By Susan Sullivan

It was a damp, dreary Saturday outside the Cathedral of Christ the King, but inside there was warmth and brightness as two candidates were ordained to the priesthood.

On November 27, Gregory David Goolsby and Luis Rafael Zarama processed down the aisle as deacons in white albs. They walked back as priests in gold-trimmed vestments to the applause of laity and clergy.

Archbishop John F. Donoghue presided at the rite of ordination to the priesthood and the Mass. Principal concelebrants included a dozen other priests. At least 30 priests joined more than a hundred lay people and Religious in the pews.

Family and friends the two sat in the front pews on either side of the aisle. They arrived early to savor the day.

Charles Goolsby, Father Goolsby's father, shared the right front pew with three sisters of his later wife, Margaret. Friends from as far away as Maine and California filled the Goolsby section.

Sister Alice Daly, IHM, provided a link with Father Goolsby's grade school days at Sts. Peter and Paul in Decatur. A friend, she would later proclaim the second reading and take numerous pictures.

"Greg is going to be a wonderful, holy priest," she said. "He's very much in touch with the Lord and will be in touch with His people."

Pews on the left front of the church were overflowing with those sharing Father Zarama's joy. His parents, Maria and Rafael Zarama, and grandmother Rosa Pasqualetto, shared the first pew. "I don't have any words," his mother said, her eyes brimming with tears. "It is the heart that feels. There are no words to explain how the heart feels."

More than 26 Zarama relatives were on hand, many from Switzerland, others from Colombia, where Father Zarama was born and raised.

Many of those present spoke Spanish as a first language. The first reading was proclaimed in that language, with the English text found in the program. The second reading and the Gospel were in English.

During his homily the archbishop spoke of the transformation of St. Francis of Assisi as he discovered the Lord's will for his life, and of the sending forth of the prophet Jeremiah. He also recalled Jesus' instruction on the responsibility of the shepherd to "Feed my lambs, tend my sheep."

"Always remember the example of the good Shepherd," the archbishop said before the promise of obedience, "who came not to be served, but to serve and seek out and rescue those who were lost."

The two candidates prostrated themselves on the cold, terrazzo floor as chorus after chorus of the litany of the saints washed over them and resounded through the vault above.

Their preparation completed, each in turn knelt before the archbishop for the laying on of hands. Then each of the 43 vested priests present prayed in turn over the newly ordained.

The new priests were vested by representatives of the hundreds of people who have shaped their lives. Father Zarama was helped by his father and by Father Richard Kieran, pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Atlanta. Father Goolsby was assisted by his father, his aunt, Virginia Anderson, and Father Donald Kenny, vocations director.

The Eucharistic celebration continued with family members bringing up the gifts. Clouds of incense perfumed the proceedings. After the liturgical celebration, at the foot of the cathedral steps, the new priests gave blessings, kisses and hugs to those who attended.

Fellowship continues in the Hyland Center behind the cathedral, where the Serrans of Atlanta provided a lunch buffet with punch, dips, finger sandwiches and chicken wings. Eating did not seem to slow the conversation. The sound of English and Spanish blended as joyful noise in the crowded room.

Many of those present had comments to share about the new priests.

Father Tim Meier, SJ, left doctoral research at Stanford University in California to share the day. "I met Greg when he was in the Jesuit novitiate for about a year," he said. "Our loss is the Archdiocese of Atlanta's gain."

Andy Bell, a Methodist pastor in Atlanta, described Father Goolsby as a man of compassion. "He has a very loving, ecumenical spirit," he said.

"Greg has a holy sense of humor," said Sister Mary Estelle Covins, IHM. "The reason he has a sense of humor and compassion is because he has reflected on his sufferings in life. Giving your life to the Lord doesn't happen at ordination. It happens much earlier."

Jesuit novice Jim Caine journeyed from Louisiana for his friend's celebration. "Greg and I have been through a lot together," Caine said. "It's like watching my brother ordained."

Esther Stroud is the housekeeper at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Atlanta, where Father Zarama lived for a time during his preparation. Her eyes glowed with pride as she remembered her friendship with him.

"I adopted him like a son," she said. "He's a nice, sweet person. He has great talent and a beautiful personality. He will be a wonderful priest." As a personal afterthought she added, "He likes everything but green beans."

Father Jorge Christancho, priest of the Grant Park Hispanic Catholic Center, knew Father Zarama as a young man in Colombia and is at least partially responsible for bringing him to this archdiocese.

"He will be a holy and intelligent priest," Father Christancho said. "Pasto, the area he is from, is one of the most holy and dedicated areas in Colombia. He is in the right place. He will be a blessing for everyone, not just for those who are Spanish speaking."

Father Zarama, smiling as the last of the guests gave him their good wishes, found few words to fit the day.

"I am very happy. I don't know what to say," he said, echoing his mother's words spoken three hours earlier. "It is a wonderful thing to share with my family and friends."

Father Goolsby, too, found words difficult. "I'm so overwhelmed by the experience," he said. "It's almost beyond words for me. It's been a long road. There are so many priests to thank. Each has given me something of himself."

The only child of Charles and the late Margaret Goolsby, Father Goolsby, 37, is a native of Georgia. After attending elementary school at Sts. Peter and Paul, he went to North Gwinnett High School and was active in St. Patrick's parish in Norcross.

He was one of a group of Catholics who founded the Newman Club at Mercer University's Atlanta campus. He later completed his undergraduate studies in history at Xavier University in Cincinnati.

Father Goolsby entered the Jesuit novitiate after graduation in Cincinnati. He left the novitiate after a year and returned to Atlanta where he worked full-time and studied business and law. He obtained a master's degree in business administration and then a degree in law from Georgia State University. After passing the bar exam, he began a general practice of law.

In April of 1989, Father Goolsby became a candidate for the priesthood. He studied at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore and recently completed his studies at Catholic University of America. He was ordained a transitional deacon in December, 1992.

Father Goolsby offered his first Mass of thanksgiving, Sunday, Nov. 28 in the cathedral.

Father Zarama, 35, a native of Colombia, is the eldest son of Rafael and Maria Zarama, now residents of Florida. He is a graduate in philosophy and theology of the Universidad Mariana in Pasto, Colombia, and of canon law at the Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá.

Father Zarama was formally accepted as a candidate to the priesthood for the archdiocese in January of 1991. He has served at St. Bernadette's parish, Cedartown, Sacred Heart parish, Atlanta, and at the Mission of Our Lady of the Americas in Doraville where he was ordained transitional deacon in June of this year.

Father Zarama celebrated his first Mass Nov. 28, his birthday, at Sacred Heart Church in Atlanta.

New roles as priests make immediate demands. Father Zarama will continue his assignment at Sacred Heart, Atlanta. Father Goolsby has been assigned to St. Benedict parish in Duluth in January.