HALLINAN, PAUL

First archbishop of Atlanta; b. Painesville, Ohio, April 8, 1911; d. Atlanta, Georgia, March 27, 1968. After elementary and secondary schooling in his native diocese of Cleveland, he graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1932 and completed theological studies at St. Mary's Seminary, Cleveland. He was ordained to the priesthood on Feb. 20, 1937. Hallinan's ministry as a priest had a threefold aspect: parochial; military chaplain in World War II with the Army Corps of Engineers (winning at New Guinea the Purple Heart); and 11 years as chaplain to the Catholic students at Western Reserve University, Cleveland. On Oct. 28, 1958, the day of Cardinal Roncalli's election to the papacy, Monsignor Hallinan was ordained bishop of Charleston. Twelve years later he was appointed first archbishop of Atlanta. He was installed on March 29, 1962.

As parish priest, military and student chaplain, bishop and archbishop, and even in the singular status of a bishop-graduate student determined to gain an earned doctorate in spite of multiple distracting duties in his episcopal office (Ph. D. from Western Reserve University, 1963), Hallinan instinctively drew others to him by his kindly and considerate manner, his optimistic outlook, and his smile. This combination of talents and traits, plus a discerning and perceptive mind, enabled him to advance the cause of better race relations in Charleston and Atlanta, promote liturgical renewal following the Second Vatican Council, and foster the ecumenical movement. Less than three weeks after the council's opening, Archbishop Hallinan issued a plea for liturgical renewal, declaring, "The more we can do to render the Mass understandable to all, not just to those equipped by learning or formed by habit, the more we open new avenues to the minds and hearts of Christians who are not Catholic."

Bibliography: v. a. yzermans, ed., Days of Hope and Promise: The Writings and Speeches of Paul J. Hallinan, Archbishop of Atlanta (Collegeville 1973). j. t. ellis, "Archbishop Hallinan: In Memoriam," Thought 43 (1968) 539–572; Catholic Historical Review 54 (1968) 407–409. t. j. shelley, Paul J. Hallinan: First Archbishop of Atlanta (Wilmington, Del., 1989).

[j. t. ellis]