S ylvester J. Cronin III was born on November 30, 1961, to Sylvester J. Cronin Jr. and Camille Ann (Mignone) Cronin. Raised in West Orange, NJ, he attended Our Lady of Lourdes Elementary School and graduated from Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair. It was while on a Search retreat in his junior year of High School that Monsignor Cronin first began to discern his vocation to the priesthood. After two years at Montclair State College, he enrolled in Don Bosco College Seminary in Newton, and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy and a secondary school teacher certification in English and History in 1984. That same year he enrolled in Mount Saint Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, MD, where he earned a Master of Divinity degree.

On May 28, 1988, Monsignor Cronin was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Emeritus Edward T. Hughes in the Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi, Metuchen. His first assignment was as parochial vicar at Our Lady of Mount Virgin Parish, Middlesex (1988-1990). He also served as parochial vicar at Saint Ambrose in Old Bridge (1990-1993) and Saint Matthias in Somerset (1993-1994). In 1994, Monsignor Cronin was named pastor of Saint Paul the Apostle Parish in Highland Park where he served until 2002, when he was named pastor of Saint Cecelia Parish in Monmouth Junction. On September 8, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI named him a chaplain to His Holiness with the title Reverend Monsignor.

In 2002, Monsignor Cronin was invited to become the Associate Director of the Diocesan Office of Stewardship. In 2003, he became the Director and in 2007, he accepted the position of Executive Director of the new Department of Stewardship and Development for the Diocese of Metuchen, which became a full-time job. He conducted the Bishop’s Annual Appeal and planned major charitable events for the Foundation for Catholic Education and Catholic Charities. He served as an ad hoc member of the Presbyteral Council from 2008-2015 and on the College of Consultors for the diocese from 2008-2016.

In addition to his work at parishes and the diocese, Monsignor Cronin served as chaplain for the Middlesex County Serra Club from 1997-2002. He is a member of the New Jersey Catholic Conference Public Policy Committee since 1999. He was a board member of the Child Assault Prevention in Middlesex County and the Dean of the Cathedral Deanery until 2002. Monsignor was a member of the Diaconate Review Board from 2000-2006.

In 2003, he was invested as a Knight in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem. He serves as Deputy Chaplain of the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes, and of Malta, and is Chaplain Emeritus of Legatus.

On November 1, 2014, Bishop Paul Bootkoski named Monsignor Cronin pastor of Saint James Church in Basking Ridge.