St. Elizabeth Ann Seton congratulates and welcomes Bishop Joseph A. Williams as coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Camden. Essentially, he will be the new Bishop of Camden when Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan transitions into his retirement, which is expected to begin March 17, 2025. Bishop Sullivan retains the full responsibility for the Diocese of Camden, as Bishop Williams learns the diocese and acquaints himself with South Jersey.
Bishop Williams was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in 2002. His episcopal ordination (to be a bishop) took place January 25, 2022, the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul.
Has served as pastor, parochial administrator, and parochial vicar in various locations through Minneapolis and Minnesota. He has also served as coordinator of the Archdiocesan Outreach to Persons with Disabilities and, in 2018, was appointed the Archdiocesan Vicar for Latino Ministry. He is a member of the board of trustees for The Saint Paul Seminary and Saint John Vianney College Seminary and has served as chaplain of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Born May 2, 1974, to Dr. Gary and Mary McDonald Williams, Bishop Williams is the third of nine children. He grew up in Stillwater, MN, 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 in Woodbury, MN. Bishop Williams holds a B.A. in biology from the University of Minnesota, Morris; studied philosophy and pre-theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, OH; and earned a Master of Divinity degree from The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul. He was ordained a priest at age 28. “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,” says Bishop Williams.