Father Dennis Brodeur (1951–2004)

Father Dennis Brodeur’s Rhode Island service, per the Diocese’s record, comprised Holy Trinity Church in Central Falls, St. Catherine Church in Warwick, and St. Jude Church in Lincoln, from 1976 to 1980, followed by academic assignments in Davenport, Iowa and St. Louis, Missouri. 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 Brodeur?

According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, his status reads, in full: “Died 1/1/2004; 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: No” in its header and records his death as January 1, 2004 (Appendix A, p. 39).

The Attorney General’s Appendix A states that the Diocese “was first contacted about the alleged abuse on January 6, 2004, only a few days after Father Brodeur’s death on January 1”: that day, the Vice Chancellor for the Archdiocese of Atlanta called the Diocese’s Office of Education and Compliance to relay a complaint received from a local Atlanta priest, who advised that a couple had told him that their adult son had recently disclosed abuse by Brodeur as a 13-year-old boy when the family lived in Rhode Island (Appendix A, p. 39).

The entry records that in October 2004 the complainant, who resided out of state, agreed to an in-person interview at the Office of Education and Compliance in Providence, and reported abuse at his family’s home in Lincoln when he was 13–14 years old; Brodeur, whom the family met at St. Jude’s Parish, was described as a close family friend who spent significant amounts of time in their home (Appendix A, p. 39). The main report recounts the same account among its findings on abuse in family homes (Report, p. 77).

Where Father Brodeur served: assignment history

The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:

Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 21, 2026; entries reproduced as published. The Attorney General’s Appendix A prints the Warwick assignment as “Summer 1977” and describes the 1980s entries as faculty positions, including “Faculty, Center for Health Care Ethics, St. Louis, MO” where the Diocese prints “St. Louis University” (Appendix A, p. 39).

What the official lists say

The Diocese of Providence includes Dennis Brodeur on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Dennis Brodeur 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 Dennis Brodeur reportedly sexually abused a young teenage boy on multiple occasions in the late 1970s and early 1980s, while Brodeur was serving as assistant pastor of St. Jude’s Parish in Lincoln, Rhode Island” (Appendix A, p. 39).

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 Brodeur was never criminally charged; per the Diocese’s published status and the Attorney General’s account, the first complaint reached the Diocese days after his death (Appendix A, p. 39).

If you were at St. Jude’s in Lincoln — or these Central Falls or Warwick 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 — until June 30, 2028. His death in 2004 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 Dennis Brodeur 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.

Was Father Brodeur ever criminally charged? No. The Attorney General’s records reflect no criminal charges; the Diocese’s published status records that he “Predeceased any allegation received,” and the report states the first complaint was relayed to the Diocese on January 6, 2004 — days after his death (Appendix A, p. 39).

He died in 2004 — 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.

If it happened decades ago — is it too late? Generally, no. The revival window exists precisely for claims the old statute of limitations barred, until June 30, 2028.

Confidential help

If something happened to you at St. Jude’s, Holy Trinity, or St. Catherine’s, 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 Armand Ventre — also served at St. Jude Church, Lincoln
• Father Edward Kelley — also served at St. Catherine Church, Warwick
• Father Michael La Mountain — also served at St. Catherine Church, Warwick
• Father Peter Scagnelli — also served at Holy Trinity Church, Central Falls

Related town records: see all verified 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 Warwick 1977 entry’s form, the 1980s academic entries, and the Attorney General’s “Retired: No” header), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 21, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.