By Susan Stevenot Sullivan, Staff Writer

ATLANTA – Though the second week of Advent had yet to begin, a time of waiting ended Dec. 3 for Rev. Mr. Dan Toof. After several years of discernment and preparation he was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of Christ the King by Archbishop John F. Donoghue.

The day was overcast, but the smiles were bright as Rev. Mr. Toof’s brothers John and Larry, sisters Rebecca and Mary Ann Smith and nieces Meghann and Rachel Smith enjoyed a taste of Atlanta’s warm winter outside the cathedral in the hour before the ordination Mass began.

“I’m really excited for Dan,” Rebecca Toof said. “He’s looked forward this for a long time and he deserves it – and everyone deserves to have him as a priest.”

“I can’t believe it’s here already,” said his mother, Beryl Toof, minutes later as she and her husband, Richard, greeted other out-of-town friends, many from Nebraska, and helped settle the granddaughters in the first pew.

“It’s overwhelming,” she continued. “It’s a marvelous feeling. Dan has always been one to do things for other people.”

“I guess,” she added with a smile, “I’m the mother of the Father.”

“We are proud,” Richard Toof said. “Part of that pride is that Dan has found a way to fulfill himself by serving others.”

Friend Jim Viney called the 39-year-old Rev. Mr. Toof a blessing.

“He’s going to be good for this diocese,” Viney said. “This has been a long time coming. His greatest gift will be his compassion in the confessional. The adversity he’s had will help him out in that regard.

“He’s paid his dues for this. He has lived the saying ‘Your crosses make or break you,’” Viney said.

Rev. Mr. Toof and the rest of the entrance procession, including about 30 priests, followed the cross down the aisle into the cathedral as the ordination Mass began.

During the litany of the saints, Rev. Mr. Toof’s tall frame formed a corporeal bridge between the pews of the congregation and the Communion rail of the sanctuary, on which were folded the vestments of his new vocation.

Once the ordination rite was completed there was sustained applause following the archbishop’s embrace of his newest priest.

During his homily Archbishop Donoghue spoke of Father Toof’s new role in the community.

“Our first prayer today for our brother Daniel is that he will always continue to love the Word of God, and that he will always be ready to preach it, to explain it, to bring it to bear on the lives of the Christian people and to surrender to the dictum of St. Paul, who says, ‘The love of Christ impels us to be his ambassadors,’” the Archbishop said. “For we believe that the Word of God is Christ, that the preaching of that Word is the way to reawaken mankind to the truth of salvation, and that the living out of the Word of God is the true path to salvation.”

“But it is not enough to simply hear the word, for as sinful human beings we must also be reconciled to the Word – and this is the second charge which today is given to Daniel – that from this day on, his life must in its actions, in its attitudes, draw people back to God – across the barriers of their own egos, across the tremendous hurdles of human life, and across the deep lakes of failure and disappointment which are so much a part of human existence – across all of these difficulties, the priest must draw men and women back into harmony with God.”

During Communion, Father Toof blessed friends and family members as they stood before him to receive the Eucharist.

In remarks made before the final blessing, Father Toof thanked those who had celebrated this pivotal event with him. The crowd included representatives of the parishes where he has served such as Holy Family in Marietta, St. Jude in Sandy Springs, the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Atlanta, St. Joseph in Dalton, St. Peter in LaGrange and St. Theresa in Douglasville.

“I really can’t thank all of you enough for the way you have touched me with the love of God,” Father Toof said. “It was your faith and your love that birthed my vocation and I thank you. I thank God and I thank you.”

At the reception following the Mass, the Serra Clubs supplied a bountiful collection of snacks, beverages and sandwiches. Representatives of Boy Scout Troop 1776 of St. Ann Parish in Marietta were especially appreciative.

Between bites, the seven young men confirmed that attendance at an ordination Mass was a requirement for the Ad Altare Dei award, the Catholic form of a religious Scouting award, which they are working toward. Presentation of the award will be part of the Scout Mass at the cathedral next spring.

Scouts Steve Cano, Ronald Mendez, Eddie Bonnell, Michael Pazdzinski, Ron Franke, Andrew Gasper and David Aldrich belong to a group which has received two troop awards for religious activity in the last year.

“The troop has the Pope Paul VI award and the 1993 Bishop’s Trophy for being the best Catholic troop in the archdiocese,” said Scout leader Ed Rousselot. “I read recently that a significant number of young men who earn their Ad Altare Dei, like five percent, go on to a religious vocation.”

Jeanne and Verlon Davis of Holy Family were among the congenial crowd at the reception. The couple considers Father Toof an adopted son.

“We were always there when he needed us,” Jeanne Davis said. “He was always there when we needed him. We’ve talked to his parents in Nebraska on the phone several times.”

“He is so caring,” Mrs. Davis continued. “We have seen tremendous change in him since he began his studies. Not a change from bad to good, but a change in his attitude toward people and what really matters. It’s been great.”

Before boarding the bus which would carry parishioners back to St. Peter in LaGrange, pastor John Kieran paused to exclaim over the personal development seen in seminarian Toof during his pastoral year there.

“I think he’ll go a long way in his ability to counsel people and give spiritual direction,” Father Kieran said. “Sixty people came from the parish 65 miles away to this ordination. That’s an indication of how he endeared himself to the people in LaGrange.”

Father Toof, who holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Nebraska, began his priesthood formation in 1988, completing his studies at Washington Theological Union recently. He has also studied at the Candler School of Theology at Emory University and at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana.

Father Toof said he is especially interested in adult education and OCIA. He also plans to put a lot of work into his homilies. His first Mass was celebrated Dec. 4 at Holy Family Parish.

“Homilies are something I want to devote a lot of attention to,” he said. “That’s where you touch the most people’s lives in the parish most directly. I’d also like to really get to know people and their stories.”

As of Dec. 20 Father Toof is assigned as a parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas in Alpharetta.