By Gretchen Keiser

Driving north on 400, the weather March 7 seemed to hold a variety of possibilities. A gray morning gave way abruptly to thinning clouds and then dazzling sunshine. Still cold, there was a threat of snow, the weatherman said, but brightness prevailed.

Something as richly textured was in the air as parishioners made their way into St. Luke's Church, crowding the aisles and doorway of the elegantly simple white church off Dahlonega's main square.

For two young members of the congregation, it was Confirmation Day. The whole family was gathered, also, to witness the installation of the new pastor, Father John Henley, and to say farewell to Father Bob Poandl, the Glenmary pastor who was to move to the new parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Blairsville. The growth in the community which had taken place over more than two decades was being recognized as the archdiocese assumed pastoral care for St. Luke's and the Glenmary missioners turned to work in another place. There was joy and open tears.

Archbishop Thomas Donnellan presented Father Henley with each of the symbols -- the oils, the priestly stole, the keys, the Scriptures -- of the pastor's work in service to the parish. Looking out on the congregation strikingly filled with young families and babies -- some sleeping, some restlessly tossing in their parents' arms -- Father Henley gave his blessing and the church rang with applause.

Outside, as people lingered and made their way toward the Woodman's hall for a reception, Father Poandl's face lighted at the comment that the parish he was leaving was a "parish of babies."

In fact, the congregation had grown by one -- a new birth -- that weekend, news which spread among St. Luke's extended family Sunday morning with joy. In addition to those who have always lived in Dahlonega, St. Luke's includes students and faculty members from nearby North Georgia College, families who have been drawn to the area by jobs and those who retired to the mountains. As all gather at the one Sunday Mass, a real sense of community prevails. "There is a very open 'family' type of feeling when you first enter the celebration," Father Henley agreed in a telephone interview after the installation.

Since 1960, four counties in North Georgia -- Lumpkin, White, Union, and Towns -- had been entrusted to Glenmary pastoral care by the Bishop of Atlanta. St. Luke's in Dahlonega served as the center for this pastorate to the mountain counties, with missions in Blairsville and Cleveland. One of the aspects of change occurring in March, 1982, was the placement of a resident priest in Union county, where Blairsville is located. Formerly, Father Poandl and his Glenmary predecessors, traveled around the counties.

Father Henley comes to St. Luke's from work in St. Anthony's mission in Blue Ridge, a mountain mission of St. Joseph's parish in Dalton. Ordained a priest in 1975, he served for two years at the Cathedral of Christ the King and for three years at Sts. Peter and Paul parish in Decatur. Prior to his becoming a priest, he had been a member of both Trappist and Benedictine monastic communities.

While Father Poandl continues the Glenmary pastorate in Blairsville and Cleveland, Father Henley and St. Luke's parish will now become responsible for the care of the Dawson County mission based in Dawsonville.

Among the first changes will be the plan to increase the number of Masses celebrated. "We are planning, starting Mother's Day Weekend, to celebrate Mass on Saturday evenings at 6:30 and on Sunday at 10:30," Father Henley said. Mass, which had been celebrated only one Sunday a month in Dawsonville, will be celebrated each Sunday at 8 a.m., he said.

Within St. Luke's, Father Henley said, he found himself in a Catholic community which, through the guidance of the Glenmary missioners, was deeply involved in "the total community" of Dahlonega. Parish involvement includes participation in Dial-A-Bus, a transportation program, emergency relief, and other activities.

Within the parish itself, he said, "are some very talented people" eager to help the community grow in faith. The parish will seek an adult education coordinator, as Sisters Joan Meyer and Lene Rubly work in the Blairsville and Cleveland communities.

"One thing that impressed me is the eagerness for growth among these people," Father Henley said. "People wanting to grow in their Catholic faith and express it in the liturgy."