The Caribbean faith community and political leaders are mourning the passing of Robert Rivas, the retired Archbishop Emeritus of Castries, who died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 80 on Sunday.
Prime Minister Philip Pierre of Saint Lucia delivered an official statement leading public tributes to the late archbishop, highlighting Rivas’s decades of committed service to the people of Saint Lucia and the broader Caribbean region. Pierre emphasized that Rivas’s tenure as a spiritual leader was defined by consistent humility, unwavering dedication, and deep compassion for the communities he served. His decades-long spiritual guidance touched the lives of thousands of people across the region, leaving a lasting legacy that will be remembered by both the Catholic Church and the nation of Saint Lucia for generations to come. On behalf of the government and people of Saint Lucia, Pierre extended sincere condolences to the clergy and parishioners of the Archdiocese of Castries, as well as to Rivas’s family, friends, and all those grieving his passing.
The Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC), the regional body representing Catholic bishops across the Caribbean, released its own statement confirming the details of Rivas’s death and celebrating his life of service. Born in Trinidad and Tobago in June 1946, Rivas entered the Dominican Order of Preachers and was ordained as a priest in 1971. He began his ecclesiastical career serving parishes and faith communities across his home country of Trinidad and Tobago, before making history in 1990 when he was appointed the first Bishop of Kingstown in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Following his time in Saint Vincent, Rivas took on the role of Apostolic Administrator for the Diocese of Bridgetown in Barbados, before being named Coadjutor Archbishop of Castries, Saint Lucia in 2007. A year later, in 2008, he ascended to the position of Metropolitan Archbishop of Castries, a role he held until his retirement from active ministry in 2022.
The AEC statement highlighted that throughout his more than 50 years of priestly and episcopal ministry, Rivas prioritized service to Caribbean people across multiple core areas, including pastoral outreach, evangelism, church communications, youth ministry, and clergy formation. “The Antilles Episcopal Conference gives thanks for the gift of his life and ministry,” the statement read.
Fellow senior church leader Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon of Trinidad and Tobago shared a heartfelt reflection on his final meeting with Rivas, just days before his death. “On the Sunday before his death, I met Archbishop Rivas at Medical Associates where he was receiving treatment. We shared a beautiful human moment. He was serene, seemingly at peace with the possibility of death, yet looking forward to time with the family who had loved and supported him so faithfully. I treasure that final encounter as a grace,” Gordon said.
Plans for Rivas’s funeral have been finalized, with a public Funeral Mass scheduled to take place at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, October 5, at St Finbar’s Church in Diego Martin, Trinidad. Archbishop Gabriel Malzaire of the Archdiocese of Castries will preside over the memorial service.