BRANDYWINE HUNDRED — Mia Loughery might only be 14 years old, but the Immaculate Heart of Mary School eighth-grader is ready to join the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil at IHM on April 19. She said it is something she has wanted to do almost since the time she began attending the parish school in fifth grade.
“When I started to learn about it in school at IHM, in religion class and at Mass and stuff, I started to really want to learn more about and grow closer with God and become a Catholic,” she said recently at her home in north Wilmington. “That’s what I was getting introduced to, and I thought that was a good way to grow my faith in God.”
Loughery had been going to a Baptist church before deciding she wanted to be Catholic. She transferred to IHM from a local Christian academy. Once she was at Immaculate Heart of Mary, she started thinking of joining the church. She spoke with teachers and friends, who encouraged her. In the end, she made her own decision.
“It just sort of clicked, and I just really thought that would be a good thing for me to do,” she said.
Loughery’s mother, Kim DiSabatino, is Catholic and said she was “elated” when her daughter told her of her desire. Like Loughery, DiSabatino converted to Catholicism. She began attending Catholic church when she was a high school student. She went through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults at 19 and became involved at St. Helena Parish in Bellefonte as a member of the choir, the ecumenical committee and parish council.
DiSabatino had two children attend Pope John Paul II School on the St. Helena campus, but when it closed in 2011, they began at a Christian academy. There was no pressure on any of her children to choose one faith over another, but she thought Catholicism was right for Loughery.
“We felt pretty comfortable with them choosing the direction that their faith was going to take. Obviously, I’m more comfortable with the Catholic Church and those religious teachings.
“I felt like that was a better fit for her, but I didn’t want to dictate that to her. I wanted her to feel called to do that. So, I was ecstatic because it came from nowhere, and that’s how I knew it was real,” DiSabatino said.
Loughery will get baptized, receive her First Communion and get confirmed at the Easter Vigil. She said nothing has been confusing to her in the Tuesday night classes she has attended. Going to Catholic school and having Catholic members of her family has helped with that.
“I was already introduced to it at a very young age,” she said. “I’ve been pretty excited about it. I wish it would come faster. I’m not really scared. I’m just excited to do it.”
Rita McDowell, the pastoral associate at Immaculate Heart, said the formation program for Loughery was tailored for her because of her age, but the parish wanted her to have her religious formation with her school classmates as much as possible. So Loughery’s preparation has included classes in school, more education at night, and confirmation classes with the other eighth-graders.
Loughery said her family has been very supportive of her decision. Her brother, Michael Reese, will be her sponsor for confirmation. Her friends and teachers at IHM “were really proud of my decision, and they’ve supported me throughout my whole journey at IHM and all the stuff I wanted to do. They’ve pretty much helped me along the way.”
She will continue her education and her faith enrichment next year at Padua Academy. She said the community there is close-knit, and she is excited for the chance to make more friends and to grow as a Catholic. She also hopes to play volleyball for the Pandas.
“I’m excited for my new journey for the next four years at Padua. I will miss IHM because I was there for a little bit and I was close with a lot of people there, but I’m really excited to move on.”
