Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden

Diocese of Camden Dioecesis Camdensis
Location
Country	United States
Territory	South Jersey
Ecclesiastical province	Metropolitan Province of Newark
Metropolitan	Camden, New Jersey
Population - Catholics	500,000
Information
Denomination	Roman Catholic
Rite	Roman Rite
Established	December 9, 1937
Cathedral	Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
Current leadership
Pope	Benedict XVI
Bishop	Joseph A. Galante Bishop of Camden
Metropolitan Archbishop	John Joseph Myers Archbishop of Newark
Map
Website
camdendiocese.org

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Camden is a particular church or diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, located in New Jersey, United States, and presides over Roman Catholic parishes and schools in the six southern New Jersey counties of Atlantic, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem.

Pope Pius XI established the Diocese of Camden on December 9, 1937, by breaking it off from the Diocese of Trenton. Today, the Diocese of Camden presides over 125 parishes. The oldest parish is St. Mary (Gloucester City), which was founded in 1848. Over 500,000 Catholics live within this diocese.

The Bishop of Camden presides from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Camden. However, most major ceremonies are held at Saint Agnes Catholic Church in Blackwood. Some liturgies are held at St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral, Camden.

The Diocese of Camden is currently led by Bishop Joseph A. Galante. On April 2, 2008, Bishop Galante announced the closing of roughly half of the parishes in the diocese. This followed a previous announcement of the closing of various Catholic schools. The closures are different from other dioceses in the United States because where in most locations churches and schools have been closed gradually as populations shifted or the number of priests declined, in the Camden Diocese, they have all been announced at once and are expected to be accomplished within twelve to twenty-four months. The massive closings have proved to be extremely controversial, even prompting protests and letter writing campaigns to Archbishop John J. Myers, the Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey; and Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the Apostolic Pro-Nuncio in Washington, D.C.

Bishops of the Diocese of Camden (terms of service)

1. † Bishop Bartholomew J. Eustace (1938–1956) (died December 11, 1956)
2. † Bishop Justin J. McCarthy (1957–1959) (died December 26, 1959)
3. † Archbishop Celestine Damiano (1960–1967) (died October 2, 1967)
4. † Bishop George H. Guilfoyle (1968–1989) (retired on May 13, 1989; died June 11, 1991)
5. † Bishop James T. McHugh (1989–1998) (appointed coadjutor bishop of Rockville Centre on December 7, 1998; succeeded to the office of bishop of that diocese on January 4, 2000; died in December 2000)
6. Bishop Nicholas Anthony DiMarzio (1999–2003) (appointed bishop of Brooklyn on August 1, 2003)
7. Bishop Joseph A. Galante (2004–present)

† = deceased

Schools

High schools

• Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, Pennsauken Township
• Camden Catholic High School, Cherry Hill Township
• Gloucester Catholic High School, Gloucester City
• Holy Spirit High School, Absecon
• Our Lady of Mercy Academy (New Jersey), Newfield
• Paul VI High School, Haddonfield
• Sacred Heart High School (New Jersey), Vineland
• St. Joseph High School (Hammonton, New Jersey), Hammonton
• Wildwood Catholic High School, North Wildwood

Ecclesiastical province

Further information: List of the Catholic bishops of the United States#Province of Newark

See also

	Philadelphia portal
	New Jersey portal
	Catholicism portal

• List of the Catholic cathedrals of the United States
• List of the Catholic dioceses of the United States
• Plenary Councils of Baltimore
• Roman Catholicism in the United States
• Catholicism and American politics
• History of Roman Catholicism in the United States

External links

• Diocese of Camden Official Web Site
• Catholic Charities of Camden
• Catholic Star Herald - Official Online Newspaper of the Diocese
• Faith in the Future - Schools News and Information Site for the Diocese
• Gathering Gods Gifts - Parish Planning for the Diocese
• Lay Ministry Formation Program - Diocese Education Program
• New Jersey Provincial Directory