Camden is well known for its ethnic communities. The large Polish, Italian, Irish, German, and Jewish communities played a great role in Camden's history in the 19th and first part of the 20th century, while Black and Puerto Rican communities have given the city much of its recent flavor. There are other, lesser known ethnic groups that have made up the fabric of the city's life over the years. Greeks, Armenians, and Ukrainians  grouped together in the city in Camden's growth years. More recently, Vietnamese, Jamaicans, Dominicans, Haitians, and Koreans have come to the city to live and seek the American dream. 

Early in the 20th century a number if Ukrainian families moved into Camden's Eighth Ward. There was work to be found at nearby factories such as the McAndrews & Forbes licorice factory, the Eavenson & Levering wool scouring plant, the Howland Croft & Sons textile mill, Camden Forge, and the New York Shipbuilding Corporation shipyard, among others.

The Ukrainian immigrant community pooled their resources, and like the Poles did with St. Joseph's Church at South 10th & Mechanic, built a church to fulfill their spiritual and cultural needs. Ferry Avenue grocer Stephen Haday was one of the organizers, he would serve as the church treasurer for 40 years. St. Michael's served its members into the 1970s.

As Camden began to change, with the loss of many of the industrial jobs in the Eighth Ward and elsewhere within the city, many of St. Michael's members began to move out of the city. Plans were made and land was purchased in the 1960s in Cherry Hill NJ for a new church to be erected.

The new St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church was built on Cooper Landing Road in the late 1970s. The old building is still in use, and in 2004 is the home of St. Matthew Highway Church of Christ of the Apostolic Faith.