CAMDEN – “How blessed I am that the Holy Spirit brought me to South Jersey,” Coadjutor Bishop Joseph A. Williams said, smiling as he looked out at the pews full of people in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
“How beautiful the people are, how beautiful the Church is, how beautiful the tradition is in Camden. I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot.”
PHOTO GALLERY: Solemn Vespers with Bishop Williams
On the eve of his Mass of Welcome as coadjutor bishop for the Diocese of Camden, Bishop Williams took part in a vespers service with Bishop Dennis Sullivan and diocesan clergy. Hundreds from across South Jersey and beyond were in attendance, including Cardinal Christophe Pierre, apostolic nuncio to the United States; Archbishop Bernard Hebda of Saint Paul and Minneapolis; Bishop Williams’ family, friends and former parishioners from Minnesota; and priests, deacons and religious from the Diocese of Camden, Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and beyond.
With his right hand on his pectoral cross and his left hand on the altar, Bishop Williams made a public profession of faith and took the Oath of Fidelity, obliging himself to his apostolic duties as a shepherd of the Diocese of Camden, in fulfillment of the mission of the Church.
Recognizing the generational roots of the Diocese, Bishop Williams echoed the words of the first Bishop of Camden, Bartholomew J. Eustace, on his installation May 4, 1938: “As long as this Church of Camden exists, it show by its devotion and love … its undying fealty to the Mother of God.”
“What a beautiful and firm foundation Bishop Eustace built this Church of Camden upon,” Bishop Williams added.
In his homily, Bishop Sullivan remarked on the appropriateness of the Sept. 9 liturgical occasion, as it fell on the feast of Saint Peter Claver, a 17th century missionary who ministered to African slaves in Colombia.
“To those enslaved people, Saint Peter Claver ministered the mercy of Jesus Christ. What kind of mercy?” Bishop Sullivan asked. “Food, drink, medicine, the mercy of spiritual encounter, seeking the salvation of their souls. The mercy of catechetical instruction, teaching them about Jesus and our Catholic faith. The mercy of human accompaniment, personal contact. Bishop, may the mercy of Jesus Christ be the hallmark of your episcopal ministry in this Diocese.”
In imitation of this holy man, Bishop Sullivan outlined ways in which Bishop Williams would well-serve his flock of Camden. “Teach, preach the Catholic faith. Be a healer to those who suffer – emotionally suffering, spiritually suffering, physically suffering. Help those who are in the chains of addiction … racial prejudice … hatred. … Show the mercy of environmental concern for the world of South Jersey. … Accompany the poor, immigrant, homeless, the socially rejected.”
“As a bishop, you are invested with authority, but you must exercise it in a consultative manner,” Bishop Sullivan continued. “Authority is service, humble service. You have a lot of listening to do, Bishop, and you will hear from our faithful who have encountered the light of the Gospel in South Jersey. … There is a desire to learn how to be a missionary, synodal Church, and you will encounter faithful in our Diocese who are seeking to discern new ways, new ways that the Lord is revealing to the Church. There are an abundance of ministries … not based on ordination but on the ministries of the lay faithful. … Through the people, you will hear what God is saying to the Church of Camden.”
Hearkening back to the first prelate of Camden, Bishop Sullivan repeated those words on May 4, 1938: “Floreat Camdensus – May Camden Flourish.”
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