On This Date in Nativity History
Fall 1980
In 1980, the year after the new church building was opened, a nursery was established to care for young children during each of the five Sunday Masses. The nursery was established at Father Ready’s request by parishioner Marie Clark. Nursery care was available for children from infants to four-year-old’s. Approximately sixty-five families used the nursery each week. Supervision was on a cooperative basis; adult volunteers, drawn from a list of the parents of the children served, staffed the nursey so each family had supervisory duty about six times each year. They were assisted by teen volunteers from the Nativity CYO.
The nursery was located in the space designated in the original plan for a nursery and “bride’s room”. In the plan of the original building, the nursery was located in the room immediately to one’s right upon entering the church building [1]. Later, during the Pastorate of Father Sal Ciullo, this space was occupied by the All-Purpose Room and the Gift Shop. Today, the space is devoted to a kitchen (opening onto the narthex) and a meeting room.
After Father Sal changed the orientation of the church so that it faced what was then the rear wall (the orientation it has today), [2] the storage space at the rear of the church was remodeled to serve as a space for families with crying children. Large glass windows were installed in the rear wall and the room was carpeted and equipped with chairs for about 30 to 40 people. It was then referred to as “the crying room,” “the training room,” or “the green room” (for the color of the walls) [3].
