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Even though one of her students doesn't speak, RoSann Zeunges knew he understood the significance of his First Communion at the completion of her faith formation class.

Mrs. Zeunges fondly remembers working one-on-one with a then-23-year-old man who has multiple sclerosis, a nervous system disease that affects the brain and spinal cord.

She used the same lesson book she uses for children in her larger catechism classes at Our Lady of the Annunciation parish in Queensbury - but, this time, she added a tactile component to teach the student about the altar and host-receiving etiquette.

"He knew his prayers," Mrs. Zeunges said of her student, explaining that he wrote the words to the "Our Father" and the "Hail Mary" on paper after Reconciliation. "He knew what he was doing."

In recent years, Mrs. Zeunges has tailored small sacramental preparation classes to a handful of students with conditions ranging from Down syndrome to autism.

Growing program
Now, she's gearing up for another school year of seeking out children and adults needing extra help and providing it through a lighthearted monthly program. If all goes well, she may even recruit a teaching assistant.

A catechist at the parish for seven years, she aims to debunk the myth that people with physical, intellectual or emotional disabilities cannot or should not participate in faith formation or sacramental preparation.

Some of those students "are unbelievable," Mrs. Zeunges said. "They understand the love of God. They understand the love that they get from Jesus Christ."

Mrs. Zeunges' soft spot for children and adults with disabilities grew during her time as a Catholic high school student in Brooklyn, where she spent her summers working with children with special needs.

It grew bigger still when she married a man whose sister had Down syndrome. That sister-in-law died three years ago.

When Mrs. Zuenges decided to start a faith formation program for persons with special needs at Annunciation parish, she took classes at The College of Saint Rose in Albany focused on working with children with disabilities. Her flair for the job has shown.

"I think that working with children with disabilities is a vocation," said Cathy Vesterby, coordinator of faith formation for grades one through eight at the parish. "And she has that heart."

In the Albany Diocese, children with developmental disabilities tend to be integrated into existing parish catechetical classes; diocesan leaders train new catechists to collaborate with these families.

Diocesan level
Soon, a diocesan commission of experts in the field of special education will be on call to answer questions raised by catechists.

"We as a diocese want to make sure that all parents know that their children are welcome to participate - they have a right to participate and be full members of a parish community," said Jeanne Schrempf, director of the diocesan office of Evangelization, Catechesis and Family Life.

"The philosophy of our country, of our diocese, is that every child, youth and adult should have the same opportunity to grow in faith as anybody else," she added.

At Annunciation parish, students who cannot easily learn in larger faith formation classes enroll in a two-year class that meets every second Sunday after Mass for one hour. Parents or guardians must also attend.

If the students choose, they read from a lesson book, talk about the material and recite prayers. Mrs. Zeunges usually passes around a healthy snack like sliced apples, as well.

Mrs. Vesterby expects enrollment to increase as they promote the group in the parish bulletin. One recent ad reminded parishioners, "Sometimes, we get the mistaken notion that a child or adult shouldn't participate because of physical, intellectual or emotional disability. This is simply not true. All are welcome!"

"We found when we advertise it," said Mrs. Vesterby, "people kind of come out of the woodwork."[[In-content Ad]]

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