July 8, 2025 // Diocese

St. Pius X Opens Sensory Room to Help All Engage in Mass

Kasia Balsbaugh

When they moved to the Granger area, the Mosco family was looking for a parish with an autism program for their 9-year-old son, Ralphie. They were drawn to St. Pius X Church partly for its Merici Program, which helps prepare those with intellectual disabilities to receive the sacraments.

But attending Mass as a family every week was still difficult. Autistic behaviors such as stimming or bolting make Mass stressful and evoke stares or judgment from others. As recent polls by the National Survey of Children’s Health have verified, people with autism spectrum disorder are much less likely to attend church at all.

With these challenges in mind, parish leaders at St. Pius X recently unveiled a new room for parishioners with sensory processing disabilities, including autism and other conditions. The room was officially blessed on Wednesday, June 18. The hope is that the space will give more parishioners like Ralphie the chance to attend Mass more regularly and peacefully, without undue burden for caretakers.

Mary Kate Boyle, the parish’s director of children and family faith formation, was one of the key drivers behind the new sensory room. Boyle works at length with the parish’s disability programs, and the idea for the room arose in discussions of how the parish could make the church more accessible to various groups of parishioners.

The sensory room is different from a cry room. While a cry room or calming room is a place to bring young children when they are being boisterous, a sensory room is tailored specifically to the needs of children or adults with disabilities who may need a quiet place to go.

“The Catholic Mass is a very beautiful and sensory experience, and there are a lot of aspects of the Mass that can draw us in, from the music to the instruments to the incense to the colors,” Boyle said. “The vibrancy of the liturgy very much helps draw us in, and for many people, it can lead to that encounter with Christ. That being said, for certain individuals, very specifically people with disabilities or sensory processing differences, it can be very overwhelming, very overstimulating.”

With this in mind, the sensory room is a very controlled atmosphere. The lights can be dimmed and the volume can be adjusted. Weighted blankets and noise-reducing headphones are available. The walls are a neutral color to further avoid overstimulation. However, the room is also stocked with sensory items to keep those with disabilities busy if they need it.

Of course, the room’s purpose is not to be merely a place to hide. Boyle called the room “an extension of our church,” the hope being that it would help some parishioners better “enter into the Mass,” as she put it. To that end, a large window facing the sanctuary and diagrams of the parts of the Mass are featured in the room.

The sensory room has been in the works for more than a year. The room itself already existed, but it was used as a sort of storage closet for music ministers at the church. After being cleared out, the room needed some renovations: thicker insulation in the walls and thicker glass to make it more soundproof. Throughout the process of preparing and stocking the sensory room, Boyle took webinars and spoke with professionals.

The Moscos began using the room as soon as it was ready. Brittany Mosco, Ralphie’s mom, said that it is “relaxing” to not be constantly stressed about disturbing other parishioners. “We can actually pay attention somewhat … which is definitely different.” She added, “This is a place where we can go and not worry.”

Mosco noticed how much more comfortable her son was in a room where he could sit on the carpet or on a swivel chair and play with the types of toys he’s used to at school. At the same time, she noticed how much more “engaged” Ralphie was in the Mass while in the sensory room, saying that he commented widely on the parts of the Mass while watching through the window. “He should enjoy Mass too,” Mosco said.

After all, St. Pius X is Ralphie’s parish as much as anyone else’s. While families mingled after the sensory room blessing, his parents and siblings asked Ralphie, “Whose house is this? Who lives here?”

“Jesus,” Ralphie replied.

“See?” Brittany said. “He knows.”