Rev. Clarence Williams, CPPS, Ph.D

Clarence Williams was born in Tuscaloosa, AL and raised in Cleveland.  There, he entered the Society in 1965 and was ordained a priest for the Missionaries of the Precious Blood of the Cincinnati Province on October 28, 1978.  Williams earned his PhD in 1988 from the Union Institute and University of Cincinnati in global education and cultural communication.

With over 40 years of priestly service, Williams has forged an impressive legacy of parish ministry, congregational leadership, evangelizing innovations and racial justice advocacy.  

He has served as pastor of St. Anthony Church (Detroit), Holy Innocents / St. Barnabas Parishes (Michigan), and St. James the Less Parish (Columbus). For the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, he has served on their Provincial Council and as Director of Formation.

For years, his innovative TV broadcasts have inspired many, including A Search for a Black Christian Heritage, In God’s Service (Black vocations), Rejoice! (Black worship); Saint! (on the life of St. Martin de Porres); and national teleconferences on racism.  In 1987, Williams produced ABC’s Easter Mass for the United States. He also received the Christopher Award for Religious Broadcasting as executive producer of Sr. Thea, Her Own Story.  

To promote social justice, Williams has contributed to the USCCB Building Intercultural Competence for Ministers (2013). He’s served as co-convener of Building Bridges in Black and Brown, a national dialogue between the African American and Hispanic/Latino communities; as Director of Black Catholic Ministries for the Archdiocese of Detroit; as Director of Racial Equality and Diversity for Catholic Charities, USA; as Vice Chair of Bread for the World; in the Association of US Catholic Priests; and as Vice President of the NBCCC Board of Directors.  

Relevant publications include Racial Sobriety: A Journey from Hurts to Healing, and Racial Sobriety: Becoming the Change You Want to See (the latter is the official program on racism for NBCCC).  Williams also established the National Office of the Institute for Recovery from Racisms.  Notable awards include the Archbishop James Lyke Award from the Pan African Roman Catholic Clergy Conference, 1999 and the Msgr. Phillip Murnion Award for Pastoral Excellence in Faith and Culture from the National Pastoral Life Center, 2009.