It didn’t take long for us to realize it was right…

Andrew and Catherine met at coffee hour after the noon mass at St. Vincent Ferrer in New York City and instantly became friends. Suddenly, spending Friday nights and Sunday afternoons in the basement of a church had never been so exciting.

After many hot afternoons and late night walks with Andrew kindly dropping Catherine at her door, Andrew planned the longest first date possible: a sunny train ride up to the Hudson Valley, and a day spent hiking through forests and around the local farms. They sat on a rock for lunch, and Andrew pulled out two ice cold cans of Moxie, Maine’s state soda. Catherine knew he was smitten, and that she was toast.

Our love for each other blossomed on the foundations of faith, joy, a shared vision for the future, and an unshakable feeling that we may as well have grown up as neighbors.

On Palm Sunday 2026, Andrew packed sandwiches and sodas and the two giddily took that same train ride north, retracing the steps of their first date. In the woods by a lake, on a perfectly crisp spring day, Andrew asked Catherine to be his wife. It was the easiest answer of Catherine’s life. When you know, you know.