This page concerns Alfred Desrosiers, born March 13, 1935, ordained June 25, 1961, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence who died February 15, 2001. He is a different person from Father Paul Desrosiers (1913–1984), who also appears on the Diocese's list and whose published status notes that he died before any allegation was received. 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 Alfred Desrosiers spent nearly his entire ministry in northern Rhode Island parishes — nine years at Holy Family and fifteen at Our Lady of Victories, both in Woonsocket, with seven years at St. Joan of Arc in Cumberland between them — along with early assignments in Georgiaville and Warren and six years at a day-care center in Lincoln. 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 Desrosiers?
According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, Father Alfred Desrosiers was removed from ministry on April 2, 1993 and died on February 15, 2001. The Attorney General’s entry records the same date with a different term, listing Desrosiers as suspended on April 2, 1993 (Appendix A, p. 86).
According to the Attorney General’s records, the Diocese received the first complaint against Desrosiers in March 1993, when a woman reported that she had been sexually abused by Desrosiers in the early 1970s, when she was 15 to 17 years old and a CYO participant at St. Joan of Arc Church in Cumberland (Appendix A, p. 86; Report, p. 111). Bishop Louis Gelineau met with Desrosiers in early April 1993; according to the Bishop’s own memorandum, Desrosiers admitted to what Gelineau termed an “affair” with the complainant, and Gelineau suspended him from ministry and arranged a sabbatical at Boston College (Report, p. 111; Report, p. 159). The Diocese did not refer the complaint to the Rhode Island State Police until February 1994 — which the report identifies as the first documented instance of the Diocese referring an abuse complaint to a police department (Report, p. 159).
In September 1995, a Rhode Island grand jury indicted Desrosiers on one count of raping the complainant when she was 15 years old in 1972; he pled not guilty (Appendix A, p. 86; Report, p. 132). Prosecutors sought testimony from Bishop Gelineau and Father Normand Godin about Desrosiers’ reported admissions, but in June 1997 a Superior Court justice ruled the conversations privileged, and the State’s appeal was still pending when Desrosiers died in February 2001 — terminating the criminal case before any trial or verdict (Report, p. 112). In late 2002, the Diocese paid several hundred thousand dollars to settle civil lawsuits brought by the victim in the criminal case and another female victim; the Diocese received a third complaint against Desrosiers in 2012 and a fourth in 2019 (Appendix A, p. 86).
Where Father Desrosiers served: assignment history
The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:
| Assignment | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| St. Michael Church | Georgiaville, RI | Summer 1961 |
| St. Jean Baptiste Church | Warren, RI | 1961–1962 |
| Holy Family Church | Woonsocket, RI | 1962–1971 |
| St. Joan of Arc Church | Cumberland, RI | 1971–1978 |
| Mount St. Francis Day Care Center | Lincoln, RI | 1977–1983 |
| Our Lady of Victories Church | Woonsocket, RI | 1978–1993 |
Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 7, 2026. The Attorney General’s Appendix A entry places St. Michael Church in Smithfield — the town containing the village the Diocese calls Georgiaville — and adds two rows the Diocese’s list omits: “1993 – 1997: Suspended on leave” and “1997: Retired” (Appendix A, p. 86).
What the official lists say
The Diocese of Providence includes Alfred Desrosiers on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased, with the status: “Removed from Ministry 4/2/1993; Died 2/15/2001”. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Alfred Desrosiers 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: “Between 1972 and the mid-1980s, while serving as a priest in the Diocese of Providence, Father Alfred Desrosiers reportedly sexually abused three teenage girls and one boy” (Appendix A, p. 86).
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. Father Desrosiers was criminally charged but never tried: a grand jury indicted him in September 1995 on one count of rape, he pled not guilty, and he died in February 2001 while the case was still pending — the prosecution ended without any trial, conviction, or acquittal (Appendix A, p. 86; Report, p. 132; Appendix A, p. 2).
If you were at these Woonsocket or Cumberland parishes: the Rhode Island revival window
Rhode Island’s revival window allows civil claims for childhood sexual abuse regardless of how long ago it occurred — including the 1960s and 1970s — until June 30, 2028. His death in 2001 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
See also the separately listed record for Father Paul Desrosiers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Alfred Desrosiers on the credibly accused list? Yes. He appears on the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Credibly Accused Clergy (Deceased) and in Appendix A of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report.
Is this the same person as Father Paul Desrosiers? No. Paul Desrosiers (1913–1984) is a separate priest on the Diocese’s list; the Diocese’s published status for him notes that he died before any allegation was received. This page concerns Alfred Desrosiers only.
Was Father Desrosiers convicted of a crime? No. He was indicted by a grand jury in September 1995 on one count of rape and pled not guilty; the case was still pending when he died in February 2001, which terminated the prosecution — he was never tried, convicted, or acquitted (Appendix A, p. 86; Report, p. 112).
He died in 2001 — 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 one of these parishes, 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 William Raiche — also served at Holy Family Church, Woonsocket (+1 more shared)
- Father Adrian Menard — also served at St. Joan of Arc Church, Cumberland
- Father William O’Connell — also served at St. Michael Church, Georgiaville
Related town records: see all verified Woonsocket 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 7, 2026); Rhode Island Attorney General, Report on the Diocese of Providence and Appendix A (March 4, 2026). Where the two official sources differ (removal-from-ministry versus suspension terminology; village-versus-town parish location; post-1993 leave and retirement entries), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 7, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.