September 9, 1931 -- November 21, 2004
Renowned liturgist and musician, Reverend Clarence Joseph
Rufus Rivers died at his home on Sunday, November 21, 2004 in
Cincinnati, OH. Father Rivers, ordained in 1956, was the first
African American priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. He was a
preeminent pioneer in bringing the gifts of the African American
expression to life in the Roman Catholic liturgy. Father Clarence
paved the way for liturgical inculturation and inspired Black
Catholics to bring their artistic genius to the Catholic worship. In
2002, Father Rivers was honored with the Berakah Award from the
North American Academy of Liturgy. Father Rivers started Stimuli,
Inc, a center for liturgical arts, design and publication, in 1968
to foster a greater synthesis between African American cultural
expressions and traditional European American worship services.
In the introduction to, "Soulful Worship," Fr. Clarence
writes, "The creation of effective worship is the most important
task of the Church, but it also the task that the Church in my
opinion does lease well."
Father Rivers' two publications: "The Spirit in Worship:
and "Soulful Worship" challenged and inspired worshipers and
liturgists to seriously examine worship through the lens of African
American cultural frames. Never before had this cultural genre been
pointedly mined for its possible contribution to the worship of the
Catholic Church. For those studying liturgy and music, these are
seminal texts whose insights deepen upon each reading. His recording
of "Mass For the Brotherhood of Man" gave musical footing to the
efforts of all those struggling to be Black and Catholic. It is
through him that many churches with majority Black parishioners
began to dance, sing, vest and preach in ways familiar to their
cultural and spiritual hearts.
