MAPLEWOOD — A room where troubled parishioners once assuaged their guilt by confessing their sins is now helping people with sensory issues find peace.
“It went from a confessional to a safe space,” said Fr. Jim Worth, pastor of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. “We dedicated it on Dec. 8, 2024.”
The old confessional had fallen out of use with most confessions happening face to face these days so the room was cleared out and with help from volunteers, and at a cost of less than $2,000, a sensory room was created.
A sensory room is a space that uses sensory equipment to help people focus, relax, and self-regulate. Sensory rooms can help people with sensory processing issues, such as those on the autism spectrum.
The room at St. Joseph’s is in a back corner of the church. It has an oversized chair and a beanbag chair and is painted a soothing blue color. There is a window looking into the church to allow for participation in the service. There is also a noise reduction machine, sensory headphones and special books and games. It is not a crying room, Worth said.
“About a year ago, one of my parishioners, she has a non-profit, Together We Bloom, we talked about how we could help people in the community,” Worth said. “She talked about safe spaces and I hadn’t heard that before.”
Lark Losardo, a parishioner with a 14 year old son, Percy, on the autism spectrum, moved to the parish from Brooklyn in August.
“I heard about the sensory room and I was so excited.” Losardo said. “At our parish in Brooklyn, Percy was fine for about 20 minutes but after that he had a hard time staying in his seat.”
As a result, she or her husband would have to take Percy outside and would miss part of the service.
“When I heard about this I thought it was amazing,” Losardo said. “He can participate. He can see what’s going on and he can do it on his own and his father and I don’t have to worry that he’s outside.”
A church service can be a problem for people like Percy because it is a big space with lots of noise and people sporadically stand up, sit down and kneel during the service.
“It can be overwhelming to someone with sensory problems,” she said.
Percy can usually last about 20 minutes during a service before he needs a break, Losardo said “This past Sunday he was able to use the sensory room, take a break, and return in time for communion,” she said.
For his part, Percy said that he likes the peacefulness of the room. “It’s quiet in there,” Percy said. “There’s no noise. I just go in there and sit in the chair.”
The space is not just for use during Mass, Worth said, adding it’s available to the community whenever the church is open.
“If a parent has a child having a problem the church is open during the day,” Worth said.
Pavitra Makam, who works with Kim Takacs, the founder and executive director of Together We Bloom, has a daughter with a genetic disorder. The family attend services at St. Joseph’s.
“Sitting on the benches hurts her legs so she likes the beanbag chair,” Takacs said. She also has a son with sensory issues who gets antsy over time.
“For the first time in a long time we can all come (to Mass) together,” Takacs said. “It’s been incredible for my family to worship together.”
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