This week we speak to the creators of the "Meet Father Rivers" podcast: Emily Strand and Eric Styles. Emily and Eric share the stories of how their lives have been impacted by Fr. Rivers, which led them to create a podcast honoring the many ways the Holy Spirit flow through his life to others. For more information on this episode, visit ministrymonday.org. For more information on the Meet Father Rivers podcast, visit www.meetfatherrivers.libsyn.com.
SHOW NOTES
Bio: Father Clarence Joseph Rivers
Anyone who participates in a Catholic liturgy enlivened by music coming from the African American cultural tradition is benefitting from the legacy of Fr. Clarence Joseph Rivers. The Second Vatican Council, in the early 1960s, opened the door of the Church to liturgies conducted in the language of the local people and, through its broader emphasis on inculturation, ushered in new possibilities for liturgical music. In that context, beginning while the Council was still in session, it was Fr. Rivers more than any other single person who pioneered the integration of black sacred music into the Catholic celebration of the Eucharist and other liturgical settings
Upon Fr.Rivers’ death in 2005, at age 73, Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory—who at that time was bishop of Belleville, Illinois and the recent past president of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops—said: Fr. Clarence Rivers was a musical and cultural genius who provided great pride for African-American Catholics by composing music for the Catholic liturgy that clearly and proudly reflected the cultural gifts of black people in our country.” Bishop Gregory went on to say that, through his music, Rivers “brought the church closer to African-Americans while at the same time enriching the Catholic church with a spiritual vibrancy and artistic expression that crossed all racial barriers.” He characterized Fr. Rivers as “a pioneer musician, liturgist, and cultural treasure.”
Born September 9, 1931, in Selma, Alabama, into a family that was not Catholic, Clarence Joseph Rufus Rivers was enrolled in the fourth grade at St. Ann School following the family’s move to Cincinnati. Eventually, the entire family became Catholic, and Clarence discerned a call to the priesthood while still in high school. At the time of his ordination in 1956, he was the first black priest in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and quickly confronted the reality of racism when the parishioners at the parish where he was initially assigned refused to accept him. Following his transfer to St. Joseph Church, the 32-year old assistant pastor sought a way to promote more active congregational participation in the liturgy. This prompted him in 1963 to develop and record “An American Mass Program,” a series of compositions blending rhythmic and melodic elements of the Negro spirituals with Gregorian chant.
The success of “An American Mass Program” helped spark a liturgical music revolution in American Catholicism, finding acceptance in parishes across the country and receiving a gold medal from the Catholic Art Association in 1966. Two years prior to that, Fr. Rivers led the singing for the first official high Mass in English in the United States, at the National Liturgical Conference in St. Louis, and the Communion song, “God Is Love,” was his first musical composition for liturgy. Rawn Harbor, coordinator of liturgy at Berkeley, California’s Franciscan School of Theology, measured the song’s impact by saying that “it had the assembly standing and applauding for ten minutes.” Liturgical composer Ken Canedo, a Filipino-American, wrote: “Electricity filled the air when Father Rivers stepped up to the microphone and sang . . . . The American Catholic church would never be the same.”
Fr. Rivers’ academic achievements included a master’s in philosophy from the Athenaeum of Ohio, graduate studies in English literature at Xavier University in Cincinnati and Yale, as well as graduate studies in speech and drama at the Catholic University of America and in liturgy at the Institut Catholique in Paris. He obtained a doctorate in black culture and religion from the Union Institute and University, then called Union Graduate School, in Cincinnati. In 1971, while head of the National Office of Black Catholics’ newly created Department of Culture and Worship, he initiated an annual workshop on African-American liturgy called “Freeing the Spirit,” and went on to edit a magazine by the same name to promote the objectives fostered through the workshops. His books, Soulfull Worship—with the extra “l” in “Soulfull” deliberately added for emphasis—and The Spirit in Worship have had an enormous impact on American liturgical composers and musicians, and through them, on American Catholic congregations.
Bio: Emily Strand
Emily is an author, podcaster, teacher, speaker, award-winning singer-songwriter and musician. She holds an MA in theology from the University of Dayton and has taught religion on the college level for nearly 20 years. Emily has published two books on Catholic sacraments and several peer-reviewed chapters and essays on the religious, symbolic and spiritual themes in popular fiction such as Harry Potter and Star Wars. With Dr. Kathryn N. McDaniel of Marietta College, Emily co-hosts Potterversity, a Potter Studies Podcast, a show in the MuggleNet family of podcasts. With McDaniel and with Amy H. Sturgis, Emily is co-editor of three scholarly books for academic presses on Star Wars, Star Trek and Harry Potter.
She is also co-host and creator of the podcast Meet Father Rivers, which explores the life and legacy of her mentor, Black Catholic priest, composer and liturgical pioneer, Fr. Clarence Joseph Rivers (co-hosted by Eric T. Styles). Emily teaches comparative religions and cultural competence courses at Mount Carmel College of Nursing in Columbus, Ohio and serves the National Pastoral Musicians Association (NPM) as Chair of the Forum on Communications.
Emily is also a lector, cantor and accompanist for her Catholic parish, Immaculate Conception in Columbus, Ohio, and a proud member of the 501st and Rebel Legions, international Star Wars costuming associations that serve local communities through fundraising and appearances at charitable events.
Please explore the menu at the top of the page for more about Emily Strand, including social media links. Use the contact page to get in touch, and visit Emily’s blog, LiturgyAndLife.com.
Bio: Eric Styles
Eric T. Styles, since 2016, has served as the Rector of Carroll Hall, an intentional undergraduate residential community at the University of Notre Dame. A Chicago native, he holds degrees from the University of Cincinnati and Loyola University Chicago. Eric worked as a Parish Liturgy Coordinator at Saint Benedict the African Catholic Church in Chicago and as a House Manager for the Theatre School of DePaul University. He discerned religious life for seven years with the Society of Jesus, during which time he prayed the thirty day retreat designed by St. Ignatius Loyola and received formal training in spiritual direction. He later left the Jesuits and eventually found his way to Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, where he worked as a Campus Minister for Liturgy and Faith Formation. Now at Notre Dame, he continues to assist as a retreat leader and an occasional spiritual director. Eric remains active in the performing arts as a collaborator with Afro House, a Baltimore based music driven performance art ensemble. Eric writes about theology, liturgy, and contemporary culture for publications like America, Church Life Journal, and U.S. Catholic. He is deeply interested in the intersections of ritual, performing arts, communal identity, and the interior life. Eric is the co-host of Meet Father Rivers, a podcast about the extraordinary liturgical and musical contributions of Father Clarence-Rufus Joseph Rivers.
All content of this podcast is property of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians or its content suppliers and is protected by United States and international copyright laws. For information about the podcast and its use, please contact us.