Love for the Faith Attracts
Andrew and Delrina Watson first met when Delrina and her sister were on a trip to Rome, and Andrew happened to be their tour guide. “He led us through so many beautiful churches, and I remember being struck not only by his knowledge, but also by his genuine love for the faith,” Delrina recalls.
Second Chance
Fast forward three years, their paths crossed again at Andrew’s brother’s wedding. Andrew says, “I knew I couldn’t let her slip away a second time, so I asked her out that very next day. We soon began talking on the phone almost daily. I knew Delrina loved praying novenas, so I invited her to pray one with me. My plan was to ask her to be my girlfriend at the end of the novena.”
“I already had my year of novenas planned that I would pray,” reminisces Delrina, “and the next one was the St. Anne novena, known for the phrase ‘St. Anne, find me a man!’” Andrew comments, “Needless to say, I couldn’t wait until the end. I asked her to be my girlfriend on day three.”
Nine months later, with the help of Delrina’s sisters, Andrew proposed to Delrina after the Easter Vigil Mass in the church where she grew up with her family. To this day, praying novenas together continues to be an important part of their relationship with God and with each other. “It’s a beautiful way to align our intentions and grow in prayer and faith as a couple,” says Andrew.
Marriage Calls for More
To other young Catholic couples discerning marriage, they advise taking your time. “Don’t rush into marriage thinking it will solve everything,” they say. “Marriage calls for more love, more prayer and faith, and more sacrifice than you can imagine—and it’s all worth it. Take your marriage prep seriously and use it as a time to truly discern whether you share the same hopes and goals for life.”
Andrew and Delrina first learned NFP just a few months before getting married — timing they remember feeling a little overwhelming. “[NFP] is not something we, as a society, often talk about as openly as we should. But once we began, we realized how valuable and beautiful it really is,” they say.
While the Watsons didn’t learn NFP until shortly before marriage, they see it as something that learning earlier on could be a huge blessing, along with taking ample time for marriage prep. “Marriage prep is so important because it gives you the chance to openly discuss the big things and make sure you’re truly aligned on what matters most,” they say. “NFP, too, is such a gift. It allows a couple to view each phase of the woman’s cycle as a unique season within the month.”
“At different points, we find ourselves focusing on different forms of intimacy—whether that’s quality time, spiritual connection, intellectual growth, emotional closeness, or physical expression,” describes Andrew about the fruit NFP is bearing in their relationship.” Delrina agrees, “Each week brings new opportunities to deepen our intimacy and to grow together in love.”
God at the Center
As a final piece of advice for other Catholic couples, they add, “But also trust this: when God is at the center of your marriage, you’ll always feel that a “happily ever after” is unfolding before you.”
Written by Savanna Duca. Savanna is a writer and creative strategist with a special interest in art, film, and entrepreneurship. Her favorite authors currently include Evelyn Waugh, P. G. Wodehouse, and Marilynne Robinson
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