WHEALON, JOHN FRANCIS

Second archbishop of Hartford; b. Barberton, Ohio, Jan. 15, 1921; d. Hartford, Connecticut, Aug. 2, 1991. Whealon was the son of Dr. John and Mary (Zanders) Whealon. After graduating from St. Charles preparatory seminary in Catonsville, Maryland, he completed his studies for the priesthood at St. Mary Seminary, Cleveland, Ohio, and was ordained there on May 26, 1945.

After ordination Whealon earned a licentiate degree in sacred theology from the University of Ottawa, Canada (1946) and a licentiate degree in sacred scripture from Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome (1950). He taught scripture at St. Mary Seminary, Cleveland, until 1953, when he was appointed founding rector of a new minor seminary for the diocese of Cleveland. Pope John XXIII appointed Whealon as titular bishop of Andrapa and auxiliary to the bishop of Cleveland (July 1961). Whealon attended all the session of the second vatican council between 1962 and 1965. On Nov. 30, 1966 he was named the sixth bishop of Erie, Pennsylvania, by Pope Paul VI and installed as bishop of Erie on March 7, 1967.

To the surprise of many and the consternation of some, on Dec. 28, 1968 Whealon was named the second archbishop of Hartford by Pope Paul VI.

A tireless worker, Whealon wrote weekly columns for the diocesan newspaper and daily radio programs for station WJMJ (which he founded). He was known to be a traditionalist on points of Church doctrine but was innovative and willing to experiment in pastoral practice. In addition to strong support for the development of the permanent diaconate and lay ministry within the archdiocese, Archbishop Whealon also introduced team ministry, developed collaborative ministry among priests and other members of the Christian faithful in parish administration, and promoted the role of women in the Church, appointing the first woman chancellor in the archdiocese.

Whealon's interests and scholarship were also recognized on the national level. Always an active participant in the activities of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, he was chairman of several important committees and projects during the years he was in Hartford, including the committees on doctrine and on ecumenism, the development of the National Catechetical Directory, the New American Bible Revision, and Biblical Fundamentalism Projects. He was co-chairman of the Anglican-Roman Catholic dialogue.

Whealon's ecumenical interests were also applied in Connecticut. He was a founding member and sometime president of the Christian Conference of Connecticut. At the time of his death he was serving as both secretary and was co-chair of the faith and order commission of that organization.

In an editorial on the occasion of his death, The Catholic Transcript expressed what many had come to know during his 22 years as archbishop: "What he tried to convey in words, he achieved in action through a simple life style."

Bibliography: Catholic Transcript, March 19, 1969; Catholic Transcript, August 16, 1991.

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