In the nursery at Gahanna St. Matthew the Apostle Church, children can find toys that resemble the monstrance, chalice and other sacred objects used in Mass.
Staff members and parishioners at St. Matthew renovated the nursery that was once filled with secular toys and books to make the space authentically Catholic.
Katie Ryzenga, baptism coordinator and director of post-baptismal catechesis at St. Matthew, said parishioners, parents and staff worked together to create a Catholic space for children.
“We met here, several of us over several weeks, just going through things, giving things away and sorting out,” she said. “I had some teenagers help me scrub everything we were keeping. It was a several-month process of just figuring out how we wanted it.”
Julianne Burkholder, who is a parishioner with two young children and helped coordinate the nursery, said the goal was for the nursery to reflect the church.
“I think Katie envisioned a space like the Mass, like a prayer space,” she said. “We have a book corner, a nice place for the kids to sit, and … this Mass area where kids can touch and feel what they see in Mass.”
All of the toys and décor for the nursery are Catholic-based. In Montessori, Ryzenga said, toys, or objects, are referred to as “works.”
“We had several bookshelves of Barney, and we decided we’re only going to have religious stuff down here; they can read Barney anytime,” she said. “(We want) anything they come in contact with to be religious, so it was a process where we started discerning.”
The nursery is divided into two rooms – the St. Monica room, which was traditionally used for infants, and the St. Martin room, which was used for older children. Both rooms in the nursery can now be used by children of any age.
Laura Navarro, parishioner at St. Matthew, did all of the artwork for the nursery.
She painted angel wings and images of St. Martha above the toy kitchen and St. Joseph above the toy work bench station, as well as a ‘Let the children come to Me’ display on the main wall that reflects Christ’s words in Matthew 19:14.
Navarro also created an image of a rosary with beads made from vinal sticker cut-outs that is displayed on the wall in the St. Martin room.
“(Laura) just said, ‘We need to make this place more Catholic. What can we do?’ because there were teddy bear pictures on the wall,” Ryzenga recalled. “I want every time children come to church for them to have an encounter with faith. I search everywhere for little statues they can touch, and we have little saint peg dolls and stuffed ones.”
With paintings of saints on the walls, Catholic books on shelves and a table turned into an altar, Ryzenga said, the nursery gives children a home.
“We want kids to have a place that they feel is their home at the church, and we want parents to have a place they could come,” Ryzenga said. “In baptism prep, we’re giving them resources and encouraging them to bring their children to Mass. Now, we have a place we can say, ‘Go, bring them, and play in the nursery.’”
There are child-size vestments for different liturgical seasons that children can fit in and use to dress up.
Burkholder’s son, who is 4 years old, enjoys using the vestments and playing at the table decorated as an altar.
“When my son is in here, he will be like the priest and say, ‘We’re starting Mass now,’ and (children) will line up or kneel,” she said.
The nursery was formerly used only on Sundays.
“We had the nursery open during the 10 a.m. Mass, and kids could come down and play, but that was about it,” said Ryzenga said. “No attention had been paid to the nursery, so we wanted to help these families.”
The nursery is now open for families to use the space with their children when the church is open.
“We keep this unlocked, and they can come in and play in the nursery,” she said.
She said the space has been great for bringing families together during the time between baptism and religious education.
“It’s kind of all part of one big vision we have for supporting these young families,” Ryzenga said. “We’re blessed to have a ton of young families with lots of baptisms, and so we want something to invite them to immediately, not, ‘wWhen your child is ready for school, we’ll see you again.’”
St. Matthew parish offers a “‘First Steps in Faith’” program for families with children younger than under age 5. Ryzenga said the group meets at the church one Sunday a month for an activity and a lesson. The program also offers resources for parents.
“One of the goals of the ‘First Steps in Faith’ program and what we’re trying to do is help these families meet each other,” she said. “When I work with people on baptism prep, they’ll say (they) don’t know anyone in the parish.”
Ryzenga said she wants the parish’s young families to spend time at the church regularly and know the church is there for them.
“I feel like, if they don’t meet, it’s so hard in a big parish, especially to meet people and make connections,” she said of how the nursery is a place that can bring parishioners together.
“When I meet for baptism preparation with a family and they have older kids, or sometimes there’s people who come in to work on their marriage or RCIA, and they have to come to a meeting, we can say, ‘Bring the kids, … and we can meet in here,’ so the kids can play, and we can talk. That has been an unexpected benefit.”
St. Matthew has seen several groups of parents form who meet and bring their children to play in the nursery.
“We have a mom’s group that has a scheduled play group time once a month,” Ryzenga said. “It’s on one Thursday a month and one Saturday a month, so working parents can come, too.”
Perpetual Adoration is offered in the church. A group of parents meet weekly to pray before the Blessed Sacrament and bring their children to play in the nursery.
“It’s called ‘Pray and Play Holy Hour,’” Ryzenga said. “Some of the moms were saying they never get to go to Adoration on their own and (wondered) how they can teach their child, so we do once a month on Monday morning. We meet in here, and we say a little prayer and do a mini lesson about Adoration every time.
“Then, all of the moms and babies and kids go to Adoration together for like five minutes. We sing a song and say a prayer, and then we bring the kids back here, and I have helpers to stay with the kids, and the moms can go to Adoration for the rest of the hour, and they get some quiet time, and the kids play here.”
The nursery continues to have volunteers care for young children during the 10 a.m. Mass on Sunday. Once children reach kindergarten, they are encouraged to attend Mass with their families.
“On Sundays, we just started that (age) 5 and under could be in here, but there’s other times, like when there’s evening programs, that people bring their kids,” Burkholder said. “We don’t have an age restriction for those kinds of things.”
Ryzenga said 2- and 3-year-old children are the main age group in the nursery during Mass time.
“We really want to encourage families to go to Mass, but then they can come play,” she said. “We also use these rooms for child care during our Bible studies or evening programs. We offer child care in the nursery, so we have a whole group of volunteers that sign up each month for that.”
Items in the nursery are rotated, and new items are brought in to reflect the liturgical season. Easter books and an interactive Stations of the Cross map are currently available to children.
“It’s their home here at church,” Ryzenga said. “They like the same toys every time. When I tried to rotate some things, it’s really funny because they will say, ‘Where’s the boat? Where’s Noah’s Arkc?’ So, it’s good. You want them to be familiar.”
St. Matthew has seen families drop- in the church to use the nursery.
“I hear more and more families that are just … stopping in,” Burkholder said. “That was another goal of ours – this is a space that we can be in throughout the week. You don’t have to come to programs; you can come in the evenings or whenever.
“I think just because they are surrounded by what they are seeing (in Mass) and touching and doing that the kids like coming here.”
Ryzenga said parents enjoy the space as well.
“Some moms will tell me that they’ll come to daily Mass once a week, or when they can, and then (their children) get to play in the nursery afterward.
“Sometimes I’ll see a few families in here, and they’ll just say, ‘Hey, let’s meet at the nursery,’ so it gives them a place they can come … hang out and play and be together.”