Jeanniebean: It really is a sad truth. I'm running into that case with people a lot lately, including some of my own family. It seems once kids grow up, go to college, and meet new people that are so passionate and involved in their own religions, they question their own and further distance themselves for it. It's nice that there is now a movement for Young Adult ministry in my area. It seems while kids struggle with their identity in high school the most, they struggle with their faith the most in college and beyond.

Ruth: Thanks a lot for the heads up and all you've said. I'll definitely look into it! I'm involved with a few ministries around the diocese so I am actually beginning to develop a network of fellow Catholics. Maybe one day I'll just be running in these circles and finally just run into my future husband.

Thanks for the encouraging words, Ruth, and you are right. As much as I want to just date, I should start looking in the right places, and Catholic Mingle is great because they do break it down that way (I have a free account), but you can't talk to anyone unless you pay
I am seeing guys there that are serious about their faith, but it costs money just to have a conversation. Am I allowed to put my email in my profile?

I think one of the reasons is because we have grown up in a culture of "fast". Everything needs to either happen fast or happen at the moment. We get agitated and impatient just at the thought of taking things slow. People today are also impulsive. If you feel it, why wait? Just do it. I think people just need to put themselves in a state of patience. Everyone is worth getting to know at the very least.

Redykeulous: I have changed my profile description so that it's not so vague. Again, thanks for your input!

Thanks for your input, Redykeulous, I really do appreciate it. The beliefs and values of the Catholic faith are clearly defined, the question is how devoted are Catholics to those values. In our community, there is a phrase for people who pick and choose what of the Catholic faith they choose to accept or not: "Cafeteria Catholics". I don't doubt those people are Catholic and their faith is strong, but as Catholics we need to strive to stick to those beliefs as much as possible.

As for the 98% of Catholic women who take birth control, while some are on the pill for sexual reasons, there are other reasons for taking it. For example, the pill can be prescribed to sustain a regular menstrual cycle. Though we try as we might to avoid taking contraception, sometimes it may be necessary for medical reasons such as the one I described.

By the way, the church did NOT get rid of "abstaining from meat" on Fridays. Priests, as does the church, still advocate this fast. Rumors flew around last year saying it did, but it is not true.

I wouldn't call myself a "real Catholic", but more of a striving Catholic. I am not perfect, I still sin and I'm still accepting some teachings, but I am striving to understand and until I do completely, I prefer to avoid the controversy. By putting the PS, that was actually an act of my own frustration of this entire ordeal. My intention was to scare off one-night or sexual encounters and not to call the fellow Catholics to me.

During lent, when the word "abstain" is used, it specifically is in reference to not eating meat. In the Cathechism of the Catholic Church, it is detailed that there are precepts of the church "set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life. the obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the indispensable minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor" (No. 2041). Furthermore, it continues that one of the precepts is to "...observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence" for it "ensures the times of ascesis and penance which prepare us for the liturgical feasts; they help us acquire mastery over our instincts and freedom of heart" (No. 2043).

I hope you all understand that I'm saying all this not to convert anyone or to say I am right or to put anyone down, this is simply to bring awareness and understanding to the traditions of my Catholic faith. For the rest of you who have replied, thank you for your encouraging words and support. I really appreciate the feedback.

God bless you all.

Thanks, Julia! That is much appreciated and very affirming.

I am patient, I'm not looking for my future husband today, but sometimes I wish that there was a better to know where to look or at least to meet someone that despite differing values, there can be a mutual respect for them.

Adventure Begins: I know there are single guys going to mass, and I even busy myself with church events such as young adult group, but those men either already have a girlfriend, in the process of courting another girl, or just not interested in a relationship. Basically, no guy "looks" to be looking for a relationship, or at least none have approached me.

mightymoe: I'm fine with dating outside of religion, but I guess you can say Catholic men have a priority, heh heh. I don't doubt that there other sweet, wonderful guys out there, especially since I'm not looking for anything too serious at the moment, but the guys outside of my religion who are just looking to date tend to expect a sexual relationship from me, and then lose interest once they realize how serious I am about not having one. I guess the most I can expect at this point is a lot of "guy" friends. :\

In my experience with dating sites, whenever I showed interest in a guy whose religious status was "Catholic", I'd be vastly disappointed to find that the guy assumed that a sexual relationship will still be involved. All of them have said in some way or another, "Oh, yeah, I don't think about that stuff, but I was raised Catholic" thinking this is well enough. This irritates me because I'm still a growing Catholic, but I take to heart that Catholicism is more than just how you identify yourself, but that it is the way one lives his or her life. My Catholic values include no pre-marital sex, going to mass every week, and living up to building a Catholic family one day with strength in prayer.

If I could afford the money to go on serious Catholic dating sites, I would, but I'm stuck with the free sites that lumps everyone of varying interests from casual encounter to marriage in one place. Am I the only one out here that feels this way? Am I the only one who has seriously thought about how I answered my religious affiliation, or should I just cancel my account and just save the money to pay for the other sites now?