Father Oscar Ferland (1918–1998)

Father Oscar Ferland’s half-century of ministry ran from Harrisville and Riverside through eleven years at St. Michael’s in Providence, Christ the King in Kingston with the University of Rhode Island, and nineteen years at St. Luke in Barrington. 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 Ferland?

According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, his status reads, in full: “Died 7/8/1998; Predeceased any allegation received”. That is, per the Diocese’s record, he died before any allegation was received. The Attorney General’s entry separately records that he retired on June 1, 1991 (Appendix A, p. 126).

The Attorney General’s Appendix A states that “[a]t least twice during Ferland’s lifetime, a complainant or witness brought complaints about Ferland to Diocesan personnel — including with Father (and later Auxiliary Bishop) Robert McManus — but those complaints do not appear to have been documented or acted upon by the Diocese” (Appendix A, p. 126). The Diocese’s own published status — that he predeceased any allegation received — is stated above as the Diocese prints it; both accounts are presented here with attribution.

The main report recounts that after an assault on an eight- or nine-year-old boy, Ferland reportedly told the boy that it was the “right thing to do” to get closer to God, and later told him not to tell anyone because “it would affect [the boy’s] relationship with God” (Report, p. 72). The report elsewhere describes reported abuse of a boy from age six to age ten in the rectory of St. Michael Church in Providence beginning in 1964 (Report, p. 77).

Where Father Ferland 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 URI entry with Kingston as its location, does not print the Diocese’s “St. Aidan Church, Cumberland, 1992 (temp)” row, and instead adds “1991: Retired” plus a prose line recording part-time help at various parishes after retirement, including St. Joseph’s in Hope Valley, St. Bernard’s in Wickford, and St. Aidan’s in Cumberland (Appendix A, p. 126).

What the official lists say

The Diocese of Providence includes Oscar Ferland on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Oscar Ferland 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 1964 and 1991, Father Oscar Ferland allegedly sexually abused several young girls and a boy” (Appendix A, p. 126).

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 Ferland was never criminally charged; the Diocese’s published status records that he “Predeceased any allegation received,” while the report separately describes lifetime complaints to Diocesan personnel that “do not appear to have been documented or acted upon” (Appendix A, p. 126).

If you were at St. Michael’s, St. Luke’s — or these Harrisville, Riverside, or Kingston 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 1998 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 Oscar Ferland 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 Ferland ever criminally charged? No. The Attorney General’s records reflect no criminal charges against him; per the report, “[a]ll the documented reports of Ferland’s sexual abuse of children date to after his death,” while complaints brought during his lifetime “do not appear to have been documented or acted upon” (Appendix A, p. 127; Appendix A, p. 126).

Did he serve at the University of Rhode Island? The Diocese’s published assignment record lists the University of Rhode Island from 1968 to 1972, concurrent with Christ the King Church in Kingston.

He died in 1998 — 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 St. Michael’s, St. Luke’s, or 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 Armand Ventre — also served at St. Luke Church, Barrington (+1 more shared)
• Father Charles Dolan — also served at St. Brendan Church, Riverside
• Father Edmund Micarelli — also served at Christ the King Church, Kingston
• Father Edward Kelley — also served at St. Aidan Church, Cumberland

Related town records: see all verified Providence records, plus 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 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 URI location form; the post-retirement entries; and the lifetime complaints the report describes as undocumented against the Diocese’s predeceased-allegation status), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 21, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.