Hello there

It was 1996, and Molly Murphy was soon to start her senior year at John W. Hallahan Catholic Girls' High School. The Port Richmond native was spending her summer in typical fashion, hanging around the neighborhood and at the Rizzo Police Athletic League on Belgrade Street. Then one day, there was a new boy at the P.A.L. A boy not from Port Richmond. A boy not even from North Catholic High School for Boys. The newcomer was hanging with a group that included a friend of Molly's, so before long she learned that his name was Matt Quinn, that he was from Mayfair, and that he was about to start his senior year at Father Judge High School.

"We fell in love at the Rizzo P.A.L," said Molly, now 30. "We really loved each other."

They had a great senior year together and stayed together when Matt, also now 30, went to Penn State Abington and Molly to La Salle University. "I did the whole sorority thing. I loved dorm life," she said. But college wasn't for Matt. He left and joined the Philadelphia Police Academy. Matt had to grow up fast, while Molly didn't need or want to, she said. "He was 19, and on the street. He was a rookie [police officer], and I was being silly with the girls in the dorm room," she said.

It wasn't ugly, but they broke up.

Nearly nine years later, in the fall of 2006, Molly was getting some exercise by walking on the street near Pennypack Park in Mayfair. She instantly recognized the man in the Jeep Wrangler, even though she hadn't laid eyes on him in about six years. Conversation came easy as the two caught up. They exchanged phone numbers with the intent of talking more later. Clearly, Matt still got to Molly. "I was trying to look good," she said. "I told him, 'OK, I've got to get back to my run now,' and I took off running. I hadn't run in years! I waited until his car got around the corner, and I immediately stopped, wheezing and all out of breath."

A week after meeting in the park, Matt invited Molly to his place for homemade chicken parm. They cracked up over Molly's senior prom photo album - Matt had been her date.

How does forever sound?

Molly's family had immigrated to the United States from Newfoundland, and in 2006, two months before she reconnected with Matt, she bought a home there. Molly is a teacher - she teaches social studies to seventh and eighth graders at Cinnaminson Middle School in Cinnaminson and also is an adjunct freshman writing professor at La Salle. She spent the summer of 2007 in Newfoundland, and Matt, a Philadelphia police officer, flew up for a week that August.

"I picked him up at the airport, and he was so jumpy and I didn't know why," Molly remembered. She reached over to touch his leg, and he jerked it away. Molly was concerned. Why didn't her boyfriend want her to touch him?

What she didn't know: Matt didn't want her to find the engagement ring tucked into his pocket.

"Obviously, I was nervous," Matt said. "I was 99 percent certain she was going to say yes, but there is always that 1 percent chance," he said. "We had never talked about it. I just went out and got a ring and flew up and did it."

When they got to Molly's house, she excused herself a moment, then came downstairs to find Matt had poured two glasses of wine. "I was so nervous that I forgot to get down on one knee," Matt remembered.

"This is for you," he told Molly, and handed her the ring box.

She opened it. "Will you marry me?" he asked.

Molly's response: "Are you serious?" Molly had hoped to marry Matt. But they had been dating only for about nine months, and she never expected the question so soon.

Matt assured her that he was quite serious. That was all she needed: "Yes! Of course!"

This didn't happen at rehearsal

Matt turned 30 while the Philadelphia couple were on their two-week honeymoon in Ireland. "I surprised Matt at our reception with a big cake with 30 candles on it," Molly said. 

It was so them

Molly is a Eucharistic minister at Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church, so she had frequently heard the Rev. Anthony F. Orth present a homily in the style he calls "a litany of prayer and praise." Usually, he does this sort of thing for the kids of the church, but to Molly, his rhyming, responsive litanies are magical fun. So guests were treated to lines like "Molly's a teacher and Matt's a cop, so let's pray that their love never stops!" "Amen!" said the 280 guests.

The ceremony also included a prayer for teachers and Philadelphia police officers. Both groups were well represented in the bridal party. Three of seven groomsmen are police officers and one is in the Secret Service. Five of the eight bridesmaids are teachers.

One of Matt's groomsmen could not make it to the wedding. Officer Ricky Bowes, Matt's former partner, was shot in the line of duty in September during the same incident in which Sgt. Patrick McDonald was shot. McDonald later died. Bowes was seriously injured and needed another surgery shortly before the wedding. The couple kept his name in the program.