Search
List of Credibly Accused Clergy
in the Diocese of Providence
-
At the direction of the Bishop, the Director of Compliance was tasked with conducting an independent, thorough and objective review of files dating back to 1950, a year used by many other dioceses as a benchmark. Many files were several decades old, and the Director was not the initial investigator. The Director reviewed all diocesan files compiled over seventy years, and employed his training and expertise as a twenty-three year State Police detective to make assessments and judgments regarding the available and developed evidence within the files. In some instances, the Director made additional inquiries to corroborate and bolster certain allegations. In some cases of his own choosing, the Director of Compliance consulted the Director of Outreach and Prevention and/or the Diocesan Review Board for further advice. In all instances, however, the Director of Compliance ultimately exercised his own independent, expert judgment in determining whether to place particular clergy on the list.
Click on the individual names listed below
to view parish/ministry assignments:Note: Blue italicized text indicates information added after July 1, 2019.
Blue italics will be removed after one year.
All ages listed are updated annually for July 1st of the current year. -
List of Credibly Accused Clergy - Living
Name Date of Birth Ordained Current Status Joseph Abbruzzese 5/14/1959
Age 6311/17/1990 Removed from Ministry 12/1/1993 Daniel Azzarone 3/11/1951
Age 716/16/1978 Removed from Ministry 11/1/2001 Paul Charland 4/24/1945
Age 775/15/1971 Removed from Ministry 8/26/2011 Joseph D'Angelo 1/3/1947
Age 754/21/1979 Removed from Ministry 7/1/1983 Kevin Fisette 6/26/1955
Age 6711/21/1981 Removed from Ministry 8/24/2009 P. Henry Leech 3/10/1950
Age 729/26/1980 Removed from Ministry 5/4/1984 Roland Lepire 2/18/1949
Age 738/23/1975 Removed from Ministry 2/9/1996 Richard Meglio 11/6/1941
Age 802/12/1972 Removed from Ministry 4/22/1988 John Petrocelli 10/13/1945
Age 765/8/1971 Removed from Ministry 8/22/2002 Francis Santilli 8/1/1953
Age 696/27/1980 Removed from Ministry 2/3/2022 James Silva 11/25/1939
Age 826/3/1967 Removed from Ministry 3/1/1993 William Tanguay 6/18/1943
Age 796/28/1969 Removed from Ministry 6/17/2002 John Tormey 2/12/1942
Age 806/3/1967 Resigned from Ministry 3/2/1979; Allegation received after resignation Samuel Turillo 7/6/1920
Age 1016/15/1946 Removed from Ministry 6/29/2016 -
List of Credibly Accused Non-Diocesan Clergy - Living
Name Date of Birth Ordained Current Status James W. Jackson, FSSP 6/3/1955
Age 675/18/1985 Removed from Ministry 10/31/2021 -
List of Credibly Accused Deacons - Living
Name Date of Birth Ordained Current Status Edward Sadowski 8/23/1942
Age 796/29/1979 Removed from Ministry 7/30/2001 -
List of Credibly Accused Clergy - Deceased
Name Date of Birth Ordained Current Status John Allard 7/7/1949 9/19/1975 Removed from Ministry 2/25/2013; Died 4/27/2018 Roger Belhumeur 3/29/1926 5/27/1961 Died 9/28/2010 Dennis Brodeur 7/1/1951 7/23/1977 Died 1/1/2004; Predeceased any allegation received Robert Carpentier 2/12/1941 6/3/1967 Removed from Ministry 4/9/1992; Died 5/9/2012 Normand Demers 9/14/1932 5/31/1958 Removed from Ministry 4/1/2002; Died 7/21/2018 Alfred Desrosiers 3/13/1935 6/25/1961 Removed from Ministry 4/2/1993; Died 2/15/2001 Paul Desrosiers 5/12/1913 5/18/1940 Died 6/27/1984; Predeceased any allegation received Louis Diogo 12/11/1920 6/23/1946 Removed from Ministry 5/10/2006; Died 4/4/2015 Charles Dolan 2/17/1904 12/20/1930 Died 11/5/1977; Predeceased any allegation received Louis Dunn 12/19/1920 5/31/1947 Removed from Ministry 3/24/1994; Died 4/18/2001 Oscar Ferland 3/16/1918 12/23/1944 Died 7/8/1998; Predeceased any allegation received John Ferry 4/23/1926 2/2/1957 Died 4/11/1988; Predeceased any allegation received Edmund Fitzgerald 12/5/1929 5/25/1957 Died 8/7/2020; Removed from Ministry 8/27/1998 William Gillooly 11/11/1918 12/23/1944 Died 9/2/1989; Predeceased any allegation received Timothy Gorton 2/6/1956 11/20/1982 Removed from Ministry 4/23/2012; Died 06/18/21 Rene Guertin 1/20/1919 6/15/1946 Died 1/23/1982; Predeceased any allegation received Richard Holden 9/11/1939 5/23/1964 Died 3/23/1985; Predeceased any allegation received Edward Kelley 3/21/1942 6/8/1968 Removed from Ministry 5/19/2015; Died 9/26/2022 Michael La Mountain 3/5/1949 8/14/1976 Removed from Ministry 3/3/1995; Died 8/25/2010 Philip Magaldi 4/29/1936 12/18/1960 Removed from Ministry 5/6/1992; Died 8/8/2008 Robert Marcantonio 11/30/1942 6/24/1967 Removed from Ministry 8/16/1989; Died 10/20/1999 Joseph McCra 9/25/1905 7/10/1932 Died 5/14/1964 Robert McIntyre 5/22/1937 6/29/1963 Removed from Ministry 3/30/1994; Died 6/23/2020 Barry Meehan 7/21/1949 6/10/1978 Removed from Ministry 1/8/2013; Died 12/8/2016 Adrian Menard 4/9/1922 6/15/1946 Died 2/1/1976; Predeceased any allegation received Edmund Micarelli 1/29/1923 5/23/1959 Removed from Ministry 4/17/1990; Died 7/12/2019 William O'Connell 4/10/1922 6/3/1950 Removed from Ministry 2/19/1985; Died 5/12/1996 William O'Neill 9/16/1941 6/8/1968 Left Ministry 7/10/1971; Died 5/3/2000 Hugh Rafferty 3/21/1933 6/7/1964 Removed from Ministry 11/1/1974; Died 1/11/2001 William Raiche 6/20/1908 5/21/1932 Died 3/26/1983; Predeceased any allegation received Peter Scagnelli 1/13/1949 8/6/1976 Removed from Ministry 1/1/1994; Died 7/12/2017 Armand Ventre 2/8/1932 6/30/1957 Removed from Ministry 7/5/1985; Died 12/27/99 -
List of Credibly Accused Religious Order Priests - Deceased
Name Date of Birth Ordained Current Status James D. Campbell, M.S.C.
Missionary of the Sacred Heart6/25/1945 5/27/1972 Left the Diocese of Providence 9/1977; Removed from Ministry 3/2005 by M.S.C.; Died 2007 John Aquinas Powers, O.P.
Dominican Friar
Province of St. Joseph9/27/1925 6/12/1952 Left Diocese of Providence 9/1965; Removed from Ministry 2/2005 by Province of St. Joseph; Died 10/19/2010 Joseph James Rocha, O.P.
Dominican Friar
Province of St. Joseph4/16/1940 6/9/1966 Left Diocese of Providence 6/2/1986; Removed from Ministry 1988 by Province of St. Joseph; Died 2009 John Gerard Brendan Smyth, O. Praem.,
Norbertine Monk
Belfast, Northern Ireland6/8/1927 7/31/1951 Left Diocese of Providence 2/1968; Died in prison 8/22/1997 -
List of Credibly Accused Deacons - Deceased
Name Date of Birth Ordained Current Status Laurence Gagnon 7/25/1940 6/23/1979 Removed from Ministry 8/10/2011; Died 8/28/21 -
List of Publicly Accused Clergy - Deceased
Name Date of Birth Ordained Current Status Anthony DeAngelis 10/14/1908 3/18/1935 Died 1/23/1990; Predeceased any allegation received Peter Tedeschi 5/22/1931 6/4/1960 Died 10/18/1986; Predeceased any allegation received -
The Diocese of Providence is committed to publishing on its website the list of Diocesan priests who were the subject of credible allegations of sexual abuse of minors and the current status of each. Please note: this list is a working document and will be updated should more information become available.
None of the individuals listed above is permitted to serve in ministry or function as a priest.
To those who have been abused, and have not contacted law enforcement or diocesan officials, please know that we and others are here for you. The Diocese urges anyone who has been the victim of sexual abuse, or with knowledge of such abuse, by any priest, deacon, religious lay employee or volunteer of the Diocese of Providence to report the information to the Rhode Island State Police Major Crimes Unit at (401) 764-0142, the RI Child Protective Services’ Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline Systems at 1-800-RI-CHILD (1-800-742-4453), the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office at (401) 274-4400 and/or Kevin O’Brien, Director of the Office of Compliance, at (401) 941-0760 or email kobrien@dioceseofprovidence.org. They may also contact, Victim Assistance Coordinator, Dr. Michael Hansen, Director of the Office of Outreach and Prevention at (401) 946-0728 or email mhansen@dioceseofprovidence.org to learn about pastoral outreach programs.
-
Contact Us
-
Kevin O’Brienkobriendioceseofprovidence.orgDirector, Office of Compliance
-
Michael D. Hansen, Ph.D., Directormhansendioceseofprovidence.orgOffice of Outreach & Prevention; Victim Assistance Coordinator
-
Office of Compliancecompliancedioceseofprovidence.org
-
All Media inquiries should be directed to:communicationsdioceseofprovidence.orgCommunications and Public Relations
-