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Parishioners at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church welcomed three neighbors with hugs and prayers as they blessed a home on church property for adults with mental disabilities.

The Rosaria House, adjacent to the church at 11701 Clopper Road in Gaithersburg, opened in October to three "intellectually challenged" men, said Tim Wiens, executive director of Jubilee Association of Maryland, which provides support for low-income people with developmental disabilities.

"We are thrilled with the home opening and with our three neighbors," parishioner Mike Wallerstedt of Darnestown said during Sunday's dedication. He said the men are examples of how people with disabilities can live normal lives.

"They've brought a lot to our community in the short time with us," he said.

A group of parishioners decided 10 years ago that a home for people with special needs should be built on church grounds. Parishioner Mary McGinnity, vice president of Rosaria Communities, which provides housing for people with special needs, helped organize the project. More than $700,000 from Montgomery County's affordable housing fund helped pay for the home's construction, said McGinnity of Rockville. The men will pay for utilities and food with money they receive from the state.

As parishioners gathered in front of the single-story green and white home, Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington sprinkled holy water on the front of the house and then inside.

"I think it's a great tribute to everyone inside the home," Wuerl said. "It's a sign of the sensitivity of the people here at the parish to care about people with special needs."

The three residents – James L'Heureux, 33, of Rockville; Anthony Pedone, 36, of Rockville and Stephan Roldan, 23, of Olney – live in the home with a full-time counselor, Wiens said. Jubilee chose the residents based on their need for housing and services.

Jubilee provides a live-in counselor. The counselor teaches them tasks that will help them move toward an independent lifestyle, such as hygiene, cooking and how to catch public transportation, Wiens said. The Maryland Developmental Disabilities Association pays for Jubilee to provide the services, he said.

"Our goal is always to integrate people back into the community," said Wiens, who said the men don't have to attend St. Rose of Lima, but are encouraged to attend church events. "Here, you have a faith-based community who wants to spend time with the residents."

McGinnity said the church is doing its part to make sure people with disabilities have a place to call home.

"There are a lot of great people with mental disabilities with nowhere to go," McGinnity said.

Volunteers from the parish will help operate the Rosaria House, McGinnity said. The volunteers will be trained on how to work with people with special needs through Potomac Community Resources, an organization that helps people with developmental disabilities function in their community.

"The people from the parish will help as much as they can throughout the day at the house," McGinnity said. "We'll have people there to help the live-in counselor as much as possible with things from playing games with the men to helping them get to and from places."

This isn't the first time a Montgomery County parish has come together for a housing project, said archdiocese spokeswoman Susan Gibbs.

In 1979, Christ the King in Silver Spring and two parishes in Washington, D.C., began a quest to provide affordable homes for seniors. In 1985, the parishes formed what is now Victory Housing, which operates 23 housing communities in Montgomery and Prince George's counties and Washington, D.C., Gibbs said. The Archdiocese manages Victory Housing, Gibbs said.