• First Church: Dedicated in 1830, Pleasant Mills, Atlantic County, by Bishop Francis J. Kenrick.
• First Confirmations: Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Port Elizabeth, built in 1845.
• First Bishop: Most Rev. Bartholomew J. Eustace. On May 4, 1938, during his installation as the first Bishop of Camden, he dedicated the Diocese to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
• March 19, 1957: Bishop Justin J. McCarthy, Auxiliary Bishop of Newark, installed as second bishop of Camden.
• Feb. 10, 1960: Archbishop Celestine J. Damiano, then apostolic delegate to South Africa, named the third bishop of Camden.
• 1961: Father (later Monsignor) Edward Kennedy and Father (later Monsignor) Felix O’Neill assigned to what would be known as Camden’s Brazil Missions, with priests from the Diocese bringing the Catholic faith to South America
• Dec. 8, 1966: Bishop James Louis Schad ordained auxiliary bishop of Camden.
• Jan. 10, 1968: Bishop George H. Guilfoyle, auxiliary bishop in New York, appointed the fourth Ordinary of the Camden Diocese.
• Oct. 4, 1976: The first ordination to the permanent diaconate takes place at Saint Rose of Lima Parish, Haddon Heights.
• May 21, 1989: Auxiliary Bishop James T. McHugh of Newark, appointed the fifth bishop of Camden.
• 1998: The Diocese’s headquarters relocate from Haddon Avenue to downtown Camden, in the PNC Bank building at Market and Broadway, directly across from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the Mother Church in the Diocese.
• June 8, 1999: Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, auxiliary bishop of Newark, named the sixth bishop of Camden.
• March 23, 2004: Bishop Joseph A. Galante, coadjutor bishop of the Diocese of Dallas, becomes the seventh bishop of Camden.
• 2007: Bishop Galante announces a reconfiguration of 35 Catholic elementary schools, and the following year, a reconfiguration of parishes.
• Feb. 12, 2013: Bishop Dennis J. Sullivan installed as the eighth Bishop of Camden.
• Aug. 16, 2013: Bishop Sullivan announces the creation of Catholic Directors of Identity, priests of the Diocese of Camden who will serve as “pastors” in the Diocese’s high schools.
• 2020: In the midst of government restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, diocesan parishes hold livestream Masses. Every Sunday during the lockdown, Bishop Dennis Sullivan livestreams a Eucharistic Celebration from his residence in Woodbury.
• 2022-2024: Joining with the United States Catholic Church, the Diocese take part in a three-year Eucharistic Revival.
• March 14, 2024: The Diocese of Camden’s Chapter 11 Reorganization Plan is confirmed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, ending a four-year process that provides a just settlement for the survivors of the priest abuse crisis, while also ensuring that the Diocese is able to continue to provide its services and ministries to the people of South Jersey.
The Diocese at a Glance
Founded
Dec. 9, 1937, formerly a part of the Diocese of Trenton.
The Diocese of Camden consists of six counties over 2,691 square miles in South Jersey: Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem.
Estimated Catholic population
304,999 out of a total population of 1.4 million
Personnel
Total number of diocesan priests: 180
Diocesan priests in active ministry: 93
Religious order priests resident in Diocese: 35
Number of permanent deacons: 122
Religious sisters: 137
Religious brothers: 6
Parish life
Parishes: 62
Yearly baptisms: 3,257
Marriages: 621
Confirmations: 2,494
First Communions: 2,692
Charities/health care
Hospitals with Catholic Identity: 1
Number of patients assisted annually: 11,608
Health care centers: 16
Homes for the aged: 3
Special centers for social services and assistance: 8
Total assisted: 22,000
Education
Elementary schools: 24
Elementary school students: 6,316
Secondary schools, diocesan and parish: 5
Secondary school students: 2,450
Private Catholic secondary schools: 3
Private Catholic secondary school students: 1,000
Students enrolled in parish religious education: 23,210
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