CORPUS CHRISTI — “I wanna find someone that has the same heart posture, the same love for Jesus and just has a similar outlook on life,” Keith S. said. “A positive attitude.”
Keith S. was just one of about a dozen men who attended ‘Catholic Speed Dating’ at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church on February 9.
More than a two dozen single women also attended the event at the parish on Yorktown Blvd. and Everhart Road.
“That’s the start of the next round,” said Angie Windnagle into a microphone right before a bell was rung inside the chapel.
Windnagle is the director of family life at St. John the Baptist.
She said the idea blossomed from a conversation with her friend and co-coordinator Yvonne Wright a year before.
“Yvonne and I were talking just about the difficulties of 30 and 40 year old singles and that type of demographic,” Windnagle said. “And she (Wright) had this idea of speed dating.”
After approaching the Diocese about the idea, the women were given the greenlight, thinking of ways to create a romantic ambience in the middle of a chapel.
Chairs were removed, replaced by tables with pink table clothes, heart confetti, and note cards with questions like, ‘Would you rather talk front of the room, or spend a day all alone?’
Wine, water, soda and a spread of finger foods sat on entrance tables lit with Christmas lights.
Songs from Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Mumford and Sons and other folk and soft rock artists played in the background.
For $20, singles received two drink tickets and an excel sheet with the first names and last initials of the singles of the opposite sex.
To protect their privacy, KRIS 6 is only identifying them by the name on their tags.
“One of my friends posted on Facebook and so I just decided to come,” Keith S., one of the singles said. “I wanna find someone that has the same heart posture, the same love for Jesus and just has a similar outlook on life. A positive attitude.”
So how did it work?
“They get to sit in front of a person for three minutes and have a little conversation,” Windnagle said. “They have an in between period where they get to decide ‘Do I want to get to know more about this person?”
Then the women get up and sit across their next potential match.
“I’m getting a little nervous now because in a few minutes I will be going,” Liana B said.
Because there were about a dozen more women than men who showed up, the women were separated into two groups.
Windnagle and Wright said speed dating is a nice break from the dating apps that many have grown tired of.
“When we’re behind screens and social media, which a lot of dating is these days, there’s that degree of disconnection,” Windnagle said. “And, so, I think this just really puts it in this present moment. You’re really seeing the person and you’re really getting that spark right there.”
When asked about the Corpus Christi dating scene, many singles at the event shook their heads and laughed.
“I’ve done the online dating,” Natalie H., a restaurant owner and manager said. “You know, I work a lot, I have family so I don’t get out much. Outside of family, gym and work, I don’t have a lot of time to go to the bars, the clubs. And, so, I don’t have anywhere to meet people.”
It was a chance for people to test the waters in a different kind of dating pool.
“I’m looking to find an actual connection that leads to somewhere,” Liana B. said.
Attendees didn’t have to be Catholic but faith was certainly a topic of conversation.
“It’s been enjoyable to far,” Liana B. said.
“I definitely made a connection with a couple of people,” Keith S. “Some people had great personalities. I had great conversation.”
At the end of the day, if people matched, they were given each others email addresses.
"Just to be safe," Windnagle said.
Windnagle and Wright said they want to host speed dating events for other age groups like 20 somethings and for people 50 to 70 years old.
They said their first event resulted in about 30 different matches.
