BY KATHI STEARNS

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--Most people consider retirement as a time when one has earned the right to be a little selfish. It is an opportunity to travel and fulfill personal and family dreams that seemed unattainable because of the rigorous demands of family and the workplace.

But Ruby Palmer, a parishioner at Our Lady of Lourdes for 40 years, saw retirement from Sears five years ago as an opportunity to serve her church community. "I decided that when I retired I didn't want to be bored," Palmer said. "I wanted to do something for someone. It was a chance for me to help out."

Palmer spends her Tuesdays at her parish on Boulevard along with other volunteers cooking for and feeding the homeless. She has been involved in this ministry for the past five years.

This form of stewardship seemed natural to Palmer who says she has always enjoyed cooking and talking to people. "I don't feel that I'm doing anything special," she said. "The Bible says, 'Feed my sheep.' These people really can't help themselves. A lot of them just lost a job and have fallen on hard times. Sometimes they need clothing and food and sometimes they just need a smile. I just give them what I can. We've got to take care of their physical needs before we can take care of their spiritual needs."

Every Tuesday she arrives at the parish at 9 a.m. and prepares and serves lunch to Atlanta's homeless. "Normally we feed about 100 people a day," she said. "Things seem to be picking up since the Olympics left town."

Palmer says she has always felt a need to serve her church. "I've always felt called to be involved," she said. "At one time or another I've been on the liturgy board, the pastoral council and a member of the choir. I've washed the altar cloths and cleaned up in the church and generally always tried to help out when and where I could."

Palmer says that the gift of time is a gift she can always afford to give. "I don't have all the money that I'd like to give the church," she said. "I feel like my time and talent is worth something, so I just offer that to the Lord and His church. It is what I have to give."

According to parishioner Adrienne Hollis, a church without stewardship is just a building. "The success of the church depends upon the people in it," she said. "Without the people the church is dead. A building can't feed the homeless, provide clothes and support for the poor and educate people about the Catholic faith--only people can do that. If you care about your church, you'll find a way to be involved."

Hollis says that stewardship within her own parish has led her to extend her efforts to people in the greater Atlanta community. "It simply has become a way of life for me," she said. "It becomes a part of you. Whatever you do, you're touching someone's life. It's almost as if once you start, you can't stop giving."

Today Hollis has adopted a room at a shelter for battered women where she and a friend take responsibility for its upkeep.

Father Frank Giusta, pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes, addressed the concept of stewardship years ago, and he feels the parish has experienced great benefits due to the more extensive involvement of people in the life of the church.

"The church has become a second home to the people," he said. "The Christian community here is alive, not because of what the priest does, but because of what everybody does including the priest."

Father Giusta says that the concept of stewardship has been embraced by his parishioners. "The gifts of time and talent have always been evident in this parish," he said. "My role has been to encourage people who aren't involved to become active and to ask those who are involved to do a little more when they can. However, just about everyone who comes to church regularly is involved in some form of ministry, whether it be selling tickets for Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cancer Home, teaching Sunday school or working on a Habitat for Humanity house. Every year we get in touch with more people, and the number of people who become involved in parish life continues to grow."

Because of this volunteer commitment the parish has been able to expand its outreach ministries. For the first time in parish history Our Lady of Lourdes, in conjunction with the In-Town Community Church, raised $17,000 and is in the process of completing its first Habitat for Humanity house.

At the heart of stewardship is the recognition that it is a gift given to God in gratitude for his many gifts to us.

"It's a chance to give back for all the good things I've received," said Michele Hagood, chair of Our Lady of Lourdes finance committee. "I've been able to put my skills as a CPA to good use."

Stewardship allows Hagood to work toward preserving the future of her parish. "Through wise use of the gifts that I have been given and am sharing with Lourdes, I hope we can continue to be an African-American parish with a school," she said. "For the first time in the parish's history we made our budget. That's something that not only benefits the current parishioners, but also will hopefully preserve the parish for generations to come. When people share their individual expertise or life experience with a parish, everyone benefits."