In 1853, Camden was made part of the newly formed Diocese of Newark. Father Patrick Byrne directed the building of the present Cathedral which was dedicated in 1866 under the title of the Church of the Immaculate Conception. In June 1976, the Cathedral parish's St. Vincent DePaul Society opened the Cathedral Kitchen in the Cathedral's cafeteria where approximately 200 of the city's needy availed themselves of the food services each week. The Cathedral parish has played a significant part in the development of the parishes throughout Camden City and beyond its limits.