This page concerns Joseph McCra, born September 25, 1905, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence who died May 14, 1964. The Diocese's published record prints his ordination as July 10, 1932; the Rhode Island Attorney General's records print his ordination as July 10, 1921 (Appendix A, p. 227) — both dates are stated here with attribution. One passage of the Attorney General's report prints his name as “George McCra” (Report, p. 84), and a 1952 letter quoted in the report refers to “the Rev. George [sic] McCra”; the Diocese's list prints Joseph McCra. 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 Joseph McCra’s ministry ran from 1932 to the early 1960s, across nine Rhode Island communities — West Warwick, Warren, Centredale, Mapleville, Providence, Woonsocket, Pawtucket, Newport, and Harrisville. 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 the Diocese’s list says about Father McCra
The Diocese of Providence includes Joseph McCra on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased. His published status reads, in full: “Died 5/14/1964”. The Attorney General’s entry prints “Suspended: No” in its header — the Attorney General records no suspension in that field — while the assignment history printed in the same entry includes three periods marked “Suspended on leave” (1956, 1956–1958, and 1961), and the report’s narrative describes suspensions in 1956 and 1961 (Appendix A, p. 227; Report, pp. 116–117). Each is stated here as the official documents print it.
According to the Attorney General’s report, Diocesan records included a September 1951 affidavit from a sexton at Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Providence and a July 1952 letter to Bishop Russell J. McVinney raising allegations about McCra’s conduct with boys (Appendix A, pp. 227–228; Report, p. 115). The report describes McCra’s case as “[o]ne of the most egregious examples of transfers” and states that he “was transferred nine times during his priesthood” (Report, p. 115). It states that Bishop McVinney suspended McCra in early 1956, reinstated his authority to say mass within months, and in April 1956 reassigned him as chaplain to the Stella Maris Home for Convalescents in Newport; that McCra was suspended again by March 1961 and moved to a priests’ home in Montreal; and that in September 1961 he was assigned as an assistant pastor at St. Ann’s Parish in Woonsocket, where he remained until his death in May 1964 (Report, pp. 116–117).
The report also states: “At no time were the complaints against Father McCra ever referred to law enforcement” (Report, p. 117). And it notes that the Diocese did not add Father McCra to its list until early 2023, following outreach by the Attorney General’s office; the Diocese stated that he had been inadvertently omitted when the list was initially released in 2019 (Appendix A, p. 227; Report, p. 115).
Where Father McCra served: assignment history
The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:
| Assignment | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Christ the King Church | West Warwick, RI | 1932–1937 |
| St. John Church | Warren, RI | 1937–1948 |
| St. Lawrence Church | Centredale, RI | 1948–1949 |
| Our Lady of Good Help | Mapleville, RI | 1949–1951 |
| Our Lady of Lourdes | Providence, RI | 1951–1952 |
| St. Joseph Church | Woonsocket, RI | 1952–1953 |
| Our Lady of Consolation | Pawtucket, RI | 1953–1955 |
| Stella Maris Home | Newport, RI | 1956–1958 |
| Nov. of the Sacred Heart | Harrisville, RI | 1958–1961 |
| St. Ann Church | Woonsocket, RI | 1961 |
Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 8, 2026; entries reproduced as published. The Attorney General’s Appendix prints several entries differently: St. Lawrence in North Providence, where the Diocese prints the village name Centredale; Our Lady of Good Help in Burrillville, where the Diocese prints Mapleville; the 1958–1961 entry as “Brothers of the Sacred Heart, Burrillville,” where the Diocese prints “Nov. of the Sacred Heart” in Harrisville (the report’s narrative describes the assignment as chaplain to the Novitiate of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart in Harrisville, Report, p. 117); St. Ann Church, Woonsocket as 1961–1964, where the Diocese prints 1961; and two rows the Diocese does not print — 1956, Queen of the Clergy Villa, West Greenwich, and 1961, Fraternite Sacerdotale, Montreal, Canada — with the 1956, 1956–1958 (Stella Maris), and 1961 entries each marked “Suspended on leave” (Appendix A, p. 227).
What the official lists say
Joseph McCra appears on the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Credibly Accused Clergy (Deceased), and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Joseph McCra 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 1951 and 1964, Father Joseph McCra reportedly sexually abused at least two boys and attempted to molest others” (Appendix A, p. 227). The same entry states that, according to Diocesan records, Bishop McVinney “was fully aware of the child sexual abuse allegations against McCra, yet repeatedly reassigned McCra to positions within the Diocese where he continued to have access to, and reportedly abused, children” (Appendix A, p. 227).
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 report states that the complaints against Father McCra were never referred to law enforcement, and the Attorney General’s records reflect no criminal charges against him (Report, p. 117).
If you were at these parishes — even in the 1940s or 1950s: the Rhode Island revival window
The revival window has no backward time limit: it exists precisely so that claims from any era — including the 1940s and 1950s — can be brought until June 30, 2028. His death in 1964 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 Joseph McCra 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.
What is his published status? The Diocese’s published status is “Died 5/14/1964”. The Attorney General’s entry prints the same date of death, May 14, 1964 (Appendix A, p. 227).
Was Father McCra ever criminally charged? The official record reflects no criminal case. The Attorney General’s report states that “[a]t no time were the complaints against Father McCra ever referred to law enforcement” (Report, p. 117), and its records reflect no criminal charges against him.
He died more than sixty years ago — can a claim really still be filed? Generally, yes. The revival window covers previously time-barred childhood sexual abuse claims from any era, until June 30, 2028. Whether a particular claim is viable is a fact-specific question for a Rhode Island attorney.
Confidential help
If something happened to you at one of these parishes or homes, 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 Adrian Menard — also served at St. Joseph Church, Woonsocket (+1 more shared)
- Father Michael La Mountain — also served at St. Joseph Church, Woonsocket
- Father Paul Desrosiers — also served at St. Joseph Church, Woonsocket
Related town records: see all verified Providence records, Pawtucket records, and Woonsocket records, plus West Warwick records and Newport 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 ordination date — Diocese: 7/10/1932; Attorney General: Jul. 10, 1921; location and institution names in the assignment history; rows and “Suspended on leave” notations the Diocese does not print; the “George McCra” name variant in one report passage), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 8, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.