Meet Father Rivers

Fr. Joseph A. Brown, SJ is our guest on this episode: a Jesuit priest and professor of Africana studies and scholar of Black Catholicism and liturgy. Fr. Brown is a poet, an artist and was a friend and colleague of Fr. Rivers. He tells how he first heard Fr. Rivers' music and shares his belief that Fr. Rivers' scholarly works are an undiscovered gem of American Catholicism. Hosts and guest discuss how we must share Rivers' ideas and legacy in the digital age. Fr. Joseph teaches us about sankofa: a West African, cyclical concept of the cosmos which emphasizes a return to the past to bring forth present and future. He suggests with some urgency that we "do the sankofa thing" with the teachings of Fr. Rivers, to renew the Church and empower the people of God. For Episode 16 Show Notes, click here.

Emily and Eric conclude their investigation of Fr. Rivers' career teaching high school English and drama at Purcell in Cincinnati. Former Queen's Man Kenneth Stevens shares his memories of Fr. Rivers as a teacher, director and inspiration for Ken's long and productive career in the arts. Ken describes Rivers' influence on his own career, contributing to his can-do attitude and his ability to look at situations without prejudice to create amazing results. Ken and the hosts talk about Rivers as a powerful mentor, and finally, Ken describes the scholarship he founded at Eastern Michigan University and why he named it after Fr. Clarence Rivers. For Show Notes for Episode 15, click here.

Emily and Eric continue their investigation of Fr. Rivers' career teaching high school English and drama at Purcell in Cincinnati. Fr. Rivers started a drama troupe at Purcell, an all-boys Catholic high school, called the Queen's Men. 1962 Purcell High School grad Dan Sack sits down with Emily and Eric to tell them about his first-hand experience of Fr. Rivers as a director, teacher and life-long friend. Surprisingly, he also shares how the troupe was broken apart when many of its members became troopers in the Vietnam War. Personal memories and US history intertwine in this not-to-be-missed episode of Meet Father Rivers. For this episode's show notes, click here.

As a newly-ordained priest, Fr. Rivers served as an English teacher, guidance counselor and drama coach at Purcell High School in Cincinnati in the late 1950s into the 1960s. There, he changed lives. Emily and Eric start their investigation of Fr. Rivers as high school teacher with Purcell teaching colleague, Fr. James Heft, SM. Fr. Jim was fresh out of college at the time of his encounter with Fr. Rivers, but went on to a distinguished career in the academy as an expert in Catholic secondary and higher education. Fr. Heft talks about the way Fr. Rivers set high standards for the English and drama curriculum at Purcell and the seamless way Rivers' teaching expressed his interests in drama and the human experience. Fr. Heft also discusses how Rivers—along with his personal encounters with the Black American writer James Baldwin—helped him understand the commonalities among all of humanity and what he calls the elasticity of Catholicism. Finally, Fr. Heft offers Emily and Eric some welcome encouragement in telling Fr. Rivers' story. For show notes, click here.

Emily and Eric interview Fr. Tom DiFolco, retired priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati who was mentored by Fr. Rivers, forming a friendship with Fr. Rivers as a fellow priest that greatly enhanced Fr. Tom's own priestly ministry. Fr. Tom has served the Black Catholic parishes of Cincinnati for 25 years, and he opens up about the joys and challenges of his ministry and—most especially—how he has been forever changed by the life and influence of Fr. Clarence Rivers. The conversation includes a discussion of the original Eucharistic prayers composed by Fr. Rivers, and a sizable audio clip of Fr. Clarence praying his "Anaphora of the Lion and Lamb" is included in this episode, with special thanks to Matt Fellerhoff. For show notes, click here.

Emily and Eric interview Wilton Cardinal Gregory, the seventh Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and the first African American Cardinal—ever!—in the Roman Catholic Church. Cardinal Gregory shares how he first encountered Fr. Rivers, what Rivers' work meant to him as a young seminarian, priest and Bishop, and how he continues to pray in thanksgiving for Fr. Rivers' work and witness. He explains how he came to possess one of Fr. Rivers' pectoral crosses and what it means to him. Hosts and esteemed guest discuss Fr. Rivers as just one of many African American "hidden figures" in the Catholic Church and how important it is to remember and acknowledge their gifts to the Church. Finally, Eric and Emily process the conversation with some follow-up thoughts and share feedback from two listeners. Episode photo by Peter Ringenberg/©University of Notre Dame. Click here for the Episode 11 Show Notes.

Emily and Eric detail how Fr. Clarence Rivers received, in 2002, the prestigious Berakah Award, an award given by the North American Academy of Liturgy (NAAL) to honor distinguished contributors to the field of professional liturgy. The hosts interview scholar of liturgy, musician and clinician Dr. Don E. Saliers, theologian-in-residence at Emory's Candler School of Theology, who composed the text of Fr. Rivers' Berakah Award, poetically and beautifully capturing Fr. Rivers' spirit and contributions to the liturgical life. The conversion broadens to include the profoundly ecumenical character of the 20th century liturgical movement and the ways in which Fr. Rivers' influence extends well beyond the Catholic tradition, helping Christians of many traditions re-imagine worship. Access the show notes from episode 10 by clicking this link.

In this episode, hosts Emily and Eric interview Dr. Mary McGann, RSCJ, who, in January of 2002, published an article in the journal Worship called "Timely Wisdom, Prophetic Challenge: Rediscovering Clarence R.J. Rivers' Vision of Effective Worship." In it, Mary gives a helpful summary of Fr. Rivers' liturgical vision and the innovative contributions he made in the field of liturgical theology. Mary tells Eric and Emily about how she first encountered Fr. Rivers' music and scholarly work and how she synthesized his deeply sacramental vision for effective worship for the benefit of modern academic liturgical studies. Download the show notes for Episode 9 here.

In this episode, Eric and Emily continue their interview with liturgist, composer and pastoral musician Rawn Harbor, discussing Fr. Rivers as a composer who defied categorization, and the ongoing genesis of Black Catholic liturgy and liturgical music begun by Fr. Rivers. Click here for Episode 8 Show Notes. These include photos of the beautiful vestments referenced in the show.

Emily and Eric interview pianist, pastoral musician, liturgist, workshop presenter and composer Mr. Ronald (Rawn) Harbor. Rawn met Fr. Rivers in 1973 and became his primary accompanist and eventually a liturgist in his own right under Fr. Clarence's careful mentorship. Rawn discusses his own approaches to composition and even shares a recording of a psalm arrangement that he's particularly proud of: Psalm 63 "My Soul is Thirsting," on this special, most musical episode of Meet Father Rivers to date. Click here for show notes.