Growing up in a strong Catholic family, Lauren Jatcko’s faith has always been important to her (the Jatckos are parishioners at St. Boniface Parish in Edwardsville). But little did she know that her strong faith would be the shared enthusiastic connection between her and her now fiancé Joey Pruski. 

Jatcko and Pruski first stumbled upon each other via social media. Pruski was a touring musician from Texas, and Jatcko was a nanny at the time in Illinois. They became friends and kept in touch, but it was nothing more than just casual exchanges. One day, Pruski reached out to Jatcko and invited her to one of his shows so they could meet. 

“Though I had no intentions of sparking anything beyond the friendship we had built, I happily agreed,” Jatcko said. “We met a month later, and to our surprise, we had a lot in common. One of the very first things we discovered was that we were both Catholic! In that moment we both couldn't stop smiling and exchanged stories about how it was growing up in the Church.”

Fast forward to today, and now the happy couple is engaged, with the wedding to take place at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Kosciusko, Texas.

Jatcko and Pruski’s courtship and soon-to-be marriage is a refreshing reminder that despite growing numbers of couples choosing not to get married in the faith of the Church, there are still many young people who understand the importance of it and desire to enter into this holy sacrament. 

“We both firmly believe that to have a strong and lasting marriage, God must be the center of it,” Jatcko said. “Marriage is a sacrament, and we look to treat it as such. We have both been raised as Catholics and want to continue growing stronger in our faith together as one, and for the future of our family.” 

As the couple prepares for their wedding day, Jatcko says what they are looking forward to most is starting and raising a family and instilling the values and faith their parents instilled in them into their new family. 

“We believe that our Catholic faith will guide us in giving the other compassion and forgiveness as Christ gives us,” Jatcko says. “We believe that prayer is the binding ingredient to keep a marriage strong and solid. Faith strengthens all.”

Cutline

Edwardsville native Lauren Jatcko and Joey Pruski are engaged and will exchange vows at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Kosciusko, Texas.