CAMDEN – Only two hours after celebrating his first Mass as the Diocese’s ninth bishop, Bishop Joseph A. Williams gathered with hundreds of Latinos from across South Jersey to participate in a charismatic prayer service in Spanish.
Acknowledging that Latinos are a vital part of the Church, Bishop Williams expressed his commitment to walk alongside all in the community and be ready to listen to their spiritual and pastoral needs.
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament was part of the March 17 service at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. As he knelt before the Eucharist, the Bishop asked those present to come forward and pray that the Holy Spirit would enlighten and guide him in his pastoral mission in South Jersey.
“Today, I am here with you to ask for your prayerful support. I ask you to accompany me in this new stage, so that the Holy Spirit may enlighten and guide me in my service to this beautiful Diocese,” Bishop Williams said.
At the same time, he encouraged participants to be open to the extraordinary charisms, and if at that moment they received any message from God, to share it in order to discern where God is guiding their service in the Diocese of Camden.
Many in the Hispanic/Latino community said they felt welcomed and valued by the bishop’s desire to hold the charismatic event. During the service, the cathedral vibrated with songs of praise in Spanish, and the faithful actively participated in the prayers and reflections, renewing their commitment to the faith.
In both deeds and words, Bishop Williams has expressed his love for and commitment to Hispanic/Latino communities – not only during the past seven months in the Diocese of Camden, but for decades in the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
“It is a gesture of affection and closeness to our community,” one attendee said of the charismatic service. “We feel welcomed, and we know that we have in Bishop Williams a bishop who values and supports our roots.”
