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Love in Many Forms: Valentine’s Fellowship at Catholic Noles
Some Valentine’s Days feel effortless — full of plans and celebration. Others can feel a little heavier, especially for students who are new to campus or still looking for their people. This year at Catholic Noles, students stepped into something different: a night designed not just for couples, but for community.
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MC and Henry, the women’s and men’s social student ambassadors, worked together to organize “The Valentine’s Day Party,” held in the Social Hall, welcoming around 100 students — with plenty of new faces in the mix. “We had 100 total punch cards we handed out to people when they walked in the door and had less than 10 left by the end,” MC shared. She loved seeing students show up for all kinds of reasons — including a participant from a sorority whose sisters came out to cheer her on, along with students who are new to the Church and hoping to meet other Catholics.
Henry said they wanted the night to feel welcoming whether someone arrived with friends, came as a couple, or walked in single. “It was a good opportunity to bring some of the guys and girls together,” he shared, “whether that was single people, or people that are already in relationships.” The games were set up so you didn’t need a date — you just needed someone willing to jump in with you.
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The Social Hall filled with energy as students moved through six game booths spread around the room. From table-to-table challenges to carnival-style competition, the evening created easy ways for students to interact, laugh, and meet someone new. MC’s favorite? The basketball booth, where two people competed head-to-head to make as many baskets as possible in 60 seconds, with a prize going to the winner.
As the night built, anticipation grew for the main event:
“The Blind Dating Game.” The playful compatibility-style show became the peak moment, drawing a crowd that was fully invested — cheering, laughing, and rooting for friends. Freshman Megan Vegas (cell and molecular neuroscience major) admitted she didn’t expect to be part of it at all. She initially thought everyone was signing up — then realized it was optional, assumed she wouldn’t be chosen, and forgot about it… until she got a text the day before. What made it easy to say yes was the tone: “Even the form said… ‘this has no expectations attached, it’s just for fun.’ And I thought it would be a good laugh.”
Onstage, it was exactly that: lighthearted, silly, and surprisingly brave. “The Blind Dating Game” moved through rounds of fun questions and quick eliminations, all while the crowd reacted in real time. For Megan, the turning point came with one question that had everyone in stitches: “What’s your go-to pickup line?” One contestant delivered a perfectly timed answer that MC and Megan both said stole the show: “I guess we will only be able to see each other on Sundays because I gave up sweet things for Lent.” The room erupted with laughter — the kind that turns nerves into belonging.
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And then came the reveal. “We stood back-to-back,” Megan said. “It was like, ‘3, 2, 1,’ then we turned around and we’re like, ‘Oh!’” Damien Nixon described the moment as “very nerve-racking,” not only because of the anticipation, but because his eyesight was “really blurry” when the blindfold came off — adding to the unforgettable, wholesome chaos of it all. Still, he said the night delivered what he was hoping for: “fellowship, fun, and meeting someone new.” For Damien, it also connected to something deeper: he came wanting to build community while discerning his vocational call — “to explore the possible vocation of a relationship.”
By the end of the night, what stood out wasn’t just the decorations, the booths, or the show — it was the tone. Megan put words to what many students experience at Catholic Noles: “When we get together and have a good time, there’s always an underlying element of faith,” she said. “Even in our joyous moments, we’re glorifying God… It wasn’t obviously faith-centered, but it was faith-bonded.”
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MC and Henry are quick to point out that events like this are student-led and student-powered. They gave special thanks to Henry Amador, Jack Darcy, Damien Nixon, Molly Reeder, Paola Pomerada, Bella Schermerhorn, Ashley Andrade, Isabela Cristino, Arwen Jarquin-Baez, and the Student Ambassadors — along with leaders from Women’s Social and a few from Men’s Social — for making the night happen.
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At Catholic Noles, joy is never “just” joy. It’s a sign of welcome. A form of hospitality. A reminder that love — in all its forms — is meant to be shared. And for about a hundred students on Valentine’s weekend, “The Valentine’s Day Party” was exactly that: a room full of laughter, a community ready to include, and a night where many students left more connected than when they arrived.
