How It Started
Three things helped jump-start Denver Catholic Speed Dating LLC:
1. My year-long devotion to the 15 prayers of St. Bridget of Sweden every day for a year. When I woke up one morning, and prayed this devotion, I knew it was something that had to be officially started. The thought would not leave my mind until I did something about it.
2. My visit and letter to St. Therese during her rose ceremony at St. Catherine of Siena the season before.
3. My Last Supper Club dinner club.
I started it as a way to help get the word out about my dinner club, Last Supper Club, the unofficial after-church dinner club at Cathedral that started March 5, 2006 by our friend and Notre Dame grad Aubree Keys (Dill). She passed on her leadership and passion for it to me (Anna Basquez) and I kept the club going after she got into a relationship long-term that led to marriage. I took over in October, 2006.
Prior to my involvement in the club, my own involvement in the Catholic community traces far back, including to the National Catholic Singles Conference 2006 and a Fort Collins church singles club (2002). When I lived in Fort Collins for five years, I was involved in 2002 in a little-known Catholic singles group at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton parish there called NOAH (Not Otherwise Attached and Happy).
If it hadn’t been for a member of NOAH, who met me for my 1st 2006 National Catholic Singles Conference in Denver after I’d moved to Denver and introduced me to many people there, I don’t know if I would have gone alone to the event with 450 people (even though inherently, as single people, we usually go it alone)!
It was at that same conference that Denver Catholic speaker and author Mary Beth Bonacci encouraged people to be on a list for a yahoo group called DenverCatholicSingles. From that signup list, Aubree Keys (Dill) started the Last Supper Club after-church dinner club at Cathedral in 2006. My name went on MaryBeth’s list, and soon, Aubree’s list, and I started going from the first meeting. I helped her develop the list as we went along that summer meeting more people in the Catholic community.
I took it over in October 2006, with the help of many fellow members filling in whenever I needed. Dinner club is never exactly the same group of people and at times, it’s an entirely different set of people and it has been fascinating to watch the many Catholics come join us, both singles and couples. Last Supper Club was about to die out in February of 2011. I had just sent out emails to 20 or 30 people from LSC that I was likely going to stop LSC altogether since we were down in attendance to 5 people.
I decided I’d at least have the Valentine’s Day yearly party we always did at Thai Basil.
I had, over the last five years of running Last Supper Club, at times thought of running a Catholic Speed Dating through it, but I was not sure how it work with the way LSC is a large dinner party club.
I woke up one morning nearing Valentine’s Day and prayed my St. Bridget of Sweden year-long devotional. When I sat down to draw up the evite for the typical Thai Basil gathering, I saw that Valentine’s Day would be the following day after, and the thought kept occurring to me that it was time to try the speed dating.
I drew it up, and 51 people attended the first night of Valentine Catholic Speed Dating.
Denver Catholic Speed Dating LLC was born. This way, we can try to have these events more regularly available within our diocese and we have started expansion to other Colorado cities. There still will be an LSC dinner club once monthly.
This was not immediately in the cards for me (at the time I started it, I was taking both the GMAT and GRE to go for a masters and working freelance writing jobs and that was all I was focused on) so it has seemed like part of God’s plan. I’m just trying to carry it out and see what happens. With the prayers of St. Anthony of Padua and St. Bridget of Sweden always seemingly guiding…