Photo by Michael Alexander

JOHNS CREEK—It was bittersweet for parishioners of St. Brigid Church when they learned that their pastor would be ordained as an auxiliary bishop of the Atlanta Archdiocese.

While the loss of him as pastor is difficult, his selection did not surprise them. His respectful and humble nature had touched many parishioners, who say those qualities will make him a great asset to the local Church.

Msgr. David P. Talley, center, is shown with the deacons at St. John Neumann Church, Lilburn, left to right, Deacon Michael J. Byrne, Deacon Greg Ollick, the late Deacon Gary Womack, and Deacon Bill Marten. Photo Courtesy of Bishop Talley

Deacon Tom Huff, who has been serving at the Johns Creek parish for over five years, first met Bishop Talley during his formation as a deacon.

“He was my canon law teacher,” Deacon Huff recalled. “He was very pastoral, even in that class. It touched me even back then.”

Since Bishop Talley’s appointment as pastor of St. Brigid in February 2011, following the death of Msgr. Paul Reynolds, they had the opportunity to work together more closely.

“He treated us all like brothers from the very beginning,” Deacon Huff said about Bishop Talley’s relationship with the group of deacons that serve the parish. “There was a tremendous amount of respect that he showed to his deacons. As a pastor, he never kept us out of the loop of what was going on. The communication between pastor and deacon was truly amazing.”

That familial relationship began even before Bishop Talley arrived at the parish as he sent out emails to staff introducing himself and asking for prayers when the announcement was first made, said Deacon Huff.

“Any time you meet Bishop Talley after Mass, the first thing you see is that he’s always got a smile on his face,” said Bill Wood, a parishioner and fourth degree Knight of Columbus. “He is very friendly and open, and a good homilist, which, of course, I was thrilled about.”

Wood said the community at St. Brigid’s has been blessed with a consistent line of great priests and pastors throughout its history, and for him Bishop Talley was another to add to that list.

It does not matter to whom he is talking or with which ministry he is working, Bishop Talley always gives his full attention, said Wood.

“He listens, he’s well organized,” said Wood. “You will never send him an email he doesn’t respond to.”

Another St. Brigid parishioner, Mary Straetmans, agreed.

Surrounded by a mud soaked landscape left by the Sept. 21, 2009 flash flood, Msgr. David Talley, pastor of St. John Neumann Church, Lilburn, walks down a path to a dumpster as he and others remove trash and debris from the parish preschool. Photo By Michael Alexander

“He listens. He gives consideration to other ideas even when he may not always agree,” she wrote by email. “I mentioned to him at our first meeting that it would be a blessing to have a parish mission or retreat on the spirituality of the twelve steps. He assured me he would give it consideration. I let go of any preconceived expectations. Not only did he look into it, he saw it to fruition in February.”

Straetmans remembers recognizing Bishop Talley’s enthusiasm the first time she attended a Mass where he presided. While she is sad to see him go, she feels blessed he was a part of their parish.

“The first Mass I attended, I felt his enthusiastic yet reverent love of our Lord,” she recalled. “I smiled when he encouraged us to pray with a resounding ‘Amen!’ as well as sing like a choir. It was a sad time for us after the loss of Msgr. Reynolds and I felt like he came to encourage us to know everything would be OK because of God’s love and mercy.”

All of these qualities are why none of the former parishioners seemed surprised when they first heard the news. Ben McCormick and his wife, Emily, had just been talking about how their former pastor would be made a bishop about a week before the announcement was made.

“I was telling Emily that it’s people like him that end up as bishops,” said McCormick. Shortly after that, they heard the official announcement.

The McCormicks were married by Bishop Talley in July 2009, when he was their pastor at St. John Neumann Church in Lilburn. For Ben, Bishop Talley took on a role of special importance in his life as Bishop Talley provided spiritual guidance to him after he left the seminary.

“He’s really been a huge help to us both,” he said.

“He is one of the most humble men we know… so humble and so loving,” Emily said.

Linda Koerner, who leads Life Teen at St. John Neumann, said the parish was sad when they heard he had been assigned to a new parish in 2011, after being at the Lilburn church for nearly four years, but also felt honored that they were able to have his presence during some significant moments in the life of their church.

In 2009, a huge storm caused massive flooding damage in the church and school and Bishop Talley was right there on the front lines in the cleanup, said Koerner.

“He was there from the time the crews started,” she said. “There were groups of parishioners that would come and volunteer, but he was there the entire time. He worked all day alongside everybody.”

The interest he took in the parish was profound, Koerner said. He really treated it like it was his parish from the first day, she said.

Deacon Terry Bigelow, facing camera center, presents the church plans to Bishop Luis Zarama at the entrance to the new St. John Neumann Church, Lilburn, in 2010. David Talley, the pastor of St. John Neumann Church at the time, is standing in the background, right. Photo By Michael Alexander

Koerner also noted he was instrumental in bringing a local Catholic Charities office to the Lilburn campus as he recognized, and responded to, a growing need for the organization’s service in the area.

“He truly cares about everybody and it shows,” she said.

Bishop Talley also had a hand in including several accessibility features in St. John Neumann’s new church that was dedicated in 2010. Among these features is an ambo, which can be lowered in height to accommodate all who serve as lectors or cantors, including children and those in a wheelchair. The sanctuary is accessible to all by way of a ramp and the altar itself can be lowered to accommodate priests, deacons or Eucharistic ministers in wheelchairs.

Confessionals were designed with equipment for those with significant hearing loss and the tabernacle was positioned lower to the ground, allowing a person in a wheelchair to access the tabernacle and other cabinets for sacred vessels.

Bishop-designate David Talley, center, takes a moment to stop and look in on Heather Brennan, left, and her six-month-old daughter Allison, as parish receptionist Audrey Schimmel looks on, Jan. 31. Photo By Michael Alexander

Bishop Talley has a long history of working with persons with disabilities and felt it important to include such features in the new worship space.

“He is very in line with the new pope,” said Koerner. “He’s not all about himself, he is all about everybody else. … He is just a great guy. We are so excited for him.”

Straetmans and her husband wrote a congratulatory letter to Bishop Talley when they heard the news.

“Your exemplary leadership and profound faith has been a gift to those who you have served so faithfully … even when it may have been, at times, difficult for you,” wrote the Straetmans. “While the time with us here at St. Brigid has been so very short, we have been blessed by your hard work, visionary goals and love of our Lord. You have shepherded us with tender mercy and shown us the road to ‘fulfillment.’ You have helped so many seek a spiritual solution to their brokenness and encouraged so many more to reconcile their relationship with God and each other.”