Rivers, Clarence Joseph (1931 September 9-2004 November 21)
Dates
- Existence: 1931 September 9 - 2004 November 21
Biographical note
Black Catholic composer and liturgist Clarence-Rufus Joseph Rivers Jr. was born on September 9, 1931 to Lorraine Bingon Echols Rivers and Clarence-Rufus Joseph Rivers, Sr. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1956. His work focused on sharing the gifts of Black people with the Catholic Church and engaging Black Catholics in their Church. To this end, he composed two Mass settings that wove Gospel music and other Black musical traditions into Catholic liturgy, An American Mass Program (1963), and A Mass Dedicated to the Brotherhood of Man (1967). Rivers was a founding member of the National Office for Black Catholics (NOBC), the North American Academy of Liturgy, and his own organization, Stimuli, Inc. He died unexpectedly on November 21, 2004.
Social Networks and Archival Context (SNAC) Identifier
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Maxine Rivers collection of Clarence Joseph Rivers
Collected papers of twentieth-century Black American Catholic Clarence Joseph Rivers, documenting his activities as a priest, liturgist, composer, and public speaker. Materials include audio recordings, correspondence, news articles, personal papers, photographs, publications, sermons, and speeches.
Collection is open for research.