This page concerns Laurence Gagnon, born July 25, 1940, ordained a deacon June 23, 1979, who served in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence and died August 28, 2021. He was a permanent deacon, not a priest. This page does not refer to any other person of the same or similar name. Assignments are reproduced from the Diocese’s records and the Attorney General’s report — see how this database is verified.
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Deacon Laurence Gagnon served the Diocese of Providence for over three decades in West Warwick: eleven years at West View Nursing Home, then — per the Diocese’s published record — twenty-one years at St. Joseph Church & St. Joseph School, from 1990 until 2011. He is named on the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Credibly Accused Deacons and is among the 72 clergy included in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report on the Diocese (Appendix A, p. 2).
What happened to Deacon Gagnon?
According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, Deacon Gagnon was removed from ministry on August 10, 2011 and died on August 28, 2021. The Attorney General’s entry records the same removal date and adds a “2011: Faculties suspended” line (Appendix A, p. 144).
Deacon Gagnon’s case ended in a criminal conviction. According to the Attorney General’s report, after an investigation by the West Warwick Police Department he was charged with 14 counts of second-degree child molestation; he pled nolo contendere to three counts, was sentenced to 10 years in prison with one year to serve and the balance suspended with probation, and was required to register as a Level 3 sex offender (Appendix A, p. 144).
The report also examines the Diocese’s initial response in June 2011. When St. Joseph School’s principal reported the first complaint and asked whether he was required to notify state authorities, the Diocese’s compliance director told him the conduct was “poor judgment,” not a “reportable” offense — “Bad judgment is not a crime in this state” — and the report recounts that even after learning police were investigating, and after Gagnon admitted the reported incident to him, the director reassured Gagnon that calling the police or DCYF was unnecessary. Law enforcement became involved because the principal persisted (Report, pp. 165–66; Appendix A, p. 145).
Where Deacon Gagnon served: assignment history
The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:
| Assignment | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| West View Nursing Home | West Warwick, RI | 1979–1990 |
| St. Joseph Church & St. Joseph School | West Warwick, RI | 1990–2011 |
Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 8, 2026. The Attorney General’s Appendix A prints the second assignment as “St. Joseph Church and School” and adds the 2011 faculties suspension (Appendix A, p. 144).
What the official lists say
The Diocese of Providence includes Laurence Gagnon on its List of Credibly Accused Deacons – Deceased, with the status: “Removed from Ministry 8/10/2011; Died 8/28/21”. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Deacon Laurence Gagnon among the 72 clergy “determined by the Attorney General to have been credibly accused of child sexual misconduct in the Diocese of Providence” (Appendix A, p. 2). He is one of the 75 names on the Diocese of Providence credibly accused list, explained.
The report’s summary states: “Deacon Laurence Gagnon was convicted of sexually assaulting three of his students at St. Joseph School in West Warwick between 2006 and 2011 and was accused of sexually assaulting two other students there during the same time period” (Appendix A, p. 144).
As the Attorney General’s report itself states, unless otherwise noted, the details in its Appendix A are allegations — not facts proven in a courtroom or admitted by the accused — and the individuals named are generally entitled to a presumption of innocence. Deacon Gagnon’s nolo contendere pleas and sentence, described above, are an exception established by court record as the report recounts them (Appendix A, p. 2; Appendix A, p. 144).
If you were at St. Joseph Church or St. Joseph School in West Warwick: the Rhode Island revival window
The Diocese’s published record places him at St. Joseph Church & School from 1990 to 2011. Rhode Island’s revival window allows previously time-barred civil claims until June 30, 2028, and newer claims may also proceed under Rhode Island’s existing statute of limitations. His death in 2021 does not affect the right to bring a claim; claims are brought against the responsible institution:
- How Rhode Island’s revival window works
- Can you still sue if the person accused has died?
- The June 30, 2028 deadline
- Rhode Island’s childhood sexual abuse statute of limitations
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Laurence Gagnon on the credibly accused list? Yes. He appears on the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Credibly Accused Deacons (Deceased) and in Appendix A of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report.
Was Deacon Gagnon convicted? Yes. As the Attorney General’s report records, he was charged with 14 counts of second-degree child molestation, pled nolo contendere to three counts, received a 10-year sentence with one year to serve, and was required to register as a Level 3 sex offender.
He was a deacon, not a priest — does the law still apply? Yes. Clerical rank does not limit it — the revival window concerns childhood sexual abuse and institutional responsibility, whatever the accused person’s title.
When was he removed from ministry? The Diocese’s published status is “Removed from Ministry 8/10/2011.”
Confidential help
If something happened to you at St. Joseph’s — the church or the school — or at West View, you can speak with a Rhode Island attorney confidentially, at no cost and with no obligation. You don’t need records or proof in hand to have a conversation, and you don’t need to have told anyone before. Contact Marin & Murphy Law Firm confidentially.
Related town records: see all verified West Warwick records.
Reporting resources
Anyone with information about abuse may contact the Rhode Island State Police Special Victims Unit at (401) 764-0142, the RI Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-RI-CHILD (1-800-742-4453), or the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office at (401) 274-4400.
Questions About These Records? Talk With Marin & Murphy — Confidentially
If the assignment history on this page overlaps with your own — a parish, a school, a set of years — and you want to understand what it may mean for a claim under Rhode Island’s revival window, our attorneys can review it with you. Marin & Murphy Law Firm is a Rhode Island law firm representing survivors of childhood sexual abuse under the revival window (July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2028). A conversation is free and confidential, nothing is filed and no one is contacted unless you decide, and there is no fee unless you recover. Call (401) 269-3381, or start with our Rhode Island clergy abuse lawyer page.
Corrections: we maintain a corrections policy for these pages, with a named contact and a 48-hour review commitment. If you believe anything on this page is inaccurate, please tell us.
Verification: every fact on this page is checked against both official sources — the Diocese of Providence’s published records and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s report — with source conflicts stated, not silently resolved. See how this database is verified.
Sources: Diocese of Providence, List of Credibly Accused Clergy and individual clergy record (verified July 8, 2026); Rhode Island Attorney General, Report on the Diocese of Providence and Appendix A (March 4, 2026). Information current as of July 8, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.