About Us

Join Us in Worship!

Be part of a welcoming community engaged in spiritual growth in Christ's church. Be part of an established church in an established Christian tradition during an interesting period of transition in the church and the larger community.

St. Paul's is a church of the Episcopal Diocese of Delaware. The first meeting of the congregation was on Trinity Sunday, June 7, 1868. They met in borrowed locations for 23 years until they built a church, but by 1969 they needed a larger facility. In 1972, the church moved into the current building on 8.3 acres. We literally have lots of room for growth and improvement!

We reside in the Town of Camden, near Wyoming, on the Delmarva Peninsula in Kent County, Delaware. Begun about 300 years ago as a Quaker community, this small town is changing rapidly as it grows in size and population and its character alters. Within the past few years, the town has increased significantly in geographical size, and the population is exploding as we welcome newcomers to our area.

 

Father John Desaulniers

Father Desaulniers was born in Boston on June 16, 1931 into a loving Catholic family. He went to public schools. After graduating from high school in 1949, he worked briefly before enlisting in the Army in January 1951. He stayed in the Army until 1974, when he retired as a lieutenant colonel. This retirement was brought about by the sudden death of his wife of 23 years. He had three children, two of whom were quite young. The military life did not seem to fit his new responsibilities. His time in the Army had been most rewarding: He received a college education, taught in military schools, served in Japan, Korea, Germany, Greece, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam -- as well as Texas. Subsequent to his retirement, he wrote and edited a small newspaper, taught school, and most importantly, met and married his wife, Charlotte.

It was during this period that his relationship with God in Christ was renewed. He and Charlotte thought there could be more to life than just living for oneself, so after a time of prayer, when he suggested seminary, she said, "Yes, yes, yes, that's it!" He was ordained a priest in 1986 and had the blessing of taking a mission church in Virginia through a growth period in which it grew from 20 members to over 140 households, with an abundance of kids. 

Father Desaulniers "retired" in 1999 in Milford, Delaware. He spoke with the bishop who thought he could be of help. He has since served at All Saints Delmar, Christ Church Dover, St. Stephen's Harrington, and now St. Paul's Camden.