Pope Francis has appointed Father Joseph Williams an auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the apostolic nuncio to the United States announced Dec. 10.

A priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Bishop-elect Williams, 47, has served as pastor of St. Stephen in Minneapolis since 2008. In 2020, he also became pastor of Holy Rosary in Minneapolis. He is the archdiocese’s vicar of Latino Ministry.

Bishop-elect Joseph Williams

Bishop-elect Williams was ordained by Archbishop Harry Flynn in 2002. Prior to his current assignments, he ministered as a parochial vicar of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul (2002-2004) and Divine Mercy in Faribault (2004-2005), and as pastor of St. Mathias in Hampton and St. Mary in New Trier (2005-2008). He has served as coordinator of the Archdiocesan Outreach to Persons with Disabilities (2003-2005).

He was appointed the archdiocese’s vicar for Latino Ministry in 2018. He is a member of the board of directors for The Seminaries of St. Paul, which include The St. Paul Seminary and St. John Vianney College Seminary. He has served as chaplain of the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Archbishop Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States, announced Bishop-elect Williams’ appointment at 5 a.m. Central time, which is noon in Rome.

“It was with great joy that I learned of Pope Francis’ appointment of Father Joseph Williams as Auxiliary Bishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis,” Archbishop Hebda said in a Dec. 10 statement. “The priests and faithful of the Archdiocese should be honored that the Holy Father has chosen a native son, nurtured, nourished and formed in this local Church, to serve as a Successor of the Apostles. His deep faith, pastoral heart, love for Christ and his flock, and impressive natural gifts all suggest that the Lord has long been preparing him to serve as a bishop.

“Having been inspired by his leadership at St. Stephen’s and Holy Rosary, his heart for the poor and those on the periphery, his evangelical zeal, and his leadership as Vicar for Latino Ministry, I am particularly delighted by the appointment and am confident that the Archdiocese will benefit greatly from his example, discernment and leadership,” Archbishop Hebda continued.

He asked that the faithful pray for Bishop-elect Williams as he prepares for ordination and begins his episcopal service. With a reference to the Dec. 10 feast day, Archbishop Hebda added, “May Our Lady of Loreto, on whose feast he was named, guide him always to the compassionate heart of her Son.”

Born May 2, 1974, to Dr. Gary and Mary Williams, Bishop-elect Williams is the third of nine children. He grew up in Stillwater, where he attended St. Croix Catholic School and Stillwater High School. His brother Father Peter Williams, ordained in 2004, is a priest of the archdiocese, and is pastor of St. Ambrose in Woodbury.

Bishop-elect Williams holds a B.A. in biology from the University of Minnesota Morris, graduating summa cum laude in 1996. He studied philosophy and pre-theology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, from 1996-1998 and attended The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity in St. Paul from 1998-2002, where he earned a Masters of Divinity degree. He was ordained a priest at age 28.

Bishop-elect Williams is known for his longtime ministry to Latino and Spanish-speaking Catholics in the archdiocese, beginning in Faribault, where he and other parish leaders worked to bring healing to a Latino community that had been affected by drug raids. Members of both of his current parishes are predominantly Latino, and he has worked to change negative cultural perceptions of undocumented immigrants. He has been an advocate for federal immigration reform and for the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. At St. Stephen, he has led neighborhood-based evangelization efforts, which include knocking on doors and inviting people to Mass and faith formation.

He has a special interest in young adult ministry, and as a parochial vicar at the Cathedral, he launched Theology on Tap at the parish, a program that continues to this day. He has led trips to World Youth Day celebrations, including the most recent World Youth Day in Panama in 2019.

“I am humbled and honored by Pope Francis’ appointment,” Bishop-elect Williams said in a Dec. 10 statement from the archdiocese. “I love Jesus and his Church, and I look forward to joining the faithful of Saint Paul and Minneapolis in sharing that love with our neighbors, especially the poor and the immigrant. I have had the privilege of serving our Spanish-speaking sisters and brothers for over 15 years. Their tender love of God and devotion to the priesthood have inspired me to live out my vows daily. I am confident the Holy Spirit will show Archbishop Hebda how I may best support him in caring for all the wonderful people of this Archdiocese. Please pray for us.”

Bishop-elect Williams is expected to be ordained a bishop and installed in his role in the archdiocese Jan. 25, 2022, at the Cathedral of St. Paul. He steps into a role recently vacated by Bishop Andrew Cozzens, who served as an auxiliary bishop of St. Paul and Minneapolis from 2013 until his Dec. 6 installation as bishop of Crookston, Minnesota.

The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis encompasses the 12 counties of the Twin Cities metro area, which includes about 725,000 Catholics served by 187 parishes. It has been led by Archbishop Bernard Hebda since 2015.

Bishop-elect Joseph Williams

1974: Born May 2, third of nine children

1992: Graduated Stillwater High School, Stillwater

1996: University of Minnesota Morris, bachelor’s in biology

1998: Franciscan University of Steubenville, bachelor’s in philosophy

2002: The St. Paul Seminary School of Divinity, Master’s of Divinity

2002-2004: Parochial vicar, Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul

2003-2005: Coordinator of Archdiocesan Outreach to Persons of Disabilities

2004-2005: Parochial vicar, Divine Mercy in Faribault.

2005-2008: Pastor, St. Mathias in Hampton and St. Mary in New Trier

2008 to present: Pastor, St. Stephen in Minneapolis

2018 to present: Vicar for Latino Ministry

2020 to present: Pastor, Holy Rosary in Minneapolis

2021: Bishop-elect Dec. 10, Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis