Camdens Bishops
Diocese of Camden Bishop Joseph Galante
2004-present
"When I became a bishop I chose as my motto Have the mind of Jesus. This remains my goal and my desire for myself as well as for all of us. I invite all of you to join with me in coming to know
Jesus more intimately, to love Jesus more ardently, and to live Jesus more totally.
I eagerly look forward to coming to know and to collaborate with the laity, religious and clergy of
our Diocese."
The Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, on March 23, 2004 appointed Most. Rev. Joseph A. Galante as the seventh Bishop of the Diocese of Camden. He was installed Friday, April 30, 2004 at Saint Agnes Church, Blackwood, NJ.
Bishop Joseph A. Galante was born on July 2, 1938 in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania to Edith and Leonard Galante. He is the oldest of four sons.
After a parochial elementary education in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
he entered St. Charles Seminary, Philadelphia, PA. then attended Lateran
University in Rome, Italy, and University of St. Thomas (Angelicum) in
Rome, Italy.
After various assignments he was named Titular Bishop of Equilium
and Auxiliary of San Antonio, Texas on October, 1992. In May, 1994 he was
installed as Bishop of Beaumont, Texas. He became Coadjutor Bishop of
Dallas, Texas on January 14, 2000.
Among his many assignments, he was sent for graduate studies in
Rome in 1965 where he earned a Doctorate in Canon Law. Returning to the
United States in July, 1968. Then Father Galante was loaned to the Diocese of
Brownsville, Texas. Returning to Philadelphia in 1972, he served in the Office
of Vicar for Religious until, in December, 1986 he was named by Pope John
Paul II Undersecretary of the Congregation for Religious in Rome.
Bishop Galante seeks and works that all Catholics may grow in their
relationship with Jesus so they may more fully understand that as Church we
are the Body of Jesus, His people intimately united to Him and to one another
through Baptism.
Bishop Galante, who was appointed March 23 by the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, succeeds
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio who was installed as Bishop of the Diocese of Brooklyn on October
3, 2003. Monsignor Thomas J. Morgan, pastor of St. Thomas More, Cherry Hill, and Vicar
General for the diocese, served as Apostolic Administrator during the interim until the
appointment of Bishop Galante on March 23.
Bishop Galante, 65, had served since 2000 as Coadjutor Bishop of the Diocese of Dallas. From
1994-1999 he was Bishop of the Diocese of Beaumont, TX. He was named Titular Bishop of
Equilium and Auxiliary of San Antonio in 1992.
A Philadelphia native, Bishop Galante was ordained a priest May 16, 1964 for the Archdiocese
of Philadelphia. While in Philadelphia, he served in three parishes and held various
Archdiocesan positions, including Vicar for Religious, Defender of the Bond (Tribunal), and
Professor of Canon Law (St. Charles Borromeo and Mary Immaculate Seminaries).
From 1968 to 1972 he served in the Diocese of Brownsville, Texas in various capacities, including Vicar for Religious. From 1987 to 1992 he was Undersecretary for the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in Rome.
He holds a Doctorate in Canon Law (1968, Lateran University, Rome) and a Master of Arts in
Spiritual Theology (1991, University of St. Thomas, Angelicum, Rome).
Bishop Galante serves on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on
Communications, Committee on Canon Law, Ad Hoc Committee on Sexual Abuse and the Ad
Hoc Committee on Economic Concerns of the Holy See. Previously, Bishop Galante was Chair
of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Communications and Chair of the U.S. bishops’ Religious
Life Committee, as well as committees on Science and Human Values and African American Catholics.
Bishop's Curriculum Vitae >>>
Diocese of Camden Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio
1999-2003
"The Church of Camden, indeed, is part of the Lord's vineyard, which has produced much fruit by way of vocations and commitment to the Christian life by the laity. I pray that I am up to the task of continuing the good work already done and guiding the Curch into the new millennium"
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio was installed as the sixth Bishop of Camden at Saint Agnes Church, Blackwood, NJ on July 22,1999.
With strong ministerial and family ties to New Jersey, the Newark-born prelate began his ministry among migrants in l976---six years after his ordination as a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark on May 30, 1970---as the archdiocese’s refugee resettlement director for nine years, during which time he also served a two-year term as director of the Office of Migration of Newark’s Catholic Community Services.
Father DiMarzio moved to Washington in l985, when he was appointed executive director of Migration and Refugee Services for the U.S. Catholic Conference, and served there for six years. A year after arriving in Washington, he was named a Prelate of Honor by Pope John Paul II.
Upon Msgr. DiMarzio’s return to his home archdiocese in 1991, Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick appointed him to be the associate executive director of Catholic Community Services and a year later he advanced to executive director, a position he held for five years. A certified social worker with a doctorate in social work research and policy from Rutgers University, he also held the title of Vicar for Human Services.
In l996, Pope John Paul II elevated him to the rank of Auxiliary Bishop, and from l998 till 2001 he chaired the Migration Committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Since then he has served as chairman of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. Inc., and in 2000 he was appointed a member of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People.
Because of his wide-ranging knowledge and experience in matters affecting migrants and immigrants, Bishop DiMarzio has testified frequently before committees of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Appointed the sixth Bishop of Camden June 8, 1999, he undertook several initiatives, including establishing an Office of Ethnic Ministries, an Office of Black Catholic Ministry and an Office of Hispanic Ministry. He also created an apostolate to the Haitian community and founded two missions to serve the Korean and Vietnamese communities.
In his ecumenical and interreligious outreach, significant involvements included presiding at a Catholic-Lutheran prayer service to celebrate the 1999 Joint Declaration of the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation on the Doctrine of Justification and signing an Agreement of Understanding with leaders of the Jewish community in South Jersey.
Diocese of Camden Bishop James McHugh
1989-1998
"I come to you today as your new bishop to carry on the work already begun; to proclaim the message of Christ strongly and unflinchingly as we approach the year 2000; to affirm and encourage our priests, religious and lay people who are already working with such great dedication; to promote respect for human life at every stage from conception to natural death and in every circumstance; to heighten the sensitivity of everyone to the needs of the poor, the disadvantaged, those in neeed of comapssion and reconciliation."
Bishop James T. McHugh was istalled as the fifth Bishop of Camden at St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral on June 20,1989. Born Jan. 3, 1932 in Orange, N.J. he is the son of Caroline Scavone McHugh and the late James T. McHugh. He attended St. Venantius School and Our Lady of the Valley High School in Orange; Seton Hall University in South Orange and Immaculate Conception Seminary in Darlington, N.J. where he received a Master of Divinity degree. Ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Newark at Sacred Heart Cathedral on May 25, 1957, Bishop McHugh served as assistant pastor at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Newark and Holy Trinity Church, Fort Lee, N.J. and was a member of the Archdiocesan Family Life Committee (1962-65). From 1964- 65, he was moderator of the Bergen County Catholic Physicians' Guild and the Bergen County Catholic Nurses' Council (1963-65). He took graduate studies in sociology at Fordham University, New York City (1963-65). . From i965 to 67, he took graduate courses in sociology at The American University of America in Washington, D.C. From 1965-78, Bishop McHugh served on the staffs of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops and the United States Catholic Conference and served as director of the NCCB Office of Pro-Life Activities (197278). He was' named a Papal Chamberlain of His Holiness, Pope. Paul VI in 1971.
Bishop McHugh was a visiting lecturer in theology at Princeton Theological Seminary (1974), Immaculate Conception Seminary (1976-81), American College, Louvain (1976) and Pontifical Lateran University, Rome (1982). He has served on special assignments on behalf of the Holy See as delegation member, observer and representative to various national and international conferences and was appointed to the delegation of the Permanent Observer Mission of the, Holy See to the United Nations in 1983. From 1978 -81, he studied moral theology in Rome and was awarded a doctorate degree in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas. He served as special assistant at the World Synod of Bishops on "The Christian Family in the Contemporary World" in 1980. In 1981, he was named director of the Diocesan Development Program for Natural Family Planning, NCCBIUSCC. " He was appointed Vicar for Parish and Family Life, Archdiocese of Newark in 1986 and was elevated to the rank of Prelate of Honor. In 1988, he was ordained Titular Bishop of Morosbisco and Auxiliary Bishop of Newark on Jan. 25, 1988 at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Newark. During the years he was ordinary of the Camden Diocese, Bishop McHugh became widely known outside of South Jersey through his service to the Holy See. He served as a delegate at United Nations-sponsored conferences on the environment (1992 in Rio de Janeiro) and on population and development (1994 in Cairo). In the weeks preceding the Cairo conference, the bishop served as the Vatican's point man in handling national media inquiries on the Church's position and plans.
Within the diocese, his decade long legacy includes: The relocation of diocesan headquarters to the downtown Camden area. A major reorganization of the diocese's administrative structure. A push to safeguard Catholic education, including a $63 million Catholic Education Endowment Fund for schools and religious education programs; a five-point plan to reinvigorate Catholic high schools and a grassroots effort to support school choice legislation in Trenton. Catholic school enrollment has gradually increased over the past several years. A diocesan synod process, in which thousands of Catholics came together in locations all over the Diocese to have their say in the future direction of the Church of Camden.
The two-year process culminated when more than 500 delegates met for a three-day Synod event; Sept. 11-13, 1992, at Camden Catholic High School in Cherry HiII. The recommendations and statutes of the synod became the blueprint for diocesan planning.
A $30 million Uniting in Faith and Mission capital campaign to fund a priest retirement home, Catholic education, parishes in dire financial straits, the church's social outreach and implementation of the Diocesan Synod.
RENEW, which began in Oct. 1, 1995, has revitalized the spiritual life of many individuals and their parishes.
The construction of Sacred Heart Residence for Priests in Cherry Hill.
The establishment of a pastor training program and an upgrading of the program for the continuing education and spiritual formation of priests.
He was named coadjutor to Bishop John R. McGann of Rockville Centre, N.Y.
Diocese of Camden Bishop George H. Guilfoyle
1968-1989
"In accepting this honored office, I do so not only with full awareness of the great responsibility involved but also with confidence in the faithful collaboration and strong support of the splendid clergy, religious and laity of the Diocese of Camden. United in faith and charity, and strengthened by God's grace, we shall serve God and neighbor. In the days ahead — in the vital pastoral care of the people — I shall expend all strength and energy — I shall pray day and night for the spiritual and material welfare of all People of God in this area of the Lord's vineyard."
Bishop George H. Guilfoyle was installed as the fourth Ordinary of the Diocese of Camden on March 4, 1968, by Archbishop Luigi Raimondi, Apostolic Delegate in the United States, in a ceremony held at St. Joseph's Pro-Cathedral, Camden.
At the time of his appointment Bishop Guilfoyle was 54 years of age, the Titular Bishop of Marazanae, Auxiliary to Francis Cardinal Spellman, Episcopal Vicar of Staten Island, N.Y., and pastor of St. Peter's Church, Staten Island.
Born Nov. 13,,1913, in New York City, George Henry Guilfoyle was the second eldest of five children, three boys and two girls, of James G. and Johanna McGrath Guilfoyle.
In the fall of 1939, Bishop Guilfoyle began his studies for the priesthood at St. Joseph's Seminary, Dunwoodie, N.Y., and was subsequently ordained by Cardinal Spellman in St: Patrick's Cathedral, New York City, on March 25, 1944. He was named Executive Director of Catholic Charities in May 1956, a post he continued to fill until October 1966. During this time he directed the operation of 199 separate institutions and agencies in services, which embraced the entire field of social welfare. Msgr. Guilfoyle was ordained a bishop by Cardinal Spellman in St. Patrick's Cathedral on Nov. 30,1964. Bishop Guilfoyle served for many years on the Administrative Board of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, holding membership on a number of its committees, including those on priestly life and ministry, conciliation and arbitration, on which he also served as chairman, bishops, diocesan boundaries, budget and finance, Latin America, ecumenical and motion pictures. He was chairman of the department of health affairs of the United States Catholic Conference from 1969 to 1971. The Bishop was a member of the Sacred Congregation for the Causes of Saints from 1969 to 1975.
Among the innovations under the Bishop's tenure has been the establishment of a Hispanic Apostolate, a newly-formed Diocesan Pastoral Council, an expanded Liturgical Commission, an active and strong pro-life campaign and the restoration of permanent deaconate. The church reforms initiated by the Second Vatican Council were incorporated in the planning that got underway in December 1968 with the formation of a plan for a Diocesan Pastoral Council. Bishop Guilfoyle himself served as chairman of a steering committee that outlined the goals and duties of the Council and how it would function.
The importance he placed on pastoral planning was further illustrated in the establishment of a Pastoral Planning Office in 1971.
The Catholic school system had been a focus of the Secretariat for Education, formed in 1968. Six new schools and several additions to existing schools were built under Bishop Guilfoyle's tenure. Tuition cost for the schools were a concern and led to the establishment in 1980 of the Tuition Assistance Fund. The Secretariat for Education also worked on programs of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine for students not in Catholic schools, youth and campus ministries for nonsectarian colleges as well as adult programs of continuing religious education in the parishes.
Certainly one of Bishop Guilfoyle's joys as his ordination to the episcopate of Father Michael P. Mundo, a priest ordained for the Camden Diocese in 1962, who had been a missionary to Brazil since 1963. Of the Diocese's contributions to Brazil, the Bishop said, "I feel a sense of joyful satisfaction knowing we have been able to help these people spiritually and materially."
During Bishop Guilfoyle's time in Camden, eight new parishes were established some two dozen churches were built with many more renovated to meet changing needs. Other new building include convents, rectories, a recreation center, new schools and renovations to existing structures and parish halls. A retreat house was acquired by the Diocese, special education facilities were expanded and a Newman Center erected at Glassboro State College.
Nursing homes were constructed and acquired, as well as the establishment of two complexes for the elderly, Victorian Towers and St. Mary's Village.
In 1987, Bishop Guilfoyle's tenure was highlighted by a year-long observance of the Diocese of Camden's Golden Jubilee. Among the activities were liturgical and spiritual celebrations, ecumenical and cultural activities, and other social events. The jubilee observance opened May 17, 1987, with a Mass in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Camden.
Bishop Guilfoyle died June 11, 1991, at Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, Camden, of complications from a respiratory ailment. He was 77. The funeral Mass for Camden's fourth bishop - who used to affectionately refer to the diocese as "Camelot" - was celebrated June 15, 1991, in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Bishop James T. McHugh was the celebrant, and Auxiliary Bishop Schad was the homilist. Burial was in Calvary Cemetery, Cherry Hill.
Diocese of Camden Archbishop Celestine Damiano
1960-1967
"If my pastroal ministry accomplishes nothing more than fulfill the programs and desires of my predecessors, especially in the building of churches, institutions, and fostering vocations, then my humble name will be blessed before God and before souls."
Archbishop Egidio Vagnozzi, Apostolic Delegate in the United States, announced Pope John XXIII’s appointment of Archbishop Celestine J. Damiano as the third Bishop of Camden Feb. 10, 1960, in Washington, D.C.
A priest of the Diocese of Buffalo, Celestine Joseph Damiano had been Apostolic Delegate in South Africa for seven years at the time of his appointment as Camden's third Ordinary. Born in Dunkirk, N.Y. on Nov. 1, 1911, he was the eldest of six children of Italian immigrant parents, Vito and Stella Damiano. He attended public school in Dunkirk and after two years at St. Michael's College, Toronto, Canada, studied philosophy and theology at the Propaganda Fide College in Rome, Italy, and was ordained in Rome Dec. 21, 1935. Msgr. Damiano was appointed Titular Archbishop of Nicopolis in Epiro and Apostolic Delegate in South Africa in December 1952. He was ordained a bishop at the Cathedral in Buffalo by Bishop' Joseph A. Burke of Buffalo. Archbishop Damiano formally took possession of the Camden Diocese .at his installation in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Camden, on May 3, 1960, at which Archbishop Thomas A. Boland of Newark officiated. On Sept. 9, 1960, Archbishop Damiano launched a drive to raise $5 million for the construction and
On September 9 1960, Archbishop Damiano launched a drive to raise $5 million for the construction and improvement of Catholic secondary schools in the diocese. The first building financed by the project was the new Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill f9r which ground was broken on Oct. 15, 1961. Meanwhile, two other projects already in progress were brought to fruition, the new St. James High School, Carney's Point, and an addition to Gloucester Catholic High School. In the shore area, the new Holy Spirit High School was built in Absecon. Meanwhile, the former Camden Catholic High School site at the Cathedral complex in Camden was completely refurbished and opened as the Cathedral Academy for Girls in September, 1965, with Father (later Monsignor) Eugene F. Pack as principal. The Archbishop broke ground for the new Pope Paul VI High School in Haddon Township during the winter of 1965. At the elementary level, the parishes built 17 new elementary schools during the Archbishop's tenure and elementary enrollment increased by more than 3,000. Other elementary schools were modernized and expanded. In June 1965, a diocesan school board was established with seven lay members. The expansion of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine was continued under Archbishop Damiano with the extension of the CCD program to include increased teacher training, workshops, lectures, summer sessions, special education classes and diocesan and regional conferences. Archbishop Damiano was a member of the Preparatory Commission on Missions for the Second Vatican Council and attended all four sessions of the Council. While in Rome he conducted diocesan business through correspondence. When the Council ended, a Jubilee year for prayer and pilgrimage opened in January 1966. The Camden diocese's Brazil mission project was inaugurated by Archbishop Damiano in 'December, 1961, when two priest of the Camden diocese, Father (later Monsignor Edward J. Kennedy and Father (later Monsignor) Felix M. O'Neill, the first of nearly two dozen priests from the diocese that were to see service there, left to work in the Jatai diocese of Brazil. On April 25, 1964, Archbishop Damiano announced the establishment of the diocesan House of Charity and named Msgr. Joseph B. McIntyre, pastor of Christ the King parish, Haddonfield, and Father (later Monsignor and then Auxiliary Bishop) James L. Schad, pastor of Most Holy Redeemer parish, Westville Grove, to direct its fundraising activities. The first annual campaign realized $774,000. On Oct. 26, 1966, it was announced that Pope Paul VI had appointed Msgr. James L Schad, 49, as titular Bishop of and Auxiliary to Archbishop Damiano. Archbishop Damiano ordained him a bishop Dec. 8, 1966 at St. Joseph’s Pro-Cathedral, Camden.
Archbishop Damiano, 55, died as a result of a blood clot on October 2, 1967, while recuperating from gall bladder surgery at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. The Archbishop's funeral Mass was concelebrated with Archbishop Boland as principal celebrant at St. Joseph's Pro-Cathedral on Oct. 7, 1967. Francis Cardinal Spellman, Archbishop of New York, presided at the Mass and Auxiliary Bishop Benincasa delivered the eulogy. He was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Cherry Hill.
Diocese of Camden Bishop Justin McCarthy
1957-1959
"It is easy on any public occasion to speak on what we hope to do and how we should try to do it. Yet we understand that we are but weak human instruments who need to rely very much on our Blessed Lord who is so eager to help us love Him and serve Him."
The appointment of Camden's second Ordinary by pope Pius XII, Bishop Justin J, McCarthy, 56, Titular Bishop of Doberus, Auxiliary to Archbishop Thomas A. Boland of Newark and pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows Church, South Orange, was announced Jan. 30, 1957, six weeks following the death of' Bishop Eustace, by Archbishop Amleto Cicognani, Apostolic Delegate in the United States.
Justin Joseph McCarthy was in Sayre, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 26, 1900. The son of Joseph and Delia McCarthy. His family later move to St. Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he studied at St. Mary's School, Seton Ha;; Preparatory School and Seton Hall University, South Orange.
He pursued his studies for the priesthood at Immaculate Conception Seminary, South Orange, and the North American College, Rome, and was ordained April 16, 1927 in the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Rome. From 1927 to 1937 he was professor of Sacred Scripture and Homiletics at Immaculate Conception Seminary, where he continued as spiritual director until 1953, when he was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows. He was ordained a bishop at Sacred Heart Cathedral, Newark, on June 17, 1954 by Archbishop Boland.
Concerned with the welfare of the 20,000 Hispanics of the diocese, Bishop McCarthy appointed Father (later Monsignor) Felix O’Neill and Father (later Monsignor) William J. Reynolds to study the language and customs of the Hispanic people for a year in Puerto Rico. On their return to Father O'Neill was assigned to St. Joseph's parish, Swedesboro, to work among the migrant farm workers, while Father Reynolds was assigned to Sacred Heart Parish, Vineland, to serve the permanent Hispanic residents there. In 1957, the Bishop dedicated a Mobile Chapel for migrants, and in December, 1959, secured the services of four Oblates of the Sacred Heart Sisters to teach religion and do social work at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Camden.
During Bishop McCarthy's tenure the expansion of Catholic education in the diocese was furthered by the opening of new schools and expansion of existing ones. These allowed for an increase of 5,000 elementary students and 1,000 students at the high school level. The Bishop also implemented the involvement of diocesan priest as teachers in the secondary schools.
The Bishop also placed great, emphasis on religious education in the public schools and appointed Father (later Monsignor) Lucitt, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, Camden, as the new director of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine. At the time of his death, some 20,000 youth were enrolled in Confraternity classes, nearly 100 percent increase.
During his tenure as Ordinary, Bishop McCarthy established four new parishes. Four new churches were built and construction was begun on the New St. James High School in Carney's Point. The building adjacent to the Chancery on Cooper Street was purchased for additional office space for diocesan administration, and the former Internal Revenue Building at Seventh and Cooper Streets became the new home for the teaching Sisters and students of the Cathedral parish's elementary school, providing for an increase in enrollment at Camden Catholic High School.
The Bishop established a diocesan commission on properties and buildings under Msgr. Francis J. Garvey, pastor of Holy Saviour parish, Westmont and purchased many plots of land for future use. He dedicated the new St. Pius X Retreat House, Blackwood, while expansions were completed at Mother of the Saviour Seminary and at the motherhouse of the Daughters of Our Lady of Mercy in Newfield. Meanwhile, plans were under way for the construction of a new Catholic high school at Atlantic City. The latter was completed after the Bishop's death at a new location in Absecon.
To further the expansion of Catholic youth activities, each parish was advised to have a Catholic Youth Council and a large number of priests were assigned to part-time work in
youth activities, A Catholic day camp was established at Grenloch in 1959, while Catholic Youth Adoration Sunday on Pentecost was established as well as Catholic Youth Week in late October.
Bishop McCarthy died at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, Elizabeth on Dec, 26, 1959, after suffering a heart attack while preparing to offer morning Mass in the convent of the Benedictine Academy at Elizabeth, while on a holiday visit to the home of his sister. He was 59 years of age.
With Archbishop Boland of Newark presiding, the funeral Mass for Bishop McCarthy was offered in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception by Bishop Ahr of Trenton, Bishop James A. McNulty of Newark delivered the eulogy. Bishop McCarthy was buried in Calvary Cemetery, Cherry Hill.
Diocese of Camden Bishop Bartholomew Eustace
1938-1956
"I transfer to the clergy and people of Camden my allegiance, my devotion, and my ministry — for by the ring I wear I am wedded to them and by the cross I bear I vow to be a faithful leader, gentle father and true bishop. Floreat Camdenum (May Camden Flourish)."
The appointment of Bishop Bartholomew J. Eustace as the first bishop of the newly established Diocese of Camden was announced in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 15, 1937.
The son of Irish immigrant parents, Bartholomew and Elizabeth Eustace, Camden's new bishop was born Oct. 1887, on the lower east side of the Borough of Manhattan, N.Y. After 'receiving his elementary education in the New York public schools, he completed high school and two years of College at St. Francis Xavier College, New York City, before studying for the priesthood at St. Joseph's Seminary Dunwoodie, N.Y. He completed his theological studies at the North American College, Rome, and was ordained to the priesthood there on Nov. 1, 1914.
Father. Eustace was ordained a bishop at St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York City, on March 25, 1938. Cardinal Hays officiated and Bishop Kelly of Boise, Idaho, and Auxiliary Bishop Stephen Donahue of New York were assistant consecrators.
Following his arrival in Camden on May 3, 1938, he - was installed as I Bishop of the Camden diocese the following day at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Camden, Iwitl1 Archbishop Thomas J. Walsh of I Newark presiding and Bishop Moses IE. Kiley of Trenton participating. During his installation, Bishop Eustace dedicated the Diocese of Camden to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Shortly after taking up residence in a three-story house on Browning Road, Collingswood, the new bishop had to deal with the problem of the extreme shortage of priests in the diocese. Through his contacts with priests of the New York Archdiocese he was able to obtain some students. As word that the diocese was in dire need of priests and was open to applications, many unattached students in seminaries began to apply. In the 1940's, the Diocese began to solicit vocations in Ireland. Eventually some 50 students from Ireland were ordained for the diocese. At one time the number of seminarians studying at major and minor seminaries here and abroad reached over 400.
Meanwhile, the steady influx of new residents into South Jersey in the parishes; new facilities and new apostolates to meet the ever growing needs under the direction of Bishop Eustace, 31 new parishes were founded and 25 missions were opened. Sixteen of the latter eventually became parishes during the Bishop's tenure and nine later were established as parishes.
To accommodate the expanding educational needs of the diocese Bishop Eustace presided over the opening of three high schools, Bishop Eustace Prep, St. Joseph's, Camden and St. Mary of the Angels, while six existing high schools were expanded. Twenty-two elementary schools also were opened and 14 existing schools were expanded.
Bishop Eustace also oversaw the establishment of such diocesan institutions as Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Camden; St. Mary's Catholic Home, Cherry Hill; Angelus Convalescent Home, Wildwood; Mercy Hospital, Sea Isle City; Mother of the Savior Seminary, Blackwood, under the Salvatorians; and Camp St. Joseph-in-the-Pines. Egg Harbor, for underprivileged boys, under the direction of Franciscan Brother Francis William.
In addition, the diocese witnessed the erection of 50 new churches, 30 rectories and 20 convents.
Bishop Eustace incorporated the Catholic Charities of the diocese on Sept. 27, 1940, with Father (later Monsignor) Alfred W. Jess, pastor of St. Teresa's, Runnemede, as its first director. On August 16, 1953, he blessed the new St. Mary's Home for the sick and elderly in Cherry Hill.
Although stricken with diabetes in Jan. 1941, Bishop Eustace had carried on his work until Aug. 1950, when he suffered the first of three heart attacks while on retreat with the Jesuits of Wernersville, Pa. He was transferred to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital where he remained for several weeks.
He returned home to a newly purchased Bishop's Residence on Kings Highway, Haddonfield. Following his recovery, he returned to an almost full schedule, which soon proved too much for him and resulted in a second serious heart attack on Oct. 26, 1951.
He suffered a third heart attack on Feb. 22, 1955. On his recovery, he again spent time in his office each day but finally -had to desist following two surgical operations on Feb. 23 and Sept. 11 of 1956.
Although confined to his room and bed, the Bishop continued to conduct diocesan business. Around the first of December he was completely confined to ...bed. He died at his Haddonfield residence in the early morning of Tuesday, Dec. 11, 1956, at age 69.
The funeral Mass was offered in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception on Saturday, Dec. 15, by Cardinal McIntyre, with Archbishop (later Cardinal) John F. O'Hara giving the eulogy. Interment followed in Calvary Cemetery, Cherry Hill.