Babies & Toddlers

The St. Joseph Nursery/Toddler Atrium is open most Sunday mornings during the 8:30 and 11:00 Masses. We are also open 9:30-10:45 September to May (during regular atrium sessions time). Parents are welcome to stay with their child until they are comfortable, and we are happy for you to bring something special that your child enjoys (stuffed animal, something that belongs to the parent, etc.)  Children ages 12 months to 3 years old. (Exceptions for special circumstances such as children of catechists, depending on staffing and space.) Registration for children who attend regularly is available here. 

Changing tables are available in the Quiet Room (east tower, back of the church) and the Bride’s Room. The Bride’s Room is down the main hallway, next door to Ladies’ Restroom (just outside the Parish Hall). There is also a changing table and toddler size potty in the St. Joseph Nursery/Toddler Atrium on the lower level. 

The Quiet Room is available for parents with babies and toddlers who need a quiet place to settle during Mass.  It is located in the back of the church, in the east tower.  The Quiet Room has rocking chairs and a video feed of the Mass.

For an interesting article about taking your small child to Mass, please click here.

More information about Baptism at St. Peter is available here.

Throughout the year, we offer special events for families, including Breakfast with Santa, and the Easter Egg Hunt and Bunny Breakfast.  Please stay tuned to the parish bulletin and weekly emails for more information.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, an international movement begun over 50 years ago in Rome, recognizes each child’s innate unique relationship with God. Children and catechists come together weekly in rooms called “atriums” which are places of prayer, in which work and study spontaneously become meditation, contemplation and prayer. The atrium is a place in which the only Teacher is Christ; both children and adults place themselves in a listening stance before his Word and seek to penetrate the mystery of the liturgical celebration.

The themes presented in the atrium are those to which the children have responded with depth and joy. These themes are taken from the Bible and the liturgy (prayers and sacraments) as the fundamental sources for creating and sustaining Christian life at every developmental stage and, in particular, for illuminating and nourishing the child in his/her most vital religious needs. Catechists join the parents in living with the children a shared religious experience according to the teaching of the gospel: “Except you become as little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 18:3).

Our parish nursery was adpated to also be a Catechesis of the Good Shepherd Toddler Atrium in 2021. Children are welcome to attend during Mass and/or during atrium session. For more information, contact Christina at [email protected]. 

To learn more about Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, visit the website of the National Association at www.cgsusa.org.