On August 24, 2019, Mat and Cam coincidentally both attended “My Vocation Is Love” (MVIL), a Young Adult Retreat at St. Catherine of Siena Parish. However, attending the retreat was a last minute decision for both of them: Mat’s older brother invited him to attend 2 Young Adult retreats that month. When Mat declined, he was given an ultimatum: He had to attend at least 1 of the retreats. Since he already made plans to go to Outside Lands, Mat decided to attend the MVIL retreat later that month. // Cam was invited to the retreat by her cousin, who led the Young Adult Ministry at St. Catherine’s. At first, Cam said no, since she had plans that night to celebrate her friends' birthdays. However, when one of the birthday celebrants decided to attend the retreat, she no longer had an excuse not to go. Despite their initial hesitations, the retreat was a fruitful experience for both of them. Luckily, there was a group photo taken to commemorate the event. Despite not actually meeting during the retreat, Mat and Cam unexpectedly sat next to each other in the photo. (They only recall noticing each other's 3-letter names on their name tags.) After the retreat, Cam connected on social media with each of the attendees, including Mat, as a way to stay connected with fellow Young Adults. Mat and Cam’s first conversation was on Facebook Messenger, where they got to know each other and eventually exchanged contact information.

After 2 weeks of texting and phone calls, Mat and Cam decided to hangout in Vacaville, the halfway point between Vallejo and Sacramento. Since they didn’t meet at the retreat, they felt it was time to finally meet in-person. On September 7, 2019, Mat and Cam went on their first date in Vacaville. Mat nervously waited for Cam to arrive at Peace, Love, & Boba, but was relieved that their in-person chemistry together was unmatched. Nothing like their boba to break the ice! As they shared stories, they realized they not only had similar interests, but also many mutual friends too. Since the night was going really well, they continued their first date at Fenton's Creamery — Cam's first time! For the weeks following their first date, Mat and Cam began their discernment towards a romantic relationship. One of their favorite activities was "Holy Hour, Happy Hour": Eucharistic Adoration at St. Dominic's Church in Benicia, followed by dinner. On September 29, 2019, Mat and Cam happily began their relationship. ♡