Archbishop Emeritus Robert Rivas OP – RIP

Following is the press release from the Antilles Episcopal Conference Secretariat on the passing of Archbishop Emeritus Robert Rivas OP

It is with profound sadness that the Antilles Episcopal Conference announces the passing of the Most Reverend Archbishop Robert Rivas OP, Archbishop Emeritus of Castries.

Archbishop Rivas passed away peacefully in his sleep at approximately 2.30 a.m. on Sunday 27th September, 2026. We entrust him now to the loving mercy of God, confident that he is at peace with the Lord whom he served faithfully throughout his life.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago on 7 June 1946, Archbishop Rivas was ordained a priest of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) in 1971. He served the Church in Trinidad and Tobago before being appointed the first Bishop of Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, in 1990. He later served as Apostolic Administrator of Bridgetown, Barbados, before becoming Coadjutor Archbishop of Castries in 2007 and became Metropolitan Archbishop of Castries in 2008. He retired in 2022.

Throughout his priestly and episcopal ministry, Archbishop Rivas served the people of the Caribbean with dedication, particularly through his work in pastoral ministry, evangelisation, communications, youth and formation.

The Antilles Episcopal Conference gives thanks for the gift of his life and ministry and extends its heartfelt condolences to his family, the Dominican Order, the clergy and faithful of the Archdiocese of Castries, and all who mourn his passing. May he rest in the peace of Christ.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

Message from Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon

I am deeply saddened by the passing of Archbishop Robert Rivas, OP.

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.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago on 7 June 1946, Archbishop Rivas was ordained a priest of the Order of Preachers—the Dominicans—in 1971. He was a Dominican to the core.

The Dominican family was his religious home throughout his priestly life and episcopal ministry, and when he returned to Trinidad and Tobago following his retirement as Archbishop of Castries, they received him home and cared for him with extraordinary generosity.

As his health declined, that care became even more devoted and demanding. His Dominican brothers accompanied him faithfully through his illness, ensuring that he was surrounded by fraternity, dignity, and love.

Their care for him has been a beautiful witness to the bonds of religious life.

I extend my deepest sympathies to his family, to his Dominican family, and to his many friends who loved him and will miss him dearly. I thank all who accompanied him, especially during his illness, for the loving care, friendship, and presence they gave him.

My own relationship with Archbishop Rivas goes back many years. I first met him when I was a teenager, when he was a newly ordained priest assigned to St. Theresa’s Parish in Woodbrook. I was a parishioner and a member of the youth group and folk choir. He was engaging, open and available. He spent time with us, encouraged us, and entered generously into the lives of the young people of the parish.

Years later, our paths crossed again in episcopal ministry. Archbishop Rivas had served as Bishop of Kingstown, St Vincent and the Grenadines, immediately before I was ordained bishop for that diocese.

By the time of my ordination, he was Archbishop of Castries, St Lucia, while also serving as Apostolic Administrator of both Kingstown and Bridgetown, Barbados. He therefore accompanied me through that important transition, handing over to me the care of the Church in St Vincent and the Grenadines, which he had himself shepherded as its bishop.

Later still, we served together as brother bishops in the Antilles Episcopal Conference. During those years, we worked closely in the service of the Church throughout the Caribbean.

After his retirement, our relationship entered yet another phase. We had many opportunities simply to sit together and talk. During his illness, I would often visit him on Sundays, bringing him Holy Communion, listening to him, and praying with him. Those quiet encounters revealed something deeper than the public figure so many people knew.

Archbishop Rivas was larger than life in so many ways. He loved people, and he loved having a good time. He was an excellent cook and had a wonderful gift for gathering people around a table and preparing meals that were both generous and memorable. Hospitality came naturally to him.

He was also a poet and a writer, with a wonderful creative spirit. He had a gift for taking an experience and turning it into song, poetry, or creative writing, giving it new depth, and making it memorable.

Through his words and his imagination, he could capture the beauty, humour and deeper meaning of life and share them with others. His creativity was another expression of his generous spirit and his love for people.

But beneath all of this was something more fundamental: his heart belonged to God, and his life was given entirely to God.

That life touched people throughout the Caribbean. In St Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados, St Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and across the wider Antilles, people encountered in him a priest and bishop who gave himself generously to the Church.

At his retirement from the Archdiocese of Castries, the many tributes offered to him testified to the affection in which he was held and to the lives he had touched.

He did much for our region. He did much for the Church. He did much for Trinidad and Tobago. And so today, with sadness, gratitude, and Christian hope, I say to my brother: Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.

May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Most Reverend Charles Jason Gordon

Archbishop of Port of Spain