How He Asked | Katherine + Dominic

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Katherine and Dominic lived in the same New Jersey town for almost their whole lives. They attended the same church, but their paths didn't cross until high school, where they began dating their senior year. During their college years at separate universities, they faithfully prayed God would guide them and keep them close.

In Katherine’s words: Believe it or not, Dominic and I met during a chemistry class in high school! Our friendship quickly blossomed, and we frequently got in trouble for talking and laughing during class. We stayed friends after Chemistry, but didn't have any classes together again until our senior year. I always looked forward to seeing Dominic with his family at Sunday Mass. From the very beginning of our senior year, Dominic walked me to my locker every day. A few months later, we both began to express our feelings for one another. Dominic asked me to be his girlfriend over a couple of ice cream cones, and we enjoyed the rest of high school attending prom and graduation activities.

Dominic attended St. Johns University in Queens, New York while I stayed in New Jersey to study at Seton Hall University. During these college years at separate universities, I faithfully prayed God would keep his hand on us. 

I often prayed for our relationship inside Seton Hall’s Chapel of the Immaculate Conception, my favorite spot on campus. The chapel has always been special to me: aside from being breathtakingly beautiful, it is where I decided that I would attend Seton Hall and is where I connected with God on a much deeper level and grew closer to Him during my college years. When Dominic proposed to me in that very chapel, I knew it was God’s way of showing me my prayers were being answered. Now, that beautiful sacred spot is not only special to me, but to both of us. 

In Dominic’s Words: Early on in our relationship, I knew Katherine was the girl I wanted to marry. I frequently prayed God would continue to guide us and reveal his plan for us, and felt strongly that his plan was for Katherine and I to become husband and wife.  

After getting the ring, there was only one thing left to do. On Father’s Day, while Katherine was out of town visiting family, I went to her house and asked her dad’s permission to marry her. After receiving her parents' blessing, I was ready to propose. 

I asked Katherine to attend daily Mass with me at the chapel she so loved at Seton Hall. We heard a brief but beautiful homily, comparing the facets of a diamond to the community of believers. I understood this as a sign from God that we were exactly where we were meant to be! When Mass ended, I asked Katherine to pray at the altar with me. Once we had said our prayer, Katherine stood up to leave. I got down on one knee and asked her to marry me. 

A few hours later, we learned that the day of our engagement, June 29th, is the feast day of Sts. Peter and Paul. This is a special day because Katherine’s grandpa’s name was Pedro, or Peter. He passed away 13 years ago. Since Pedro was our only grandparent who never got the opportunity to know us as a couple, we saw this as a sign of his blessing. Not to mention, the day that I asked Katherine’s father for permission, she was attending mass at the Parish of St. Peter and St. Paul in San Francisco, California with her cousins! God had all of the details worked out for us long ago.