When Hannah Lobley ’19, M.S. ’21 and Joe Moore ’20, M.S. ’22 stepped onto campus during their first years at St. Joe’s, they had no idea they’d also be finding their future spouses.
Lobley and Moore are Hawkmates, a term used for St. Joe’s students who start dating while at the university and later get married. In addition to Lobley and Moore, at least six other pairs of Hawkmates plan to get married in 2024. These couples were honored Feb. 4 in the Chapel of St. Joseph during a Mass for 2024 Hawkmates.
During the Mass, a blessing was said over the 2024 Hawkmates and each couple was given a wooden crucifix that “[symbolizes] their faith and devotion to [Christ],” George Bur, S.J., presider of the Mass, said during the blessing.
Lobley and Moore, like other Hawkmates, met through on-campus jobs, both working at the Kinney Center. The pair became friends and started dating shortly after Lobley’s graduation. After attending graduate school together, Moore proposed to Lobley at Gabriel Hall, where the two attended Kinney summer camp together.
“I think [Kinney] kind of led us to each other in [the sense] that we both had very similar values and morals,” Lobley said. “[St. Joe’s] magis is living greater [and] doing work for and with others, and I think that truly embodies who we are as people separately but also together as a couple.”
Others, like Lauren Fick ’18 and Kyle Brandis ’18, met through mutual friends, with the couple first meeting at a Memorial Day barbeque. While not all Hawkmates have their weddings on Hawk Hill, Brandis said when deciding where to have their wedding ceremony, the Chapel of St. Joseph was an easy choice.
“We kind of jumped at the chance,” Brandis said. “When we got engaged, we were like, ‘why don’t we just do it at the chapel?’ It’s an awesome place to do it. It’s where everything started.”
Fick said she was happy that their relationship started at St. Joe’s as it allowed them to share both memories and friends.
“We’ve been able to come back to alumni events with friends,” Fick said. “It’s a nice network of friends to have. It’s been great that we both went here so we can have that larger friend group together.”
Lobley also said her and Brandis shared friends and that being Hawkmates has made them feel connected to the St. Joe’s community.
“We all have a community to come back to,” Lobley said. “And being invited to the Hawkmates Mass, it was so cool because it [says that] your community is always going to be there for you and be there to support you.”