Pope Francis this morning appointed Bishop Joseph A. Williams, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, as the coadjutor bishop of Camden, New Jersey.
Bishop Williams said of his appointment: “Pope Francis has called our heavenly Father ‘the God of surprises,’ and the Apostolic Nuncio certainly surprised me last week with the call to serve the faithful of the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey as coadjutor bishop. My wonderful parents have always taught me to ‘bloom where you’re planted.’ Now I will have the opportunity to do just that in South Jersey, which doesn’t appear to be any great penance! Everything I have learned so far about Camden tells me that it will be easy to fall in love with the people and the priests there; not to mention the privilege of following Bishop Sullivan, who is dear to his people and greatly respected by his brother priests and bishops. I look forward to learning under him these coming months and to emulating his special care for our immigrant sisters and brothers.”
Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda, in turn, noted that: “The Church of Camden is blessed to be receiving a gifted shepherd with an extraordinary intellect and a heart on fire for the work of evangelization. Bishop Williams’ ministry in the Archdiocese, first as a pastor and now as a bishop, has born phenomenal fruit. I know that he will be missed by his brother priests and by the laity of this local Church, especially by the members of the immigrant communities that he has so generously served. I will always be grateful that the Lord blessed me with such a capable colleague just as we were preparing for our Synod Assembly; his groundbreaking work in revitalizing parish life through small groups has been a great blessing for our Archdiocese.”
Bishop Williams was ordained a priest in 2002 by Archbishop Harry Flynn. He subsequently served as parochial vicar at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in St. Paul (2002-2004) and Divine Mercy in Faribault (2004-2005). He then was named to lead the parishes of Saint Mathias in Hampton and Saint Mary in New Trier (2005-2008). In 2008, he was appointed pastor of Saint Stephen in Minneapolis, a position that he held until July 2022. In addition to his leadership at Saint Stephen, he was named in 2020 to lead Holy Rosary in Minneapolis and eventually brought the two parishes to unite into a single parish. In July 2022, Bishop Williams was named moderator of the team ministry at Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Paul. On the Archdiocesan level, he has also served as coordinator of the Archdiocesan Outreach to Persons with Disabilities and as Episcopal Vicar for Latino Ministry.
Over the last 20 years, Bishop Williams has distinguished himself for exceptional ministry to Latino Catholics in the Archdiocese. He has successfully worked to develop opportunities for training parishioners to embrace the work of evangelization. He is known for his closeness to his parishioners and for his love of young adult ministry.
Due to those strong ties, Bishop Williams is already recognizing the challenge that he will be facing as he prepares to leave the Archdiocese: “The happiness that I am feeling at this time is not, however, unshadowed. I have already begun to realize how difficult it will be to say goodbye to my family and friends and to the wonderful people of God here, especially the Latinos from whom I have experienced immense love and encouragement. The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis is my spiritual home and always will be. I look forward to returning to this corner of God’s garden, when I am able, to check on the ‘abundant harvest’ that is being prepared here by Archbishop Hebda, Bishop Izen and the incredible priests, deacons and missionary disciples of Saint Paul and Minneapolis!”
Born May 2, 1974, to Dr. Gary and Mary Williams, Bishop Williams is the third of nine children. He grew up in Stillwater, where he attended Saint Croix Catholic School and Stillwater High School. His brother, Father Peter Williams, ordained in 2004, is a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis and is pastor of Saint Ambrose in Woodbury.
Bishop Williams holds a B.A. in biology from the University of Minnesota Morris, graduating summa cum laude in 1996. He studied philosophy and pre-theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, from 1996-1998 and attended The Saint Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul from 1998-2002, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree. He was ordained a priest at age 28.
For more information on today’s appointment, please visit the Diocese of Camden and The Catholic Spirit. The Diocese of Camden will live stream the introductory news conference today at 9 a.m. Central Time. You may find it on their Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Planning is underway for a Mass of Thanksgiving for Bishop Williams to be held at the Cathedral of Saint Paul. Details will be shared in the coming days.
The Spanish version of this announcement may be found here.