Catholic Match - Online dating matches made in heaven

IN the world of online dating agencies where first, second and last chances at romance are frequently promised, the guiding ethos of Catholic Match is simple and direct: ‘Grow in faith, fall in love’ is its website’s guiding mantra — a message that is clearly being heeded, given its one million visitors every month.

Headquartered in the small town of Zelienople, Pennsylvania, it began in 1999, when friends Brian Barcaro and Jason LaFosse launched a local singles forum ‘to help cultivate marriage and provide a vibrant, moral community environment’.

When the site became a major success, they added partner Mike Lloyd in 2003 and rebranded as CatholicMatch.com. “It was their goal to provide a pleasing, easy to use interface with a more faith-filled experience than the secular ‘one-size-fits-all’ sites,” said Robyn Lee, editor of the Catholic Match blog. By 2005, it had become the number one online service for single Catholics with membership across the world, including the UK, Australia, the Philippines, much of Europe, including Ireland.