KAUKAUNA, Wis. (CNS) -- Everyone needs the time and space to connect with God. Adults with cognitive disabilities find this space at a one-day retreat designed for them by some special people in the Diocese of Green Bay.

The retreat is for adults and these folks are treated like adults, but the activities are designed to meet their needs.

"I believe you treat people at their age level, not their cognitive level," said Deacon Bill Burkel, who retired this fall as retreat director after 15 years.

"I've had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with some really great people. You can't sell short what they are able to give to our community," he told The Compass, the diocesan newspaper. "They give just by who they are. We need to recognize the presence of God in them."

A recent retreat held at St. Katharine Drexel church in Kaukauna had as its theme "Will You Wash My Feet?" It was developed around the song "Washing Feet," which is used during liturgies at Prince of Peace Church in Green Bay, where he serves as deacon.

"These retreatants are called to service just like the rest of us. I developed it around the song, which ends with 'washing the feet of our neighbor ... love to all at our door," Deacon Burkel explained.

Nicole DeRuyter of De Pere leads the music for the retreats and has been involved for about three years. "Music reinforces what they are learning about in another format," she noted. "It gives us the opportunity to praise together and enjoy each other's gift of music.

"It's good for everyone to get the opportunity to slow down and figure out how they fit in the church, in the world, and how Jesus fits in their lives. This speaks to them at their level and helps them understand more fully."

The retreats started in the early 1980s, said Susan Perrault, who was a consultant at the time with Green Bay's diocesan Stewardship and Pastoral Services. They were begun to give "a respite for families caring for adults with developmental disabilities," she said. Initially they were held over two nights but over time became a day of reflection.

Perrault invited Deacon Burkel to get involved in 1999. He had a background working with people with disabilities as part of a Green Bay outreach called the Katie Beckett Program. It allows certain children with long-term disabilities or complex medical needs who live at home with their families to obtain a Wisconsin Medicaid card.

Succeeding the deacon as retreat director is Laura Kacala, a member of St. Katharine Drexel Parish and a three-year member of the retreat board.

Kacala brings personal experience to the position, too. Her late brother Bill had cognitive disabilities.

"Forty-seven years ago," she explained, "I had a brother born with what they called 'mental retardation' back then. I grew up knowing Bill as a very special person. He made us who we are today."

"He loved unconditionally; he couldn't do enough to take care of us," she said. "He was institutionalized; he lived in group homes. When he passed away five years ago, it left a big hole."

"I am living the life my brother gave me. I make him a part of my everyday life," she added.

Three years ago, Kacala answered an ad she saw in The Compass, asking for help with the retreats.

"We all say we get more out of this work than the retreatants do," she said.

The retreats, which are nondenominational Christian, are something "very much needed in our society," said Kacala.

"Our folks see the positive and joy in everyday living. These retreatants have very active lives -- jobs, family, friends. Everyone is here because they want to be here and to learn about the Scriptures. They share their encounters with Christ. We all need to do that," she added.

Retreatant Jennifer Agen, a member of Holy Spirit Parish in Kimberly, agreed. "I come," she said, "because I want to know God."

Fellow retreat member, David Van Dera of Brillion, who attended the Sept. 20 retreat held at St. Katharine Drexel, called it "wonderful." He said he has been to several retreats and looks forward to them each year.

Deacon Burkel said the retreats follow the Cursillo model, using input, posters and skits to reinforce the idea of service to others.

As Deacon Burkel was ending his tenure as retreat director, he cited the U.S. bishops' 1978 "Pastoral Statement on People With Disabilities."

It says: "People with disabilities are not looking for pity. They seek to serve the community and to enjoy their full baptismal rights as members of the church. Our interaction with them can and should be an affirmation of our faith. There can be no separate church for people with disabilities. We are one flock that serves a single shepherd."

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Peerenboom writes for The Compass, newspaper of the Diocese of Green Bay.