By Rita McInerney

On Saturday, June 3, feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, patroness of the archdiocese, two priests were ordained for the Church in north Georgia by Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ, at the Cathedral of Christ the King, Atlanta.

Father Donald R. Caron, 40, and Father David P. Talley, 38, are the first American priests ordained here by archbishop since his installation May 5, 1988, and the first Americans ordained for this archdiocese since June 1, 1985, when Father Peter Rau was ordained by Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan.

The two new priests were called, prayed over, anointed and consecrated in a rite enriched by the solemnity of the Church and the joy of the priests and people present.

As he began his homily, Archbishop Marino noted that 50 years ago on June 3, Archbishop Donnellan had been ordained to the priesthood. His priesthood was shared, through his ordination as bishop with many of the priests present, Archbishop Marino said, and overflowed to the people of the archdiocese.

Now, he continued, “two men are called from among you the faithful to give their lives in service to the people of God.” Their ministry must be focused on sharing the fruits of redemption won by Jesus Christ “once and for all,” he said. They are given the power to break the bonds of Satan through reconciliation of repentant sinners, the power to celebrate the mystery of God in the Eucharist, to proclaim God’s word authentically and forcefully.

Their ministry of service, he said, will include the consoling of the afflicted and the comforting of those who mourn.

“They are being sent among you to serve you,” he told the congregation. “Before them is the example of Jesus Christ who came not to be served but to serve His brothers and sisters.”

“Understand they remain human. They will need the benefit of your support, wisdom and encouragement.”

Turning to the two men about to be ordained, he said, “Jesus is the one who calls you today. From this moment on you may never again have a doubt that He has chosen you. I urge you to put yourself completely into the hands of Jesus Christ.” He reminded them to allow no day to begin without raising their hearts and minds to Jesus in prayer and no day to end without thanking Him.

“Read Scripture to nourish mind and heart. Allow Mary to be the woman at the center. Pattern your life and ministry after the great priests, the Cure of Ars, St. Francis de Sales. Make yourself wholly available to God’s people,” he concluded.

After the two candidates promised the archbishop and his lawful successors their obedience and respect, they prostrated themselves before the altar for about seven minutes while the Litany of the Saints was sung by Susan Crowder of the cathedral choir.

A short time later, the archbishop laid his hands upon the head of each man in turn, praying silently as the choir softly sang “Veni Sancte Spiritus.” Then each of the 34 priests sitting in front pews came forward to lay their hands upon the men kneeling facing the congregation.

After the archbishop ordained the two men, in a prayer invoking God’s blessing on them, they were vested with stole and chasuble of the ordained priesthood.

Father Edward Thein, vocation director for the archdiocese, assisted David Talley, and Father Frank Whatley, O.SS.T., a friend of Don Caron, vested him. The two met while both were volunteers at the Little Sisters of the Poor home for the aged in Washington, D.C.

The chalices and patens of the newly ordained priests were brought forth by Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Caron, parents of the new priest, from Danielson, Conn., and Mrs. Barbara Talley, mother of Father Talley, from Columbus, Ga., and William Overcamp.

Presentation of the gifts were made by Floyd and Barbara Dembo of Sts. Peter and Paul, Decatur, and Judy and Bruce Goddard from Transfiguration in Marietta. Father Talley has served as deacon at Sts. Peter and Paul since January while Father Caron had spent almost a year at the Marietta parish. Parishioners from both parishes were well represented in the congregation.

Concelebrants on the altar were Father Henry C. Gracz, Transfiguration pastor; Father Richard S. Kieran, cathedral rector, and Father Richard P. Wise, pastor of Sts. Peter and Paul. Deacons assisting were Alfred Mitchell, of Sts. Peter and Paul, and Gerardo G. Martorell of the Cathedral of Christ the King. In all, 10 seminarians participated in the ordination, with Ron Fuchs and Frank Forts giving the readings. The Gospel was proclaimed by Deacon Mitchell, Knights of Columbus provided the honor guard.

The newly ordained priests remained in the cathedral after the recessional to give their blessings to relatives and friends.

At the reception given by the Serra Club in Hyland Center, one or two priests happily remarked on the special spirituality of the ordination and the personal memories it evoked. This was true especially for Father Rau.

Beatrice Caron mentioned that her son’s first Mass in his home parish of St. James in Danielson would be June 11. Attending, she said, would be the oldest member of the family, Zama Benoit, 93, Father Caron’s maternal grandmother, and the youngest nephew Tom Newcomb, 5, son of Father Caron’s sister, Linda, and her husband, Tom Newcomb, also of Danielson.

In a telephone interview the week before his ordination, Father Caron said he began to feel overwhelmed with the responsibility and spirituality of the priesthood in the weeks leading up to June 3. Then he made a private retreat, taking with him a tape series made by Bishop Wilton Gregory, auxiliary bishop of Chicago.

“He put it together so beautifully,” he said, in focusing on the frailty of priests and the fact that the whole of the person is called. What Bishop Gregory’s message came down to for him was that “God will provide” the spirituality he will need in his life as a priest.

He envisions an ever-increasing role for the laity in the archdiocese. Because of the tremendous growth of the north Georgia area, he said the church here is “almost a pioneer church.” There is a strong call to being active for laity here, a much stronger sense of Catholic identity that people cultivate, he has found.

He believes the next 10 or 15 years will find more “native Catholics” born here of parents coming from other parts of the country. Hopefully, this will bring more candidates for the priesthood.

Father Caron celebrated his first Mass at Transfiguration on June 4. During his homily, he thanked the parishioners for their openness to him and others who come as strangers to the parish. “You give to them the gift of yourselves and turn strangers into friends, brothers and sisters, sharers in all the gifts that God richly pours out in such abundance.” During the Mass he baptized infant Audra as a member of the community of God at Transfiguration.

He will become a parochial vicar at All Saints parish in Dunwoody on June 15.

Father Caron taught in the junior high school in his hometown and served as director of religious education for his parish before joining the LaSalettes for four years. During that time he studied at the Weston School of Theology in Cambridge, Mass.

When it became clear to him that he was not called to serve God as a LaSalette priest he selected Atlanta as the archdiocese in which he wished to serve. Before ordination, he was assigned to the cathedral parish in 1987 and in 1988 went to Transfiguration as pastoral associate.

Father Talley has two brothers, Robert H. and Damon, and three sisters, Laura Anne, Margaret L. and Amy L. Talley. He is the son also of the late Robert E. Talley.

He celebrated his first Mass June 4 at Sts. Peter and Paul with Father Wise as concelebrant. In his homily, he talked of the responsibility for choosing the way of Jesus over the way of the “world gone mad.”

In speaking with The Georgia Bulletin he said that “all of us, priests, deacons, laity are called to be counter-cultural witnesses of the kingdom of God in a culture that emphasizes money and sex.”

He studied for the archdiocese at St. Meinrad School of Theology in Indiana. Native of Columbus and raised as a Southern Baptist, he is a convert to Catholicism. He studied at Auburn University and the graduate school of the University of Georgia and worked as a caseworker for abused and neglected children in Fulton County before making his final decision to study for the priesthood.

He will become parochial vicar at St. Jude’s Church in Sandy Springs on June 15.