WASHINGTON — Pope Francis has appointed Auxiliary Bishop Joseph A. Williams of St. Paul and Minneapolis as coadjutor bishop of Camden, New Jersey, which is currently headed by Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan.
The appointment was publicized in Washington May 21 by Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States.
As coadjutor, Bishop Williams will automatically succeed Bishop Sullivan when he retires. Bishop Sullivan, 79, a native of the Bronx, New York, is the eighth bishop of Camden. He was installed Feb. 12, 2013. When he turned 75 March 17, 2020, he submitted his resignation to the pope as required by canon law.
A native of Minnesota, Bishop Williams, who turned 50 May 1, was named an auxiliary for St. Paul and Minneapolis by the pope Dec. 10, 2021, and his episcopal ordination was Jan. 25, 2022, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. He is one of the youngest U.S. Catholic bishops. At the time of his appointment as auxiliary, he was vicar for Latinos in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. He has ministered to Spanish-speaking people for most of the 22 years since his priestly ordination.
