NJ gets coadjutor bishop

“Say yes to the God of surprises.”

Bishop Joseph A. Williams shared this wisdom he gleaned from his parents as he addressed a news conference May 21 introducing him as the first Coadjutor Bishop of Camden.

“Bloom where you’re planted,” the native Midwesterner said, quoting his mother. “I’ve always tried to do that as a priest. I’ve never tried to chart my own course. You say yes to the Church and to the Lord when they ask. Now, I get an opportunity to bloom here in South Jersey.”

Bishop Williams, 50, who was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in 2002, addressed Catholic and secular media during the morning news conference held in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The event, which came hours after his appointment by Pope Francis was made public, was livestreamed on all diocesan media.

Diocesan priests and staff stood and applauded as Bishop Dennis Sullivan introduced the new coadjutor. “When I greeted the bishop at the airport … I greeted him in the words of my Irish mother, ‘Fáilte’ – a hundred thousand welcomes,’” Bishop Sullivan said. “I sincerely mean that.”

Bishop Sullivan, who served as a priest and auxiliary bishop in New York before his 2013 appointment to the Diocese of Camden, submitted his letter of resignation to the Holy Father, as required by Canon Law, on his 75th birthday, March 17, 2020. In honor of his faithful service to the people of New York and Camden Diocese, Bishop Sullivan has been notified that his resignation will be accepted on his 80th birthday, March 17, 2025.

During this time of transition, Bishop Sullivan retains the full responsibility for the Diocese of Camden, as Bishop Williams acquaints himself with South Jersey.

Of the next nine months, Bishop Sullivan said, “It will give me the opportunity to show the bishop, and help him understand, South Jersey and the Diocese of Camden. He will be with me as a brother. Certainly, I will share with him every aspect of my ministry.”

Along with the welcome, Bishop Sullivan presented Bishop Williams with a personalized Philadelphia Phillies baseball jersey, with Williams and the number 9 – signifying him as the future ninth Bishop of Camden – lettered on the back.

“It’ll be pretty easy to be on the Phillies bandwagon; they’re hot right now,” Bishop Williams said about the team that is currently first place in the National League East. He did, however, add a caveat about another much-loved local sports team.

“The Eagles might be a different story,” he said, laughing.

Calling it a blessing to be in the Diocese, Bishop Williams noted that “from the inner city to the shoreline, from newly arrived migrant communities to established farming communities, Camden seems to have it all. What a blessing … to be a part of that.”

He praised Bishop Sullivan as “a man of the people [with] the smell of the sheep,” referencing Pope Francis’ call for priests to shepherd their flock, especially the vulnerable and marginalized. Bishop Williams expressed hope to emulate him in this regard, as well as in “his great love for the immigrant people, especially the Latino people.”

Appointed the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Vicar for Latino Ministry in 2018, Bishop Williams is known for his longtime ministry to Latino and Spanish-speaking Catholics. Members of his most recent parishes are predominantly Latino, and he has worked to change negative cultural perceptions of undocumented immigrants. He has led neighborhood-based evangelization efforts, which include knocking on doors and inviting people to Mass and faith formation.

During the news conference, he said the Latino community is “a huge richness not just for our Church, but our country [in] the values they bring, their readiness to believe, their love for the Church.”

Concluding his remarks, the Bishop whose episcopal ordination took place on Jan. 25, 2022 – the Conversion of Saint Paul – made known his appreciation for the great missionary disciple. “I’ve been sent out,” Bishop Williams said.

In a news release publicized earlier that day, Bishop Williams said he was surprised to learn he would be coming to the East Coast. “I am overjoyed in coming to a diocese whose Bishop is held in such high esteem by both the faithful and the Holy Father. I look forward to learning from Bishop Sullivan, my brother priests in Camden, the deacons, consecrated women and men and the faithful of South Jersey about their needs and their hopes for the future.”

Following the news conference, Bishop Sullivan celebrated a Mass in the Cathedral, with Bishop Williams and priests of the Diocese concelebrating.

In his homily, Bishop Williams called all to live “a culture of encounter … in a simple way as Jesus did. In “not just looking, but seeing … not just listening, but hearing … by drawing close [and] offering … a drop of life,” all can lift up those in need – those who are apart, who are forgotten, who are suffering, he told the gathered, who included students and staff from the Diocese’s Catholic high schools.

Heather Crisci, principal at Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill, who was among those in attendance, said she is looking forward to working with the new coadjutor bishop.

“Our students need to see this historic moment in our Diocese,” she said as students posed for a photo with Bishop Williams.

From Paul VI High School, Haddonfield, senior Kodie Malone said she felt challenged by Bishop Williams’ words to be present to all. “We need to reach out and help those in our community,” she said. “I’m grateful to have him here.”

After Mass, Bishop Williams visited with diocesan staff at Catholic Charities, Diocese of Camden, as well as retired priests of the Diocese.

Managing Editor Jennifer Mauro contributed to this article. This article was reprinted with permission from the Catholic Star Herald.