Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, New Jersey, who is Succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Joseph Williams
Pope Francis Accepts Resignation of Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden; Succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Joseph Williams
Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan, from the Office of Bishop of Camden. Bishop Joseph A. Williams, up until now coadjutor bishop of the same diocese, will assume the pastoral governance of the diocese.
Tribute video for Bishop Sullivan from the diocese:
March 17, 2025
WASHINGTON – Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan, 80, from the Office of Bishop of Camden. Bishop Joseph A. Williams, up until now coadjutor bishop of the same diocese, will assume pastoral governance of the diocese.
The announcement was publicized in Washington, D.C. on March 17, 2025, by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
Bishop Williams’ biography may be found below.
The Diocese of Camden is comprised of 2,691 square miles in the State of New Jersey and has a total population of 1,417,548 of which 304,999, are Catholic.
USCCB Release
Biography of Bishop Joseph Andrew Williams
The Most Reverend Joseph Andrew Williams is the ninth bishop of Camden, New Jersey.
Bishop Williams was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in 2002. His episcopal ordination took place January 25, 2022, the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul. Prior to his appointment as auxiliary bishop and current assignment as moderator and priest-in-solidum of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Saint Paul, he served as pastor of Saint Stephen in Minneapolis (2008-2022); parochial administrator of Holy Rosary in Minneapolis (2020-2022); ministered as a parochial vicar at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Saint Paul (2002-2004) and at Divine Mercy in Faribault (2004-2005). He was pastor of Saint Mathias in Hampton and Saint Mary in New Trier (2005-2008). He has also served as coordinator of the Archdiocesan Outreach to Persons with Disabilities (2003-2005).
He was appointed the Archdiocesan Vicar for Latino Ministry in 2018. He is a member of the board of trustees for The Saint Paul Seminary and Saint John Vianney College Seminary. He has served as chaplain of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Born May 2, 1974, to Dr. Gary and Mary MacDonald 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, and is Pastor of Saint Ambrose in Woodbury, Minnesota.
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 St. 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.
Bishop Williams is known for his longtime ministry to Latino and Spanish-speaking Catholics in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, beginning in Faribault, where he and other parish leaders worked to bring healing to a Latino community that had been wounded by drug raids. Members of both 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.
The following is an explanation of Bishop Joseph Williams’ episcopal motto and coat of arms. Each bishop has a coat of arms that displays his episcopal motto. According to “The Church Visible” by James-Charles Noonan Jr., the green hat is a “galero,” a pilgrim’s hat. Connected to the hat via cords are 12 green tassels, or “fiocchi,” that signify Bishop Williams’ rank as bishop. All bishops’ coat of arms include a jeweled processional cross behind the shield.
Motto: ‘Misericordiam volo’
“I desire mercy” (Mt 9:13). Jesus commands the “righteous” to learn what he desires most – and what each of us needs most – mercy. From the “Call of Matthew,” where Jesus reveals himself to be a physician who came to call the sick, that is, the sinner. Bishop Williams dreamed of being a doctor when he was a boy. He found his dream fulfilled, not in a medical practice, but in these words of our Lord.
‘Ex Corde Scisso Ecclesia Nascitur’
“From the broken Heart the Church is born.” This theological truth, found in an inscription at the base of the Altar of the Sacred Heart in the Cathedral of St. Paul, is the key to unlocking the entire symbolism of the coat. It reminds us that the mercy Jesus desired was not cheap. It broke his Heart to give life to ours.
Biography of Bishop Joseph Andrew Williams
The Most Reverend Joseph Andrew Williams is the ninth bishop of Camden, New Jersey.
Bishop Williams was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in 2002. His episcopal ordination took place January 25, 2022, the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul. Prior to his appointment as auxiliary bishop and current assignment as moderator and priest-in-solidum of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Saint Paul, he served as pastor of Saint Stephen in Minneapolis (2008-2022); parochial administrator of Holy Rosary in Minneapolis (2020-2022); ministered as a parochial vicar at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Saint Paul (2002-2004) and at Divine Mercy in Faribault (2004-2005). He was pastor of Saint Mathias in Hampton and Saint Mary in New Trier (2005-2008). He has also served as coordinator of the Archdiocesan Outreach to Persons with Disabilities (2003-2005).
He was appointed the Archdiocesan Vicar for Latino Ministry in 2018. He is a member of the board of trustees for The Saint Paul Seminary and Saint John Vianney College Seminary. He has served as chaplain of the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Born May 2, 1974, to Dr. Gary and Mary MacDonald 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, and is Pastor of Saint Ambrose in Woodbury, Minnesota.
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 St. 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.
Bishop Williams is known for his longtime ministry to Latino and Spanish-speaking Catholics in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, beginning in Faribault, where he and other parish leaders worked to bring healing to a Latino community that had been wounded by drug raids. Members of both 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.
The following is an explanation of Bishop Joseph Williams’ episcopal motto and coat of arms. Each bishop has a coat of arms that displays his episcopal motto. According to “The Church Visible” by James-Charles Noonan Jr., the green hat is a “galero,” a pilgrim’s hat. Connected to the hat via cords are 12 green tassels, or “fiocchi,” that signify Bishop Williams’ rank as bishop. All bishops’ coat of arms include a jeweled processional cross behind the shield.
Motto: ‘Misericordiam volo’
“I desire mercy” (Mt 9:13). Jesus commands the “righteous” to learn what he desires most – and what each of us needs most – mercy. From the “Call of Matthew,” where Jesus reveals himself to be a physician who came to call the sick, that is, the sinner. Bishop Williams dreamed of being a doctor when he was a boy. He found his dream fulfilled, not in a medical practice, but in these words of our Lord.
‘Ex Corde Scisso Ecclesia Nascitur’
“From the broken Heart the Church is born.” This theological truth, found in an inscription at the base of the Altar of the Sacred Heart in the Cathedral of St. Paul, is the key to unlocking the entire symbolism of the coat. It reminds us that the mercy Jesus desired was not cheap. It broke his Heart to give life to ours.
https://www.camdendiocese.org/bishop-joseph-andrew-williams/
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