Newlyweds make beautiful music together

There are many ways a Catholic can meet their spouse: a singles speed dating event, a late-night study session in university, even the sign of peace at Mass. But it’s not often that a couple falls in love by starting an apostolate, which is the story behind Daniel and Anabella Ma’s mutual encounter.

The two met in the far-flung pre-lockdown days of early 2020. Daniel was with the Newman Centre and was organizing the choir for the annual University Mass at Vancouver’s Holy Rosary Cathedral. Anabella (then Nootebos) was there expecting praise and worship music. What she experienced blew her away. 

The music was beautiful, and she remembered hearing Daniel’s singing voice for the first time. 

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“It was like a warm hug,” she said.

Daniel said the Newman Centre choir was actually inspired by Anabella, who he had heard playing the organ with the Catholic Pacific College chamber choir at a previous University Mass. That experience inspired him, giving him a greater appreciation for sacred music. 

Anabella was similarly inspired after the 2020 University Mass and contacted the Newman Centre to express her appreciation for its music. Eventually she and Daniel ran into each other at a young adult event, where she asked him to moderate the Sacred Music Sunday Facebook page she had created to promote traditional sacred music.

The Facebook group started as a place for people to post videos of themselves singing polyphony or chanting and to discuss sacred music. 

Daniel was thrilled to find someone with whom he shared a passion, and their first phone conversation lasted nearly three and a half hours. They also realized they had more in common than just their interest in music. 

Anabella said she was drawn to Daniel not just because of his interest in music but because of his passion for organization. 

“There are people out there who like sacred music,” said Anabella, “but there are only a select few who want to form choirs, want to sing it and want to be involved.”

Through the Facebook group, they eventually formed a choir, which was asked to record music for the 2021 Archdiocesan Advent Retreat and provide music for the streamed University Mass during the pandemic restrictions. 

At a personal level, they were apprehensive to let things develop past friendship in case it jeopardized the choir or the organization they were building. They wanted to keep things professional. They became close friends, which Daniel said was good not only for their future relationship, but also as choir directors.

“It was very natural,” he said. “We cared a lot for each other, which is the hallmark of a good friendship.”

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They laugh about it now, but Daniel was unaware that Anabella was dating other young men, even though none of them made the cut. Despite their excellent qualities, “they never quite felt up to standard,” she said. 

“Then I realized my standard was Daniel.”

Things started to get more serious when Anabella found herself in the middle of a personal tragedy and Daniel stepped in to offer emotional support. He tried his best to accompany her without romantic expectations, and the experience helped him to accept that his intentions were honourable. 

“That is when I knew my love for her was genuine,” he said. 

Their friendship deepened, but it wasn’t until Anabella went on a date with a particularly great guy that she realized it was no use. He should have been good enough, but she wasn’t satisfied. 

“That was the last straw,” she said — she couldn’t ignore it any more; she wanted to be with Daniel. 

She decided to confide about her feelings by talking with her brother Anthony, who sang in their choir and was good friends with Daniel.

“That’s the least surprising thing I have ever heard,” Anthony said after she shared her feelings for Daniel. 

Unknown to her, Anthony had started texting Daniel during their conversation. 

“Yo, real talk,” read the text. “Have you ever thought about asking Anabella out? Because if you do, you have my blessing.” 

That was the sign Daniel had been waiting for. 

A week later, Daniel asked Anabella out on a date while they were praying in the John Paul II Pastoral Centre Chapel. 

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He still remembers her reply: “I’ve been waiting for you to ask me this for a long time.”

The rest, as they say, is history. The couple was married on Dec. 30, during a Solemn Latin High Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral, the same location where they first encountered each other and where they went to on their first date. 

A version of this article appeared in the October 25, 2026 issue of The Catholic Register with the headline "Newlyweds make beautiful music together".