to, becomes so much more. Far more than a glorification of the self through pageantry and glamor, but rather a momentous occasion in which both of us are publicly committing to die to ourselves for love of the other.

The vows Francesca and I took on our wedding day while fumbling our words and looking at each other through happy, tear-filled eyes, marked our understanding that we were committing the rest of our lives to willing the good of the other. This is what is most striking in the whole of the sacrament. Though I could feel myself burst with excitement at seeing my beautiful bride enter through the church doors, nothing was more impactful than hearing the vows and finishing with “until death do us part.” When Mass ended, it was time to celebrate! It was real now, but only just the beginning of a constant call to action. To die to oneself and to consciously move every day to bring my bride closer to heaven.

Fittingly, our honeymoon began on All Saints’ Day, and both Francesca and I wanted to travel to Europe. It would be my first time visiting, and I greatly wanted to see Vienna, Austria, while Francesca desired to visit Rome. We decided to do both as a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. As I fawned over seeing the remnants of the Catholic Hapsburg empire throughout Vienna, Francesca found our most memorable activity. In her research, she learned that newlywed couples visiting the Vatican could receive a blessing. Through the Pontifical North American College, those who have been married in the Church within two months (sometimes up to a year) of a General Audience may have their marriage blessed by Pope Francis. This is called the Sposi Novelli. We filled out our form and attended an information session to prepare. I donned a suit and she a white dress, and we headed to meet the pope. After the General Audience on the day of our visit, Pope Francis made his way through the crowd to the newlyweds and met with every couple before finishing for the day. Seeing the Holy Father, shaking his hand, and feeling the genuine joy and love emanating from his eyes was certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Walking through the Vatican and gazing upon the beauty and history of St. Peter’s Basilica, getting to meet the pope and worshiping alongside thousands of other pilgrims was inspiring. I left knowing I was prepared and ready to start of my journey into the vocation of Holy Matrimony, and I am thankful the Church has prepared me for what God has called me to do, which is to give all of myself in love to my wife.