A Spanish priest has helped 1,280 single Catholics find spouses over the past 15 years, using WhatsApp, a questionnaire and a few simple rules.

Father Fernando Cuevas, an Opus Dei priest from Ibiza, receives dozens of messages from people looking for a partner. On a normal day, he says, there can be about 60 WhatsApp messages.

“There are many people longing for true and everlasting love in Christ,” he told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News.

The priest, who is now over 70, says the work has changed his ministry.

“This has totally changed my life,” he said.

His two basic requirements are straightforward: “The two requirements I set are that they be over 25 and attend Mass on Sundays.”

He then asks about their age, involvement in the Church, and where they live, comparing the answers with those of other people who have contacted him.

Location is one of the first things he considers, as living in the same city can make things easier. He also tries to ensure the men are taller and two or three years older than the women.

But shared faith is key. He looks for “people with a strong sense of spirituality”, which he says can help couples connect.

When people become impatient to find a partner, his message is simple: “Wait, your turn will come.”

Father Cuevas has been nicknamed the “Tinder priest” or a matchmaker, but he sees marriage as a vocation in its own right.

“I have no special gift,” he said.

“I’m a priest; I completely trust in Providence and know that God calls every person, that there is a specific plan from the Lord for them from before they were born. Just as someone might have a vocation to a religious order, a movement, or anything else, God has someone in mind for that person, so that they may attain holiness.”

His matchmaking began with people in the Archdiocese of Valencia but soon spread further afield. He now receives requests from Spanish-speaking countries including Argentina, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, as well as from more unexpected places such as India.

Another priest, Father Vicente Huerta, helps him deal with the international requests, sometimes spending nights speaking to people overseas.

Father Cuevas says the demand points to a wider desire for lasting relationships, particularly among people who want faith to be part of their married life.

“People are looking for true love. There is a yearning, an enormous need to love. People are in great need. They want to love truly, to forget themselves, to give of themselves, and to bring Christ into their lives.”

He says many of those who contact him are less concerned with looks or status than with finding someone who shares their faith.

“The vast majority are looking for someone who places Christ at the center of their lives,” he said.

“There are so many people longing for that.”