Fr. Daniel Toof, formerly of St. Mary's in Toccoa, has been named pastor of the Catholic Church of Saint Gabriel in Fayetteville, effective June 1. Fr. Toof succeeds Fr. Tim Hepburn, who has been named chaplain at Blessed Trinity High School in Roswell and will handle a dual role as assistant director of vocations for the Atlanta Catholic Archdiocese. Hepburn was named pastor at St. Gabriel's in 1998 after having served as pastor at St. Gerard's in Ft. Oglethorpe.

The official installation of the new pastor will be on Thursday, June 1, which is the Feast of the Ascension, the anniversary of the day that Christians celebrate Christ's ascension into heaven. Vicar General Rev. Msgr. Donald Kiernan will install the new pastor at a 7 p.m. Mass at St. Gabriel's.

Fr. Toof, 45, a native of Columbus, Neb., comes to the Catholic community in Fayetteville from St. Mary's Catholic Church in Toccoa where he served as pastor along with pastoring the mission, St. Catherine's, in Commerce.

Both Toof and Hepburn were seminarians at St. Meinrad. Fr. Toof was ordained a transitional deacon in May of 1994 while assigned to St. Peter's in LaGrange. He later spent time at St. Theresa's in Douglasville before leaving the Archdiocese to complete his theological studies in Washington, D.C. He was ordained a priest on Dec. 3, 1994.

Following his ordination, Fr. Toof was assigned to St. Thomas Aquinas parish in Alpharetta as a parochial vicar, and later was assigned pastor of St. Mary's.

Fr. Toof recently wrote in the St Gabriel's parish newsletter: “My walk with the Lord has brought me here to you. Our Lord is always with each one of us wherever we may find ourselves. The strong sense of friendship and community in the parish of St. Gabriel is evidence of His Presence among you. It is a sign of faith as you walk with the Lord and one another on your pilgrim journey home.”

Parishioners agreed they will miss Fr. Hepburn. “We as a parish should be proud. We should be happy. We should rejoice,” said Jim Winkler, chairman of St. Gabriel's administration commission. “Yes, we are losing a pastor that we all love very much. But, he will touch many, many young folks' lives at Blessed Trinity High and this will be such an important part of the lives of these young people. They will now have the opportunity to share in the knowledge and love of the Lord that we have for the past years.”

St. Gabriel's is on Antioch Rd. just off Ga. Hwy. 92 South.

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