By Van Schroder Waddy

Twenty years ago this month, a charter was drawn up to actualize a dream which until that time existed only in the minds of a few dedicated Catholics -- a lay-volunteer bookshop.

Suzanne Spalding Schroder initiated this dream and worked hard to make it a reality. Not discouraged when their headquarters on Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta burned to the ground on a fall night in 1966, this group of men and women picked up the remains out of the wreckage and made their way to the shelter generously offered at the Sacred Heart Parish center.

Last October 4, after 20 years of uninterrupted service, the Notre Dame Book Shop "came home," so-to-speak. It is fitting that the 20^th anniversary of this non-profit corporation should be celebrated at its new headquarters, Ignatius House, or the Suzanne Spalding Schroder Memorial, on Riverside Dr., N.W.

This apostolic center for creative thought in the light of Christian renewal, operated by the Jesuit order on the old Schroder property, enhances the surroundings of the book shop's new location.

The Jesuits kindly offered sufficient space rent-free so that the book shop would not have to close its doors. It is just 1 1/2 miles north of the Riverside Drive exit off the Perimeter Highway (I-285), easily accessible and yet opening up broad new horizons and possibilities for a transformed world.

There is ample parking space amidst this quiet retreat from the downtown noises and the aimless rush-hour tension. There is room to browse, room to collect your thoughts, and room to sit down and read quietly if you like -- room to "put it all together."

The shop continues to do mail and telephone order service, but the trip out could prove well worthwhile and rewarding. The steady flow of up-to-date ecumenical and classical literature, both in hardback and paperback, helps us to grow in our understanding of who we are and what we are about, as the changes occurring in our daily lives demand of us even more openness to reflection and discovery.

The Notre Dame Book Shop has withstood the trials of growth and time and has become more than a dream of a few dedicated volunteers. It has become a lifeline for those who hunger for the printed word and want to keep up with the growing consciousness of our day. Every day can be a day of "Sabbath reflection."

You are invited to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Notre Dame Book Shop by coming out and browsing through its new quarters in Ignatius House any time between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Address: 6470 Riverside Drive, N.W. Telephone: 252-2129. You might find something you didn't even know you were missing -- peace, challenge, and a good book to read.