In the darkness and difficulty of the pandemic, Loren and Stewart were looking for light and understanding. So the married couple dug deeper into their Christian faith and found themselves drawn to Catholicism. This Easter, the longtime Protestants will enter the church at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Lake Ridge. “We feel like apprentices right now, and we’re looking forward to the full embrace of being fully Catholic,” said Stewart.
For many years, the couple, who declined to give their last name, have worshipped at Baptist and non-denominational Christian churches. Loren, who grew up in a Baptist family and was baptized at age 9, served in church and music ministry leadership her whole life.
Stewart found God as a teenager after his mother became a Christian and invited him to a Bible study. “I had a very deep and meaningful conversion experience that led me to want to continue in my faith in a more deliberative fashion by attending a Christian high school and being around other believers,” Stewart said.
Loren and Stewart met through friends as teenagers and were married in 1978. They have two adult daughters. Stewart’s career in the military kept them moving, but they permanently settled in Northern Virginia in 2005.
During the pandemic, Loren’s search for spiritual direction led her to look into Catholicism. “It was during the COVID unrest, it was just a particularly difficult time,” she said. “It was such a sad time not to be able to go to church.
“So (I) began to look for God’s purpose and it drew me to the positions of the Catholic Church,” said Loren. She began to read more about the Protestant Reformation and to research Catholic social teaching, especially about the sanctity and dignity of human life.
She also watched episodes of an Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) program about conversion stories, often purchasing copies of the books that contained them. “I probably did that about 10 or 11 times before we went to RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults),” she said.
As Loren and Stewart learned more, they began to value many things about the Catholic Church, including its history, pro-life stance and charitable works. Stewart appreciated the church’s emphasis on the sacraments, especially marriage and reconciliation. “I have always been drawn to the sacrament of confession. I thought that was always really neat where you had a moment in time where you could actually confess and hear from a priest and (be) forgiven. Even though we’ve always felt that you could take that directly to Christ, I think having something more deliberative was very appealing.”
When they were ready to join St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, the community welcomed them. They especially enjoyed attending a “teaching Mass” that Father Brian G. Bashista, pastor, celebrated to explain the liturgy. “We’re so blessed because it’s the first parish we’ve ever been involved in, but everybody’s been so exceptional. People are very warm, very embracing, inviting of our questions,” said Stewart.
As a retired paralegal, Loren chose a patroness of the law, St. Catherine of Alexandria, as her confirmation saint. Stewart picked St. Joseph. “I figured if he’s good enough to be Jesus’ earthly father, that works for me. So I’m an adopted son of his and Jesus is my adopted brother and Mary’s the queen of heaven,” he said. “I just want to be part of that whole family.”
