Hi, readers! It’s the third Sunday of the month, which means it’s time to meet another modern Catholic married couple. This particular couple is very special to me. The Szymanskis were our dear friends while we lived in Florida, and we miss them a ton! We chose them to be godparents for our second child, Jack, because we see them as a shining example of living a Catholic lifestyle. I hope they are inspirational to you, also!

1. Tell us your story.

We were born in Poland and Colombia, but we found each other on Catholic Match in South Florida.  We started messaging each other in February and clicked right away. We Skyped for about a month until we met in person in March and quickly fell head over heels for one another.  We lived a hundred miles apart, so we only saw each other on the weekends.  We got engaged 10 months later and married six months after that.  Our newlywed phase was turbocharged four months in when we found out Laura was expecting our first baby, Victoria, who joined us in the summer of 2016.  Two years later, we welcomed Catalina into our family, and two years after that, we brought home Julius from the hospital.  Julius may be the newest member of the family, but that doesn’t stop him from being everybody’s favorite.  Having three kids five years old and under keeps us pretty busy!

2. What do you two like to do together?

We laughed when we read this question because our lives now revolve mostly around the three kids we brought into this world, but we enjoy going on dates once in a blue moon when we can arrange childcare.  We like to read together, whether it’s a relationship book, a religious book, or something on Austrian economics.  We live in South Florida, so we enjoy going to the beach every now and then, too.  And while it seems like eons ago, we saw our fair share of off-Broadway shows pre-COVID.

(Note from Caitrin: It is definitely difficult to get out for date night when you have young kids, but still SO important! For four great reasons why, check out my recent guest post on Liz Montigny’s blog HERE!)

3. What does your domestic church look like?

We attend Mass on Sundays as a family, and Laura tries taking the kids to weekday Mass in the mornings, when schedules and moods permit.  We pray with the kids before bed, and we are trying to make the rosary a daily habit.  It helps that Laura’s extended family does a group rosary through Google Meet on Wednesdays, as this means that at last one weekly rosary is set in stone.  We also help with our diocesan marriage prep program several times a year, doing a couple of the talks and a witness.

4. You two come from different cultural backgrounds, but were both raised Catholic. Can you tell us a bit about how you incorporate Polish and Colombian customs into your faith life?

We brought different traditions into our family from our different cultures.  During Advent, we follow the Colombian tradition of praying the Novena to the Nativity of Baby Jesus and invite friends and extended family for prayer, song and delicious Colombian food.  On Easter Saturday, we follow the Polish tradition and take our Easter basket filled with food to the church so it can be blessed in time for Easter morning.

5. If you could give one piece of advice to a newly married couple, what would it be?

Catholic marriage with God present is a beautiful thing, with opportunities to really transform yourselves for the better.  After six years of marriage, we can say that we truly don’t understand how a marriage can last forever if God is not in the picture.  

The most important thing is to make praying together and for each other a priority.  With God, you’ll be able to discern and make the best decisions for your family.

6. This month, our challenge is to learn something new about our spouses. What is something new you have learned about your spouse recently?

We recently went on a date for the first time in years, and we realized how important it is to spend time as a couple without kids.  We hadn’t done it in so long that we forgot how important it was!

Thanks so much for sharing, Laura and Mat! I love hearing about the unique customs of different Catholics around the world. We are truly a universal Church, and each culture has its own beautiful ways to live out our faith.

If YOU would like to be a future Spotlight Couple here on the blog, message me or comment below! 🙂