This page concerns Barry Meehan, born July 21, 1949, ordained June 10, 1978, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence who died December 8, 2016. It 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 Barry Meehan served for over three decades in Rhode Island communities: eleven years at St. Mary in Cranston, three West Warwick parishes (SS. Peter & Paul, St. John the Baptist, and St. James), St. Augustine in Providence, and eleven final years at St. Timothy in Warwick. 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 Meehan?
According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, Father Meehan was removed from ministry on January 8, 2013 and died on December 8, 2016. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s entry records the 2013 action as “Suspended on leave” and additionally lists a canonical outcome the Diocese’s status line does not: “Laicized May 7, 2015” (Appendix A, p. 237).
According to the Attorney General’s report, the Diocese received its first complaint about an inappropriate relationship between Meehan and a teenage boy in September 1998 and a second, similar complaint in 2002; despite these complaints, Meehan remained in ministry (Appendix A, p. 237). A third complainant reported abuse to the Diocese in 2006; the Diocesan Review Board found that allegation unsubstantiated, reportedly due to the complainant’s lack of cooperation at the time, and the Diocese took no disciplinary action until two more complainants came forward in December 2012. Bishop Thomas Tobin suspended Meehan in January 2013 and referred the complaints to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith later that year (Appendix A, p. 237).
Following the Diocese’s referral of the two late-2012 complaints to the Rhode Island State Police, Father Meehan was indicted for first-degree sexual assault (Appendix A, p. 237). The Appendix states that in March 2015 the Vatican dismissed Meehan from the clerical state, and that he died in 2016 while awaiting trial (Appendix A, p. 237). The main report separately describes Meehan as awaiting trial “on several counts of first-degree sexual assault” and states that he died “before his criminal trial and while his petition for voluntary laicization was still pending with the Vatican” (Report, p. 226). Because he died before trial, the charges were never resolved by a verdict, and he was never convicted.
Where Father Meehan served: assignment history
The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:
| Assignment | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| St. Gregory the Great Church (deacon assistant) | Warwick, RI | 1976 |
| SS. Peter & Paul Church | West Warwick, RI | 1978–1980 |
| St. Mary Church | Cranston, RI | 1980–1991 |
| St. Augustine Church | Providence, RI | 1991–1996 |
| St. John the Baptist Church | West Warwick, RI | 1996–2002 |
| St. James Church | West Warwick, RI | 2000–2002 |
| St. Timothy Church | Warwick, RI | 2002–2013 |
Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 7, 2026. The Attorney General’s Appendix entry differs: it does not list the 1976 deacon-assistant assignment at St. Gregory the Great Church, and it adds rows the Diocese record does not include — 2013 “Suspended on leave” and 2015 “Laicized” (Appendix A, p. 237).
What the official lists say
The Diocese of Providence includes Barry Meehan on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased, with the status: “Removed from Ministry 1/8/2013; Died 12/8/2016”. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Barry Meehan 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 Barry Meehan reportedly sexually abused at least four boys and one young man between 1983 and the mid-2000s. The complainants worked at his parishes as assistants or altar boys” (Appendix A, p. 237).
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. In Father Meehan’s case, the report records that he was indicted for first-degree sexual assault and died in 2016 while awaiting trial; the charges were therefore never tried, and he was neither convicted nor acquitted (Appendix A, p. 2; Appendix A, p. 237).
If you were at these Cranston, West Warwick, Providence, or Warwick parishes: the Rhode Island revival window
Civil claims for childhood sexual abuse may be filed until June 30, 2028, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred; his death in 2016 does not affect that right, because 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 Barry Meehan 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.
When was he removed from ministry? The Diocese’s published status is “Removed from Ministry 1/8/2013.” The Attorney General’s entry records the 2013 action as “Suspended on leave” and additionally lists “Laicized May 7, 2015” (Appendix A, p. 237).
Was Father Meehan convicted? No. He was indicted for first-degree sexual assault after the Diocese referred the December 2012 complaints to the Rhode Island State Police, but he died in December 2016 while awaiting trial, so the case never reached a verdict (Appendix A, p. 237; Report, p. 226).
He died in 2016 — 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 Edmund Fitzgerald — also served at SS. Peter & Paul Church, West Warwick
- Father Edmund Micarelli — also served at SS. Peter & Paul Church, West Warwick
- Father Michael La Mountain — also served at St. John the Baptist Church, West Warwick
- Father Paul Desrosiers — also served at St. John the Baptist Church, West Warwick
Related town records: see all verified Providence records, Cranston records, and Warwick records, plus 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 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/suspension status type, the 2015 laicization outcome, assignment rows), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 7, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.