Archbishop Robert Rivas passes away at age 80

Archbishop Emeritus Robert Rivas, OP, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at the age of 80. He died at a relative's home in D’Abadie following a period of declining health and recent hospitalizations.

Born in Trinidad and Tobago in 1946, Rivas was ordained a Dominican priest in 1971. His ecclesiastical career included serving as the first Bishop of Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, in 1990, and as Apostolic Administrator of Bridgetown, Barbados. He served as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Castries for 15 years starting in 2008, before retiring in 2022.

The Antilles Episcopal Conference expressed profound sadness over his passing, noting his dedicated service to the Caribbean through pastoral ministry, evangelization, and youth formation. A funeral mass is scheduled for Monday, October 5, at St Finbar’s RC Church in Diego Martin, to be presided over by Archbishop Gabriel Malzaire.