Soon after completing a weekend spiritual retreat, Tom Comerford decided he needed to change his life. He asked the then-pastor of St. John Neumann Catholic Church, David Russell, what he could do to help. Russell suggested he head up a new ministry that paired affluent parishes with less-fortunate ones.

That was about a dozen years ago. Now Comerford, 67 and retired, volunteers full-time in Homestead helping out the parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish. What began as a simple Thanksgiving food drive by members of Kendall's St. John Neumann has mushroomed into three food drives a year, a backpack drive for back to school, a thrift store and small social service offices that provide various programs to Sacred Heart members.

Two other parishes in Kendall, St. Louis and St. Catherine of Sienna, pitch in as well. Nurses finishing their bachelor's degree at Barry University spend a semester providing care, and on Saturdays, teachers who are members of St. John Neumann travel south to tutor 4- and 5-year-olds in academics.

''We can't just sit in the pews on Sunday,'' Comerford explains. ``We have to put our faith into action. It's more than writing a check.''

Comerford has been a parishioner in the Archdiocese of Miami since 1972. He has witnessed both the explosive growth and the demographic changes that have come with the area's acceptance of immigrant communities. Though of Irish descent, he feels he has lot in common with Sacred Heart members, who are mostly Mexican, Guatemalan, Haitian and African-American.

''I've read about the famine in Ireland in the mid-1800s and how those who came over weren't welcomed,'' he says. ``Here we have several generations later and the same thing is happening.''

In the past couple of years, the 700 families -- including 2,000 children -- his volunteers help have been ''tremendously impacted'' by the economic downturn because many worked in construction and related industries. And while other retirees may be eager to take time off from responsibilities, he believes his ministry has never been so important.

''I feel it's something I've been called to do and I enjoy it,'' he says. ``I truly like to work with these beautiful people. We are giving them hope they wouldn't have otherwise.''

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