Growing Independence
We are dedicated to empowering adults with developmental disabilities to be active and valued members of their communities.
We celebrate the unique qualities of each individual and foster self-sufficiency, community connection, and quality of life through engaging vocational and recreational programs.
St. Peter’s is a licensed provider by the Maryland Department of Health and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid to serve adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Our Mission
Our mission is to empower adults with developmental disabilities to be active participants and valued members of their communities. We are committed to fostering individuals’ self-sufficiency, community connection, and quality of life.
Our History
Founder of St. Peter’s Adult Learning Center, Sr. Katherine Nueslein, moved to Southwest Baltimore from Savannah, Georgia, to live and work among the City’s poor. The Sisters of Mercy were known as “The Walking Nuns” as they spent their days out and about meeting and serving their neighbors. In the early 1980s, Sr. Katherine Nueslein, the ultimate “Walking Nun” and a great advocate for those with disabilities, soon learned that many of her neighbors had intellectual disabilities and were living unfulfilled lives. With a penchant for serving this underserved population, she opened the doors to the Convent on Poppleton Street one evening each week to welcome these neighbors for dinner and prayers – and that evening she called “Faith and Sharing”. As she came to know these neighbors, she learned that most of them spent their days at home with no place to go and no meaningful activities in their lives. In 1982, she applied for and received funding from Catholic Charities to establish St. Peter’s Adult Learning Center, a Day Program for 10 adults, a virtual “one-room schoolhouse” located in the Convent. In 1987, our agency became licensed and funded by the Developmental Disabilities Administration of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, State of Maryland. Also in 1987, the agency expanded to include a Supported Employment Program, housed at the Sr. Katherine Nueslein Center on Poppleton and Hollins Streets. Because of Sr. Katherine’s vision and her belief in equality and the fullness of life, St. Peter’s Adult Learning Center now provides life-enhancing services to individuals with intellectual disabilities.