By Paula Day

Reverend Mr. Tim Hepburn was ordained a transitional deacon November 7 at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein, OSB, archbishop of Indianapolis, officiated at the ordination of 16 men to the diaconate.

Reverend Mr. Hepburn is a native of Atlanta where his parents, Alice and Andrew Hepburn, are members of St. Jude the Apostle Church in Sandy Springs. He will be ordained to the priesthood for the archdiocese June 5, 1993, with Patrick Kingery and Michael Campbell, both transitional deacons.

Father Don Kenny, director of vocations for the archdiocese, and 13 others from Atlanta attended the ordination, including Mr. and Mrs. Hepburn, the deacon's two brothers, Andrew Jr. and Dan, and an aunt and uncle, Sue and tom McDermott.

In a telephone interview, Rev. Mr. Hepburn said he was "very nervous" the week preceding the ordination.

"Ministry in the Church is a big task. But during the ceremony I had a real sense it was right. The Lord was very present and I realized that what was happening was bigger than me. The Lord was accepting of all of me, including my flaws and inconsistencies."

The deacon expressed gratitude to his family and friends who were present for the ordination and said he realized that taking the vows of celibacy and obedience for the first time was a momentous step. As a transitional deacon he will preside at liturgical functions and take the role of deacon at Mass. He says he welcomes the opportunity to preach at Mass, a practice he knows will be helpful to his further preparation for the priesthood.

Alice Hepburn found the ordination of the 16 men "an awesome experience. We were deeply touched -- very proud."

On Sunday, November 8, Father John McEllen offered Mass and the new deacon assisted. The priest from New York is a friend of Rev. Mr. Hepburn's from his undergraduate days at Auburn who came to St. Meinrad for the ordination. The 28-year-old deacon has a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture from Auburn. He will receive his master of divinity degree from St. Meinrad in the spring.

As a seminarian, Rev. Mr. Hepburn served in Our Lady of Lourdes and his home parish of St. Jude and was involved in Clinical Pastoral Education at St. Joseph's Hospital in Atlanta.

"He is a very talented person," observed Father Kenny. "He will fit in quite well."

Remarking on the fact that two native Atlantans will be ordained in June, the vocations director said he hopes there will be many more. "There are about 15 Atlantans among the present seminarians," he added. "Having native Georgians is something we would like to aim for, everything else being equal."

Father Kenny was impressed with Archbishop Buechlein's homily at the ordination in which he urged the young men being ordained to foster prayer in their lives.

"It was something I have said to the seminarians many, many times. First and foremost the priest must be a person of prayer. If he is not, he cannot carry out what God has given him to do."