This page concerns Adrian Menard — the Attorney General’s records print his name as “Adrien Menard” — ordained June 15, 1946, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence who died February 1, 1976. The Diocese’s record prints his birth date as April 9, 1922; the Attorney General’s records print September 4, 1922 — both are stated here with attribution. 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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Father Adrian Menard’s thirty years of ministry centered on Central Falls — eleven years at Sacred Heart Church concurrent with Notre Dame High School and Sacred Heart Academy — with earlier assignments in Warwick, North Providence, and Nasonville, eleven years at St. Joseph in Woonsocket, and five final years at St. Joan of Arc in Cumberland. He is named on the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Credibly Accused Clergy 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 Father Menard?
According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, his status reads, in full: “Died 2/1/1976; Predeceased any allegation received”. That is, per the Diocese’s record, he died before any allegation was received. The Attorney General’s entry prints “Retired: N/A” in its header (Appendix A, p. 255).
The Attorney General’s Appendix A states that “[a]ll the complaints against Menard were brought to the Diocese long after he had died”: the allegations concerned two young teenage boys at Sacred Heart Church in Central Falls and Saint Joseph Church in Woonsocket in the 1950s and 1960s, and, per a 2002 report to the Diocese, a sister and brother at St. Joan of Arc Church in Cumberland in the early 1970s (Appendix A, p. 255). One complainant, a student at Sacred Heart Academy and Notre Dame High School, first disclosed his reported abuse to the Diocese in 2011 (Appendix A, p. 255).
The main report separately recounts a survivor’s account from 1963, in which Father Menard reportedly hosted a group of boys at a cottage on Lake Pascoag in Burrillville, devised a card game that he rigged to determine sleeping arrangements so that he and the survivor would always sleep together, and later reportedly abused the boy on a family trip to California (Report, p. 78). The report’s narrative also records that Father Paul Desrosiers’s reported abuse was allegedly reported to Menard, then the assistant pastor at St. Joseph’s — and that the produced records do not reveal what Menard did with those reports (Appendix A, p. 94).
Where Father Menard served: assignment history
The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:
| Assignment | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| St. Peter Church | Warwick, RI | 1946–1947 |
| Sacred Heart Church | Central Falls, RI | 1947 |
| St. Lawrence Church | North Providence, RI | 1947–1948 |
| St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Church | Nasonville, RI | 1948–1949 |
| Sacred Heart Church | Central Falls, RI | 1949–1960 |
| Notre Dame High School | Central Falls, RI | 1949–1960 |
| Sacred Heart Academy | Central Falls, RI | 1949–1960 |
| St. Joseph Church | Woonsocket, RI | 1960–1971 |
| St. Joan of Arc Church | Cumberland, RI | 1971–1976 |
Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 21, 2026; entries reproduced as published. The Attorney General’s Appendix A prints the 1948–1949 assignment as “St. Theresa of the Child Jesus Church, Burrillville” where the Diocese prints “St. Teresa of the Child Jesus Church, Nasonville” (Appendix A, p. 255); each is stated here as the official documents print it.
What the official lists say
The Diocese of Providence includes Adrian Menard on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Adrien Menard 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 of the allegations states: “Father Adrien Menard was accused of sexually abusing three or more children during his 30 years in ministry” (Appendix A, p. 255).
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 (Appendix A, p. 2). Father Menard was never criminally charged; in the report’s words, “[a]ll the complaints against Menard were brought to the Diocese long after he had died” (Appendix A, p. 255).
If you were at Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, or Sacred Heart Academy in Central Falls — or St. Joseph’s or St. Joan of Arc: the Rhode Island revival window
Rhode Island’s revival window allows civil claims for childhood sexual abuse regardless of how long ago it occurred — until June 30, 2028. His death in 1976 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 priest has died?
- The June 30, 2028 deadline
- Who can file a claim
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Adrian Menard on the credibly accused list? Yes. He appears on the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Credibly Accused Clergy (Deceased) as Adrian Menard, and in Appendix A of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report as Adrien Menard.
Was Father Menard ever criminally charged? No. The Attorney General’s records reflect no criminal charges; the report states all complaints were brought to the Diocese long after his death in 1976 (Appendix A, p. 255).
Did he teach at Notre Dame High School or Sacred Heart Academy? The Diocese’s published assignment record lists Notre Dame High School and Sacred Heart Academy in Central Falls, both 1949–1960, concurrent with Sacred Heart Church.
He died in 1976 — can a claim still be filed? Yes. Under the revival window, claims may be filed until June 30, 2028, regardless of when the abuse occurred or whether the priest is living.
Confidential help
If something happened to you at Sacred Heart, Notre Dame, Sacred Heart Academy, St. Joseph’s, or St. Joan of Arc, 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.
Other credibly accused clergy who served at these parishes
The official assignment records above overlap with those of other clergy on the official lists — the same institution of record, at any period, which is not an assertion that they served there at the same time:
- Father Joseph McCra — also served at St. Joseph Church, Woonsocket (+1 more shared)
- Father Alfred Desrosiers — also served at St. Joan of Arc Church, Cumberland
- Father Michael La Mountain — also served at St. Joseph Church, Woonsocket
- Father Paul Desrosiers — also served at St. Joseph Church, Woonsocket
Related town records: see all verified Woonsocket records and 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 21, 2026); Rhode Island Attorney General, Report on the Diocese of Providence and Appendix A (March 4, 2026). Where the two official sources differ (the Adrian/Adrien name forms; the birth date (4/9/1922 vs. September 4, 1922); and the St. Teresa/St. Theresa and Nasonville/Burrillville forms), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 21, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.