This page concerns Joseph D'Angelo, born January 3, 1947, ordained April 21, 1979, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence who died January 15, 2026. It does not refer to any other person of the same or similar name.
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Father Joseph D’Angelo’s ministry was brief: ordained in April 1979, he served roughly four years as a priest — at St. Augustin in Newport, Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Providence, and St. Margaret in Rumford, with hospital chaplaincy periods at Rhode Island Hospital — after diaconate-era assignments in Westerly and Providence beginning in 1977. The Diocese removed him from ministry in 1983. 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 D’Angelo?
According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, Father D’Angelo was removed from ministry on July 1, 1983 and died on January 15, 2026.
The Attorney General’s report records the longer arc. After parishioner complaints in April 1983, Bishop Louis Gelineau suspended D’Angelo and directed him to a psychological evaluation in New Mexico; instead, the report states, “Father D’Angelo fled to Rome, where he appealed his suspension to the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in person.” From 1994 to 1997 — with the approval of Bishop Gelineau and Vatican officials — he worked in the Diocese of Isernia-Venafro in Italy; he was again suspended from 1997, referred for laicization in 2006, and laicized by the Vatican on September 22, 2006 (Appendix A, p. 60–61). The report separately notes he “was transferred four times before his indefinite suspension” (Report, p. 119).
Where Father D’Angelo served: assignment history
The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:
| Assignment | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Immaculate Conception Church | Westerly, RI | 1977–1978 |
| St. Anthony Church | Providence, RI | 1978–1979 |
| Rhode Island Hospital | Providence, RI | 1979 |
| St. John Church | Providence, RI | 1979 |
| St. Augustin Church | Newport, RI | 1979–1980 |
| Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church | Providence, RI | 1980–1981 |
| Rhode Island Hospital | Providence, RI | 1981 |
| St. John Church | Providence, RI | 1981 |
| St. Margaret Church | Rumford, RI | 1981–1983 |
Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 7, 2026. The Attorney General’s Appendix A publishes a substantially similar history — it lists St. Margaret Church in East Providence (Rumford is a village within it), marks the St. John Church entries as residences, and adds the suspensions (1983–1994; 1997–2006), the Italian assignment (1994–1997), and the 2006 laicization (Appendix A, p. 60).
What the official lists say
The Diocese of Providence includes Joseph D’Angelo on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased, with the status: “Removed from Ministry 7/1/1983. Died 1/15/2026”. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Joseph D’Angelo 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 Joseph D’Angelo is accused of sexually abusing at least four boys during his four years as a priest in the Diocese of Providence. He was accused of abusing two boys in 1980 and 1981 while assigned to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Providence, and at least two other boys from 1981 to 1983 while assigned to St. Margaret Parish in East Providence” (Appendix A, p. 60).
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 D’Angelo was never criminally charged (Appendix A, p. 2).
Father D’Angelo died in January 2026 — what that means for a claim
Many people first begin asking questions after seeing a death notice. Under Rhode Island’s revival window, his death does not affect the right to bring a claim: a civil claim for childhood sexual abuse — abuse of someone under 18 at the time — is brought against the responsible institution, not the individual, and may be filed until June 30, 2028, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred:
- Can you still sue if the priest has died?
- How Rhode Island’s revival window works
- The June 30, 2028 deadline
- Who can file a claim
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Joseph D’Angelo 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 7/1/1983”; the Attorney General’s report records his laicization by the Vatican on September 22, 2006.
He just died — is there a time limit? Yes: the revival window closes June 30, 2028, and it covers abuse of someone under 18 at the time. His death in January 2026 does not bar a claim.
Confidential help
If something happened to you at one of these parishes in Westerly, Providence, Newport, or Rumford, you can speak with a Rhode Island attorney confidentially, at no cost and with no obligation. 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 Philip Magaldi — also served at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Providence (+1 more shared)
- Father Brendan Smyth — also served at St. John Church, Providence
- Father Charles Dolan — also served at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Providence
- Father Edmund Fitzgerald — also served at St. John Church, Providence
Related town records: see all verified Providence records, plus Newport records and East 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 7, 2026); Rhode Island Attorney General, Report on the Diocese of Providence and Appendix A (March 4, 2026). Where the two official sources differ (status characterization; location naming), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 7, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.