Camden Coadjutor Bishop Joseph Williams succeeds Sullivan as bishop of diocese

Bishop-elect Joseph A. Williams. / Credit: Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Mar 18, 2025 / 11:35 am (CNA).

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Bishop Dennis Sullivan from the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, appointing Coadjutor Bishop Joseph Williams as his successor. 

Apostolic Nuncio Cardinal Christophe Pierre made the announcement on March 17 in Washington, D.C., according to a press release from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Diocese of Camden spans 62 parishes and serves roughly 305,000 Catholics. 

Formerly the auxiliary bishop of New York, Sullivan was appointed to lead the Diocese of Camden as its eighth bishop in 2013 by Pope Benedict XVI. At the time, Cardinal Timothy Dolan praised Sullivan as “one of the finest bishops I know,” describing him as “an invaluable help” and “my right hand.” 

The Diocese of Camden said Sullivan had submitted his letter of resignation to the pope on his 75th birthday on March 17, 2020. Pope Francis notified the bishop then that his resignation was accepted on Monday, Sullivan’s 80th birthday.

Williams was born in Minneapolis on May 2, 1974, as the third of nine children. He studied at the University of Minnesota, Morris, and at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, where he discerned a vocation to the priesthood.

He began his priestly training at the Saint Paul Seminary in Minnesota in 1998, earning a master’s of divinity there.

He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis at the age of 28 on May 28, 2002, by Archbishop Harry Flynn. His brother, Father Peter Williams, was also ordained a priest in the archdiocese in 2004. 

Williams took on an active role in ministry to Latino and Spanish-speaking Catholics while serving at the Cathedral of Saint Paul and the Divine Mercy Parish in Faribault. He then went on to serve the parishes of St. Mathias in Hampton and St. Mary in New Trier.

He was appointed pastor of St. Stephen in 2008, taking on responsibility for Holy Rosary Parish in 2020. He was named episcopal vicar for Hispanic ministry in 2018. 

Williams was ordained a bishop on Jan. 25, 2022, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. He chose “Misericordiam Volo” as his episcopal motto, meaning “I desire mercy” (Mt 9:13). 

He previously served as auxiliary bishop in Saint Paul and Minneapolis until 2022, after which he was named as Sullivan’s coadjutor on May 21, 2024.