One of Hindley's closest friends was 13-year-old Michael Higgins, who lived nearby. In 1957, Higgins invited Hindley to go swimming with friends at a local disused reservoir, but she instead went out elsewhere with another friend; Higgins drowned in the reservoir. Hindleya good swimmerwas deeply upset and blamed herself. She collected for a wreath, and his funeral at St Francis's Monastery in Gorton Lane—where Hindley had been baptised a Catholic in 1942—had a lasting effect on her. Hindley's mother had agreed to her father's insistence that Hindley be baptised a Catholic, but only on the condition that she not be sent to a Catholic school; her mother believed that "all the monks taught was the catechism". Hindley was increasingly drawn to the Roman Catholic Church after she started at Ryder Brow Secondary Modern, and began taking instruction for formal reception into the Church soon after Higgins's funeral. She took the confirmation name of Veronica and received her first communion in November 1958.