The entire "achievement," or coat of arms as it is generally called, is composed of the shield with its charges, the motto and the external ornaments. As one looks at the shield the terms Dexter (right) and sinister (left) must be understood contrariwise, as the shield was worn on the arm in medieval days and these terms were used in the relationship of the one bearing the shield.

The dexter impalement is given in ecclesiastical heraldry to the arms of jurisdiction; in this instance, the arms of the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

Atlanta known as the "Crossroads of the South," because of converging railroads which gave the city its early prominence, received its name as the eastern terminus of the Western and Atlantic Railroad which connected north Georgia with the Tennessee River. Originally called Whitehall, then Terminus, and afterwards in 1843 Marthasville, the state legislature finally acquiesced to the wishes of the railroad and accepted the name of Atlanta in 1847, thus naming the city indirectly after the Atlantic Ocean.

The Atlantic Ocean is represented on the shield of the archdiocese by white and blue wavy bars, the heraldic equivalent of the waves of the sea; seven bars in number to symbolize the Seven Sacraments.

The crown of Christ the King denotes the title of the cathedral church, the Eternal King whose redeeming Sacrifice on the Cross is renewed daily in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Above the crown is placed the Cherokee rose, the State flower of Georgia (Rosa Laevigata), as befits an archdiocese located in the Capital City. The Cherokee rose is a white flower with a yellow center.

The crown of Christ the King, in the arms of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, also has the secondary representation of the crown of King George II of England after whom Georgia was named. The blue and white wavy bands may be said as well to symbolize the rolling foothills of the Blue Ridge country; but, more important, these are the colors of our Blessed Mother.

The sinister impalement, on the right of the viewer, bears the personal arms of Archbishop Hallinan.

The arms of the Irish Hallinan family consist of a silver field emblazoned with a green oak tree, its roots exposed, and bearing a golden crown in the middle of the foliage. These arms have been "differenced" by the addition of a golden sword to honor Saint Paul, the baptismal patron of the archbishop, and by two red hearts, from the coat of arms of the revered Cardinal Newman, to honor the titular of the Newman Foundation of Western Reserve University, where the archbishop served as chaplain at the time of his elevation to the episcopacy.

The tree of the Hallinan arms has more than a passing interest inasmuch as the grandfather and father of the archbishop were both nurserymen.

O'Hallinan is derived from the Gaelic "Hailgheanain," variously spelled O'Hallinaine, O'Hallinan, Hallinan, Hallanan and Halnan, who are descendants of "Ailgheanan," the diminutive of "Ailghean," meaning "noble offspring." It is an old Munster surname found chiefly in Cork and Limerick counties.

The motto, "Ut Diligatis Invicem" is translated "That you love one another." The full text of this verse from the Gospel of Saint John reads: "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you" (15:12), a part of the discourse of Our Lord to the apostles at the Last Supper.

Behind the arms is placed a gold archiepiscopal cross with double traverse, the mitre and the crosier. Surrounding the shield or "achievement," is a pontifical hat with ten tassels on each side in four rows, all in green

Prior to 1870, the pontifical hat was worn in solemn conclaves held in conjunction with papal functions. The color of the pontifical hat and the number and color of the tassels were signs of the rank of a prelate, a custom which is still preserved in ecclesiastical heraldry.

Reference:

• www.archatl.com