Faith and Heath chose a place very close to their hearts for their engagement session. They showed us around the beautiful campus of St. Norbert and the National Shrine of St. Joseph on a beautiful, but brisk, April evening. We had to compete with a large group of prom-goers and wind, but it was such a joy to hang out with such a fun, sweet couple! We look forward to their wedding coming up soon this July! We’d like to introduce you to them by sharing their story in their own words!
Their faith journey:
Our faith has always been important to each of us, beginning with the support of our respective families as children. When we both ended up at St. Norbert College, our desire to share Christ with others led to us crossing paths when we both worked as catechists for the St. Norbert College Parish. While we didn’t start dating until Heath transferred from St. Norbert at the end of his sophomore year, the groups we were in overlapped. We developed an understanding of who each other was and what we valued that allowed God to work in His perfect time to bring us together. From the beginning, we understood that our relationship was an invitation to join one another in the pursuit of holiness and love of God. Many of our first dates were centered around the sacramental life of the Church, from Eucharistic Adoration, to celebrating the Feast of the Assumption with Mass. As we continued to open ourselves up to learning more about God’s plan for love, we began reading St. John Paul II’s Love and Responsibility which helped us further discern our vocations and grow in understanding of the purpose of marriage and our relationship. We are so blessed and joyful in gratitude that God has led us together!
Their engagement story:
It was Thanksgiving morning 2024, and our families attended Mass at Holy Trinity. While Faith experienced a typical morning and celebration of Mass, Heath could hardly take a deep breath as he was filled with nervous excitement in anticipation of his plan to ask Faith for her hand in marriage. When Mass ended, Heath directed Faith to exit the church through the back, which confused her because they had parked out front. Unsuspectingly, she agreed and was further surprised when Heath invited her to stop for a prayer in front of the Holy Family statue. As soon as he took her hand, she began to realize the moment’s significance. After a short prayer, Heath kneeled down, and asked Faith to marry him. Without hesitation, Faith joyfully accepted the proposal with a yes as Heath slipped the stunning heirloom ring onto her finger. Lingering church-goers were happy witnesses along with their families capturing the moment with us. Father Patrick Magnor, stopped over to offer a timely blessing for the newly engaged before they headed home to celebrate Thanksgiving with extra gratitude. It was a gleeful afternoon as the news was shared with both respective families and friends.
On planning their wedding, time together, and thoughts about marriage:
Having been together for just over a year and a half, we spent the majority of our relationship being students at different schools, leading us to highly value quality time spent together. We love to read great books, visit new places, spend time in God’s creation biking, hiking, and swimming.
Wedding planning has been a great gift. It has been wonderful to ponder all the ways we can make the day of our wedding special, and highlight the sacramental significance of marriage. We have received a lot of love and support from our family and friends along the way that has helped us keep everything going smoothly. While there are many details to consider, we have been able to grow through any challenges presented as we rely on Christ as our strength, and hope in God’s perfect plan that His love will sustain us as we respond to His call. We are most excited to share everything with one another and join our lives for all of the ordinary and extraordinary moments as we start our own family.
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