This page concerns John Aquinas Powers, born September 27, 1925, ordained June 12, 1952, a Dominican friar of the Province of St. Joseph who served in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence and died October 19, 2010. 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.
Talk With Us — Confidentially
If you'd like to talk with someone about whether Rhode Island's revival window applies to your situation, you can reach us below. What you share is confidential, there is no cost to ask, and contacting us does not commit you to anything.
Confidential · Free · Speak with a Rhode Island attorney — in person, by phone, or by video.
Father John Aquinas Powers was a religious-order priest — a Dominican friar — whose Rhode Island assignment, per the Diocese’s record, was St. Pius V Church in Providence from 1962 to 1965. He is named on the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Credibly Accused Religious Order Priests 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 Powers?
According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, his status reads, in full: “Left Diocese of Providence 9/1965; Removed from Ministry 2/2005 by Province of St. Joseph; Died 10/19/2010”. The Attorney General’s entry for Father Powers prints his retirement status as “N/A” in its header and does not print the 2005 removal in that field (Appendix A, p. 289).
According to the Attorney General’s Appendix A, the Diocese was informed of the first complainant’s allegations in July 1995 by an attorney representing the Dominican Order, and “[b]y that time, it appears that the Dominican Order had been aware of the allegations for about a decade” (Appendix A, p. 289). The entry states that there is no record of any Diocesan investigation into those allegations at the time, and that a second complainant contacted the Diocese directly in June 2008; the Dominican Order reached a monetary settlement with that complainant the following month (Appendix A, p. 289).
Appendix A records that the allegations were relayed to the Rhode Island State Police by letter in June 2008, and that the earlier matter had been, in the words of a Diocesan official, “civilly adjudicated” with the Dominican Order in the mid-1990s (Appendix A, pp. 289–290). The Attorney General’s materials record no criminal charges against Father Powers; the findings concerning him appear in Appendix A (pp. 289–290).
Where Father Powers served: assignment history
The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:
| Assignment | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| St. Pius V Church | Providence, RI | 1962–1965 |
Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 8, 2026. The Attorney General labels its list for Father Powers a “Partial Assignment History” and prints the St. Pius V assignment as 1960–1965, where the Diocese prints 1962–1965 (Appendix A, p. 289).
What the official lists say
The Diocese of Providence includes John Aquinas Powers, O.P., on its List of Credibly Accused Religious Order Priests – Deceased. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father John Powers 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 John Powers was a priest of the Dominican Order who reportedly sexually abused two boys (‘Complainant A’ and ‘Complainant B’) in the early 1960s while assigned to St. Pius V Church in Providence” (Appendix A, p. 289).
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). The Attorney General’s materials record a monetary settlement by the Dominican Order, an earlier matter described by a Diocesan official as “civilly adjudicated,” and a 2008 notification to the Rhode Island State Police, but no criminal charges against Father Powers (Appendix A, pp. 289–290).
Religious-order priests: who a claim is brought against
Father Powers belonged to the Dominican Province of St. Joseph while serving at a Providence parish. In cases involving order priests, which institution — the order, the diocese, or both — bears responsibility depends on who assigned, supervised, and knew what, when. That is a fact-specific question a Rhode Island attorney evaluates; the revival window’s June 30, 2028 deadline applies either way.
If you were at St. Pius V in the early 1960s: the Rhode Island revival window
Rhode Island’s revival window allows civil claims for childhood sexual abuse regardless of how long ago it occurred — the early 1960s included — until June 30, 2028. His death in 2010 does not affect the right to bring a claim:
- 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 John Powers on the credibly accused list? Yes. John Aquinas Powers, O.P., appears on the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Credibly Accused Religious Order Priests (Deceased) and in Appendix A of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report.
Was Father Powers ever criminally charged? The Attorney General’s records reflect no criminal charges against him. They record that the allegations were reported to the Rhode Island State Police in June 2008, that the Dominican Order reached a monetary settlement with one complainant, and that an earlier matter was “civilly adjudicated” with the Order (Appendix A, pp. 289–290).
He was a Dominican, not a diocesan priest — does that change anything? It can change who a claim is brought against, not whether one can be brought. The revival window applies regardless.
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. Pius V, 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 James Rocha, O.P. — also served at St. Pius V Church, Providence
Related town records: see all verified Providence 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). Where the two official sources differ (the start year of the St. Pius V assignment; the Attorney General’s “Partial Assignment History” label and “Retired: N/A” header entry), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 8, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.