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The disc jockey switched on "When the Saints Go Marching In," prompting dozens of adults to parade from the cafeteria at St. Mary's Institute in Amsterdam to the adjacent gymnasium.

It was Mardi Gras, the day before Ash Wednesday. The leader of the conga line, a volunteer from St. Mary's parish, donned oversized Mardi Gras beads and a jester's hat to match his enthusiasm as partiers followed him on foot and by wheelchair to the foot of the cross in the lobby.

There, participants embraced, sang a hymn, recited prayers and received a cross pin. When they look at it, volunteers advised, they should say, "Thank you, Jesus, for loving me."

For about 16 years, the Mardi Gras party has been an annual tradition for the parish's Committee for Opening Doors for the Differently Abled.

Come join us
The committee grew out of a need to catechize adults with developmental and other disabilities and involve them in faith activities. The committee also runs a six-week Lenten program on Sunday afternoons and Stations of the Cross on Palm Sunday, as well as an Advent program.

The committee mails about 30 program invitations to area residential and day-support programs for persons with disabilities. Attendance at events has increased every year. Volunteers say they and the program participants have a mutually beneficial relationship.

"They're constantly lifting my soul up," said John Czelusniak, one of three original committee members still serving, along with Rose Mary DiBlasi and Marilyn Andrews. The group was founded by Dannie Colistra and Fran Garguilo.

"They're so joyful," Mr. Czelusniak said of the participants. "I believe they're touched by God, and I want to be part of it."

Participants' view
Yvette Jevitt and Valerie Tarantelli, who receive help from an Amsterdam advocacy organization called Liberty, call the committee a crucial part of their faith lives.

They share a devotion to Mary - and they say the fun at events like the Mardi Gras party isn't bad, either.

"We like to dance," Ms. Jevitt explained.

"We've done it before," Ms. Tarantelli added.

Marlana Conti, a client of Liberty's residential program, echoed her friends' sentiments: "I like it," she said at the party. "There's nice people here."

Mrs. DiBlasi, the group's coordinator, personally covers most of the costs associated with buying music, trinkets, candles, reading materials and teaching videos - which, she boasts, are new each time. The Montgomery County Ladies of Charity donated $200 two years in a row; Mike Garrasi, the DJ, volunteers his services.

Stepping up
Mrs. DiBlasi oversees about six volunteers. She once prepared parish second-graders for First Communion and reconciliation, but found her real niche in the committee.

"I just feel very strongly about the program," she said. "The people are just so eager to learn about Jesus. They give more to us, probably, than we give to them."

There are some challenges associated with teaching adults of varying verbal and physical abilities, but the volunteers learn as they go. Even nonverbal participants are "singing in their own language," Mrs. DiBlasi said. "They love their Lord. We learn to be free in loving the Lord."

Some have been baptized and have received other sacraments, while others have not, making it an ecumenical program. "God is not just a Catholic or a Methodist or a Presbyterian," Mrs. DiBlasi noted.[[In-content Ad]]

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