By Gretchen Keiser

The bishops and archbishops of the Church of Atlanta have faced similar challenges regardless of the decade in which they served.

A 1966 obituary for Bishop Francis E. Hyland, the Philadelphia-born priest who became the first bishop of the newly created diocese in 1956, said, "His tenure as bishop occurred at a time of rapid expansion for the city of Atlanta, and movement of many Catholics from the North necessitated the opening of new churches and schools."

While this was an apt description of the zealous work of Bishop Hyland, who is reported to have overseen the dedication or renovation of some 55 Catholic Institutions from 1956 to 1961, virtually the same words could have been applied to Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan.

From the late 1960s until the late 1980's he saw the archdiocese of Atlanta spurt in growth from approximately 50,000 Catholics to 150,000 and he opened 32 new parishes to provide for the families arriving in North Georgia.

In between these two shepherds appointed to Atlanta by the Holy See came its first archbishop, Paul A. Hallinan. His years of service in Atlanta were brief, from 1962 until 1968, but they were profoundly historic for the Catholic Church, for the South and, in particular, for the city of Atlanta.

A significant participant in the Second Vatican Council, Archbishop Hallinan also played a major role in the civil rights era of the city, taking his place alongside Rabbi Jacob Rothschild of the Temple, and other religious and civic leaders who supported desegregation and the movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A native of Painesville, Ohio, Paul Hallinan graduated from Notre Dame University and was ordained a priest for the diocese of Cleveland in 1937. Editor of his college yearbook and a writer for the Painesville Telegraph, he was always interested in Catholic journalism.

However, his greatest interest was in the liturgy, which he influenced significantly as a member of the Commission on the Sacred Liturgy of the Second Vatican Council appointed by Pope John XXIII. He "worked untiringly for the Mass to be said in English or the native tongue of all countries," according to his obituary. He served on national and international liturgy commissions until his death.

Archbishop Hallinan became ill with hepatitis in December 1963, following a trip to Rome for one of the sessions of the Council. Hospitalized for almost seven months, he never fully regained his health.

One of his first actions as archbishop of Atlanta was to desegregate all Catholic schools and hospitals. He was one of four civic sponsors of an Atlanta banquet to honor Dr. King after he received the Nobel Peace Prize.

At the archbishop's death in March, 1968, Dr. King wrote, "He was a radiant example of a relevant ministry. He worked tirelessly for racial justice and world peace ... He realized that the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in moments of challenge and controversy."

Archbishop Donnellan, successor to Archbishop Hallinan, grew up in the Bronx, the son of a union bricklayer, in a close-knit Irish Catholic family. His experience watching his father struggle with the impact of the Depression made him a supporter of unions and hard-won workers' benefits.

In the South, Archbishop Donnellan joined with six other catholic bishops in offering to mediate a 14-year dispute between the J.P. Stevens Co. and the textile workers union in 1977. Three years later, when no progress had been made in resolving the dispute, the bishops endorsed a nationwide boycott of Stevens' products.

Nationally, Archbishop Donnellan stepped into controversy when he was asked to serve on the bishops' committee which wrote a national pastoral letter on the U.S. economy and Catholic social teaching. Economic Justice For All: Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy, the 1986 letter, provoked considerable debate, both for its content and even over the right of religious leaders to voice criticism of the American economic system.

The archbishop also signed covenants with the Episcopal bishop of Atlanta and with two Lutheran bishops, signifying commitments to cooperative prayer, study and activity between the denominations and the Catholic archdiocese of Atlanta.

Installed as archbishop in July, 1968, Archbishop Donnellan served the archdiocese for 19 years until he suffered a stroke in the spring of 1987. He died Oct. 15 of that year.

When the Holy See selected Bishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ, auxiliary bishop of Washington, D.C., to succeed Archbishop Donnellan, national attention focused on Atlanta.

Archbishop Marino became the first black archbishop in the history of the U.S. Catholic Church when he was installed in May, 1988, and his charismatic smile and outgoing style immediately won him many friends in the city and in the archdiocese.

In just over two years as archbishop of Atlanta, Archbishop Marino issued two pastoral letters, one on the Hispanic community rapidly growing in numbers in North Georgia, and the second on pastoral ministry to those with AIDS.

He also adopted and implemented on behalf of the archdiocese a written and public policy governing allegations of sexual misconduct by church personnel, including clergy.

Archbishop Marino was the first bishop in the country to address the tactic of civil disobedience used by Operation Rescue in anti-abortion protests.

The archbishop's resignation in July, 1990, led to the immediate appointment of Bishop James P. Lyke, OFM, as apostolic administrator.

The naming of this auxiliary bishop of Cleveland, and one of the country's black bishops, to succeed Archbishop Marino sent a strong administrator, whose first task was to lead the way through the aftermath of Archbishop Marino's resignation amid scandal.

Highly energetic, Archbishop Lyke quickly made visits throughout the parishes and missions of the archdiocese, and launched major initiatives, including the Archdiocesan Planning and Development Council, which provided a new forum for shared leadership.

His pastoral letters were numerous, including a pro-life message called Precious Lord, Precious Life, a statement in opposition to the death penalty issued in conjunction with the bishops of the Province of Atlanta, and a statement on proposed renovation of the Cathedral of Christ the King.

Elevated to the post of archbishop in 1991 after serving as apostolic administrator for several months, Archbishop Lyke was able to serve for one year before it was determined that he suffered from inoperable cancer. He died Dec. 27, 1992.