WILMINGTON — Ursuline Academy provided a platform for Lydia Durkee and Gianna Hornberger to join the Catholic Church, but the two students were leaning that way before they set foot in the all-girls Wilmington school. Now, in a few weeks, Durkee, who is a senior, and Hornberger, a freshman, will take the final step when they enter the church April 4 at the Easter Vigil at St. Peter Cathedral.
Both girls will receive all three sacraments of initiation — baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist.
“Everybody’s baptized, and I want to be part of the club,” Durkee said recently. “I’m just so excited for all of them.”
Durkee said she has “always been spiritual,” but she was not formally a part of any religion. She has attended church with her grandmother. Her interest in becoming Catholic was sparked by her grandmother, who converted as an adult.
“As I grew closer to her in high school, we ended up going to church every single weekend together, and it was a Catholic church,” she said.
“I decided to make the full jump and convert before I go away to college.”
The pair began studies at Ursuline in the fall, and those biweekly meetings have continued into March. Durkee said she didn’t know anything about Catholicism when she entered Ursuline, but she isn’t confused about anything that has been thrown at her. One of the surprises about Catholicism for her, she said, is how much structure there is in the Mass, along with the emphasis on tradition.
Durkee said her mother died when she was 12, and she thought religion was a way for her to connect with her.
“I felt like religion was a way I could connect with my mother as well as my grandparents. Converting means so much to me because it gives me a way to become even closer to my grandparents. God is giving me a way to connect to my mother as well,” Durkee said.
After middle school, Durkee chose Ursuline primarily for its small classes and academic reputation. She lives with her father and brother in north Wilmington. Her dad is not Catholic but has been supportive and will be at the vigil, Durkee said. She attends Mass with her grandparents at St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother in Avondale, Pa.
At Ursuline, she has been involved with student government, baking club, National Honor Society and the service council. She also has been a leader with Kairos, a retreat program that is often based on Ignatian spirituality. Durkee said helping run Kairos was not weird despite the fact that she was not Catholic for most of her time at Ursuline.
“The overall messages are for everyone. It’s not about what denomination you are. It’s about connecting yourself with God,” she said.
Hornberger said she did not grow up with any religion, but she always wanted to go to a Catholic school. As soon as she was able to enter the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, she joined.
“I really wanted to start my journey,” she said.
She said she has attended church a lot with her grandmother, and many of her friends are Catholic. In addition, her brother, who is about 10 years older than her, received the sacraments, but her parents wanted religion to be her choice.
“I realized this is the journey that I want to be a part of. My parents thought it would be better once I was old enough to decide for myself,” she said.
Hornberger said she is looking forward to baptism the most of the three sacraments she will receive at the vigil. She called baptism an opportunity to “start over” with herself, family and friends, “but especially with God.” It marks a fresh start with the absolution of original sin.
According to Hornberger, that coincides with her fresh start at Ursuline. She played field hockey in the fall and swimming in the winter, and she is on the softball team. She is also involved with Model UN, the youth group, walking club and Paws for a Purpose, which helps area animal shelters.
Hornberger lives with her parents and three dogs in Pike Creek. She is a parishioner at St. Elizabeth in Wilmington, although she will enter the church at the cathedral. Her parents are both Catholic. She said both her mother and father have relied on the faith during trying times. One of her goals, she added, is to get her parents more involved with the church. The initiation process has been eye-opening.
“I just feel like I’ve learned so much about myself and about everyone else,” she said.
