"I had been seeking to find a way to bring serious single Catholics together for a long time. Contributing to the growth of Ave Maria Singles through the Ave Maria Foundation was my opportunity to do that. I look forward to seeing it grow in great numbers all around the world with many marriages, children and holy Catholic families established." - Tom Monaghan, Founder of Domino's Pizza

"Ave maria Singles"  isn't an 'official' Opus Dei Catholic Singles site, but take a look at who the site lists in it's "Prominent Catholics Appreciate the Ave Maria Singles Website!" page - one of Opus Dei's top leaders in the US [ see article by Frank Cocozzelli ] , Rev. C. John McCloskey, enthusiastically plugs the new service:

"This service is providing an ideal setting for serious Catholics to search for... and find their spouse for life. Together with their children they will build 'the civilization of love and truth' in the next millennium."

Attached to McCloskey's endorsement we find :"He [ McCloskey ] has personally advised many of his spiritual directees to join. (6) have met their spouse here."In other words, McCloskey's recommendation could be characterized as : "Top US OPus Dei Leader Recommends New Singles Service". Fair enough.

So who is the Rev. John McCloskey ? Well, Talk To Action contributor Frank Cocozzelli, in The Catholic Right Part Three: Rev. John McCloskey, the Face of an Opus Dei Agenda., provides some background:

A review of some of Rev. McCloskey's statements reflects a very reactionary view of the world. In a book review of one of his converts, CNBC supply-side economic analyst Lawrence Kudlow, McCloskey simplistically divided all Americans as "...two Americas. One group in America is made up of Bible Christians and faithful Catholics who possess standards and convictions based on the natural law, the Bible, and the teaching authority of the Catholic Church and strive to live accordingly." Then, in language reminiscent of Inquisitors past, he characterized "The other group in America, whatever its religious affiliation" as not believing "... in a normative moral truth or in a God to whom they are accountable in this life and in the next according to their actions here," ultimately describing them as "...culture of death."

This is a very troubling statement from a man who is often a panelist on many reputable television political roundtables and who maintains power within the Church. He was until recently the director of the Opus Dei-run the Catholic Information Center of Washington, D. C.

Back to "Ave Maria Singles" - the service's website states:

It is the goal of Ave Maria Singles to be an instrument of Jesus Christ used to bring hope to single Catholics who are serious about their faith, loyal to the Pope and Magisterium, and seek to meet their future spouse who shares their convictions.

We have had over 200 [ note : the current total is up to 481 ] successful marriages thus far, a powerful testimony to God's power at work through this site as an instrument of His Holy Spirit.

Now, there is much to mock in religion - mainly hypocritical behavior of religious leaders - but Monaghan's new service does an admirable job of presenting a minimal target to those given to taking pot shots at faith. I haven't read all of the dozens and dozens of written testimonials listed on the site, but as far as I can tell you won't find any hint of salacious material in the hundreds of rather lengthy firsthand testimonials on "AveMaria Singles" although if you find long, earnest, narratives involving long distance courtship via letters and email, occasional family chaperoned meetings involving mutual prayer side by side in church, and happy vignettes of marriage proposals amidst festooned rose petals somehow titillating, well this is for you. "Ave Maria Singles" couples seem not to date at all, and they most certainly do not "swing" - before tying the knot at any rate : they court. Indeed, the quirkiest thing about the site is the fact that it showcases so many  testimonials that the list takes a while to download even with a high speed internet connection - an avalanche of beaming, normative couples sailing into nuptial bliss.

Although it is hard to say, I'd say that many of the members of the service ( over 10,000 ) are probably not Opus Dei members and that Dei is simply exerting a diffuse ideological influence over members of this singles flock ( maybe there's more - stay tuned ).

This new service is not noteworthy for its quirkiness but for its demurely modest, polished mainstream gloss. Ideology, as always, of course does skulk in the background, given that many accuse Opus Dei of being a cult ( see Talk To Action writer rank Coccozzeli's series on the Catholic Right and Opus Dei. It is certainly worth pointing out that Dominos Pizza baron Monaghan bankrolls a whole portfolio of projects aimed at reshaping American society and Catholicism per his particular beliefs - indeed, he is financing the development of an entire ultra orthodox Catholic mid-sized town in Florida ( link : story by Media Matters ) that will be hermeticaly sealed against smut, porn, birth control, and other allegedy pernicious cultural influences. Monaghan also funds the development of two Catholic Law Centers, a university,  a Catholic unversity, a Catholic radio station, an investment fund, and   also is alleged to be associated with a Catholic authoritarian "shepherding" cult called the "Word of God" ( see Tom Monaghan's Pizza Pilgrimage, by Jeff Huber and Jerry Soucy, from  ePluribus Media )

But at the moment, I'm here not to criticize Monaghan at all but to - sort of -  praise his strategic vision

Tom Monaghan is committed to building institutions will advance his ideology and that is notable

Monaghan puts his money where his mouth is, and there most certainly is an agenda to his new "Ave Maria Singles" project : it concerns the concentration of ideological traits. Ave Maria couples of like mind will marry and raise families - and their offspring will carry the shared ideology forward. It is a sort of ideological inbreeding designed to  preserve and concentrat desired traits. What might an analogue of this, from the left, look like ? Imagine a "progressive dating service" which required its members to sign a declaration that they supported abortion rights, access to contraception, and same sex marriage.

So, is ideological inbreeding bad ? Well, yes and no depending on one's perspective but in this case Monaghan is encouraging the concentration Opus Dei - friendly religious ideology -  lest that ideological stock get watered down as Catholics pair off with athiests or even dreaded Unitarians.

But here's my main point: Monaghan has his beliefs. He puts money behind them. There's one thing the religious and Christian right most certainly get : they support their own.