Inside a baroque church built in the 1500s, from a golden crucifix above the altar, a small corpus of Jesus watches as people in festive, formal attire joyfully gather and choose their seats. Women dressed in traditional Norwegian attire bring an air of custom and tradition with them into the church. Sparkling through windows in one of the domes is an abundance of sunlight. This natural brightness mingles with the artificial light scattered throughout the church, creating a welcoming atmosphere for those who enter. All who pass through the heavy wooden and metal doors at the entrance are surrounded by the peaceful aroma of incense. Jesus continues watching as a seminarian carefully adjusts the yellow candles and colorful flowers arranged on the white linen altar cloth and makes sure all is in place. The warm glow of the candles contrasts beautifully with the glittering silver band that is embroidered around the border of the cloth. The golden tabernacle shines from its place of honor at the front of the church, below a painting of the Circumcision of the Lord, from which the church received its name. Surrounded by ornately carved pillars, from His place at the front of the church, Jesus, with open arms, welcomes all who enter.
A nervous but cheerful groom waits impatiently at the altar, fixing his dark eyes, filled with longing and expectation, on the doors through which his wife-to-be will enter. The electric keyboard, placed at the side of the altar especially for the occasion, begins to play a traditional Norwegian wedding march. The matron of honor and best man process in, hardly noticed by the waiting groom. The keyboard’s cheerful playing continues and the groom’s face suddenly lights up, glowing as if with the light of the sun. The bride, accompanied by her beaming father, appears in the doorway and begins to descend down the aisle. Following the bride is the short train of her champagne colored, round neck, princess style dress. The emerald beading on the bust and around the neck line, wonderfully complements her hazel eyes as they sparkle at the groom from beneath the delicate veil of lace that frosts her wavy chestnut hair. As she floats down the aisle the bride and groom’s eyes meet and they exchange smiles that equal those belonging to the angelic statues gazing tenderly at the couple from their places above the tabernacle.

Their story dates back to the time they first met and it is a tale that only time can tell.

Maria, a native of Tromso, Norway, converted to Catholicism when she was only sixteen. Thirteen years into the future found her attending the Gregorian University in Rome pursuing studies in order to become a Dominican Sister. This university is the only Jesuit University founded by St. Ignatius of Loyola himself. Alumni include seventy-two saints and blesseds and seventeen popes, some of whom were faculty at the university.
The lecture halls are comparable to the grand, ancient amphitheaters of the Roman Empire. The seats in this “theater” form a tier. Maria normally sat towards the front where she was about at eye-level with the professor, while those who chose to sit towards the back, yards above the lecturing instructor, could gaze at the sea of heads belonging to their fellow students. One frosty February day in 2006, when a layer of snow coated the frozen ground, Maria arrived late for class. She entered quietly by the back door and found a seat towards the back, at the edge of the nearest aisle, where other late-comers would have to pass by her in order to sit down. All was going well, until, as she was putting her work away, she dropped all of her books and papers. The latter ¬flew down from the elevated back of the hall and settled on the floor, resembling thin rectangular sheets of snow. Friendly laughter filled the hall, as a rather embarrassed Maria jumped down from her seat and began picking up her runaway belongings.
Edwin, a seminarian from Australia, studying in the American Seminary in Rome, was also taking classes at the Gregorian University. The same wintry February day that was to change Maria’s life forever, was also to have a profound effect on his.
Arriving early for class, Edwin, a Maltese by birth, sat in his usual seat at the very back of the hall. Five minutes into the class, he was distracted by a movement at the back door of the classroom. He watched as Maria entered as quietly as she could and made her way silently down the aisle. He did not turn his attention back to the professor until she sat down. His curiosity was transitory and as he became thoroughly engaged in the lecture, he soon forgot about the incident. However, at the end of class, he was again distracted, this time by a noise coming from the direction of where the latecomer, that had momentarily captured his interest, had taken a seat. When he discovered Maria’s flying paper dilemma he joined in the class’ friendly laughter. Unlike the rest of the hall, however, he did not remain watching and laughing for long, but stood up and helped Maria in her endeavor to clean up her mess.
Afterwards they went for a cup of coffee and Maria discovered that Edwin was taking many of the same classes as a friend of hers from Norway. After a long, difficult yet beautiful process of becoming acquainted, talking and discerning, they began dating in June of the following year and were married nine months later in March of 2008. Having first met at a Jesuit University it was only fitting that they were married in Valletta, Malta in the Church of the Jesuits.
God has blessed Edwin and Maria with three adorable children – brown haired twins and another brown haired, wide-eyed boy. The five years following their wedding have not been easy, but they know that the only way they will overcome the difficult moments life presents is if they remain together as they promised, “…for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” Maria and Edwin’s story did not end with their wedding; for in marriage the end is only the beginning.