CATHOLIC SINGLES : SEEKING A MATE ON LINE

If you are Catholic and single and would like to meet another Catholic to share your life and faith with the following websites might be of interest to you. In the past few years I have met couples who met each other on line. Such websites saved them the trouble of a dating scene that they had come to very much dislike. The following are three Dating sites:

AVE MARIA SINGLES : (www.avemariasingles.com)

About 5,000 active members plus 700 on the six-month-old Spanish language version of the site: (www.solterosdelavemaris.com).

Cost: $99 for lifetime standard membership (includes "Ask Father" and Ask Married member" features), plus $48 for option pack, which includes blocking capability, one-on-one chat, a multiphoto album and other features ($30 and $55 for the Spanish site). Site browsing not open to nonmembers. Members only browse profiles of opposite sex.

Best for: Catholics who accept 100 percent of church teaching and seek partners with same views.

Site founder Anthony Buono: "We're just trying to service the certain person who is called to marriage, eligible for Catholic marriage, and wants to meet someone who shares their depth of the faith. I always specify contraception and abortion, the big two home run issues, if you will, that tend to separate the 100 percent practicing Catholic from those who are close."

CATHOLIC MATCH (www.catholicmatch.com)

Owned and operated by Acolyte, LLC. Began as StRaphael.net in 1999 after the patron saint of singles. Became fee-based dating site in 2001. Acolyte also owns Conservative Match.

Best For: Catholic singles looking for online community and possible romance/courtship. Online questionnaire features seven "key" questions related to Catholic doctrine as a gauge of member beliefs.

Cost: Free to register and browse members, receive invitation to private or group chat, see who is online, create your profile. Monthly cost adjusted, based on length of membership one year is $69.95, six months at $54.95, three months at $39.95., one month at $19.95

Brian Barcaro, Acolyte LLC senior partner. "Catholic Match is not primarily focused on the matchmaking aspect of the site. We do everything we can to build a community aspect of the site. Romance, matchmaking will result from community building."

CATHOLIC SINGLES (www.catholicsingles.com)

Large membership. Operated by Catholic Sites, Inc., which recently launched Catholic Thrive. (www.catholicthrive.com) a free online newsletter with articles about single life and listings of singles' activities and events in local communities.

Best For: Catholics who take their faith seriously and specifically want to meet Catholics but may be uncomfortable with the all-or-nothing tone of other Catholic sites.

Cost: Browse for free if you register. Only paid members can access site's private e-mail system. Live chatrooms. Member searches, invitations and discounts for Catholic Singles trips. $14.95 month-to-month; $29.95 for three months; $49.95 for 6 months; $79.95 for a year. Site participates in Better Business Bureau's online program. Seven-day money -back guarantee.

Tom Johnson, Catholic Singles spokesperson: "One of the things I've found that people do is limit their search to a close geographic area [but] we've found the majority of marriages [are between members who] have gotten together from out-side their state."