This page concerns Paul Desrosiers, born May 12, 1913, ordained May 18, 1940, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence who died June 27, 1984. He is a different person from Father Alfred Desrosiers, who also appears on the Diocese’s list. 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 Paul Desrosiers’s four decades of ministry ran through Coventry, West Warwick, and Woonsocket — including two stints totaling twenty-four years at St. Joseph Church in Woonsocket and nine years at Precious Blood — with service on the Diocesan Tribunal. 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 Desrosiers?
According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, his status reads, in full: “Died 6/27/1984; 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 July 31, 1981 and adds a “1981: Retired” line to his assignment history (Appendix A, p. 94).
The Attorney General’s Appendix A states that both reported incidents “were allegedly reported to the assistant pastor at St. Joseph, Father Adrien Menard, in the early 1960s and early 1970s,” but that the records produced by the Diocese “do not reveal what Menard — who would himself later appear on the Diocese’s List of Credibly Accused Clergy — did with these reports” (Appendix A, p. 94). The Diocese’s own published status — that he predeceased any allegation received — concerns allegations received by the Diocese; per the report, the first documented allegation in Diocesan records dates to November 1995, after Desrosiers’s death.
The report records that in 1995 the then-Director of the Office of Education and Compliance, Robert McCarthy, interviewed the complainant’s parents “but did not contact the complainant or report the allegations to law enforcement,” and that when a second complaint was received in July 2019, Director Kevin O’Brien “interviewed the complainant and promptly reported those allegations to the Rhode Island State Police” (Appendix A, p. 94).
Where Father Desrosiers served: assignment history
The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:
| Assignment | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| St. Vincent de Paul Church | Anthony, RI | 1940–1943 |
| St. John the Baptist Church | Arctic, RI | 1943–1946 |
| St. Joseph Church | Woonsocket, RI | 1946–1951 |
| Precious Blood Church | Woonsocket, RI | 1951–1960 |
| Diocesan Tribunal | — | 1959–1968 |
| St. Joseph Church | Woonsocket, RI | 1960–1973 |
| Leave of Absence | — | 1/12/1973 to 8/6/1973 |
| St. John Church | West Warwick, RI | 1973–1981 |
Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 21, 2026; entries reproduced as published. The Diocese prints the historical village names “Anthony” and “Arctic”; the Attorney General’s Appendix A prints the same first two assignments as Coventry and West Warwick, prints the final parish as “St. John the Baptist Church, West Warwick,” renders the leave as “Jan. – Aug. 1973,” and adds a “1981: Retired” line (Appendix A, p. 94).
What the official lists say
The Diocese of Providence includes Paul Desrosiers on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Paul Desrosiers 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 Paul Desrosiers reportedly sexually abused two boys in the early 1960s when he was the administrator of St. Joseph Church in Woonsocket, RI” (Appendix A, p. 94).
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 Desrosiers was never criminally charged; per the report, the first documented allegation in Diocesan records was received in November 1995, more than a decade after his death (Appendix A, p. 94).
If you were at St. Joseph’s or Precious Blood in Woonsocket — or these Coventry and West 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 1984 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
See also the separately listed record for Father Alfred Desrosiers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Paul Desrosiers 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.
Is this the same person as Father Alfred Desrosiers? No. They are separate individuals; Father Alfred Desrosiers has his own record and his own page.
Was Father Desrosiers 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 dates the first documented allegation in Diocesan records to November 1995 (Appendix A, p. 94).
He died in 1984 — 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. Joseph’s, Precious Blood, 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 Michael La Mountain — also served at St. John the Baptist Church, Arctic (+1 more shared)
- Father Adrian Menard — also served at St. Joseph Church, Woonsocket
- Father Barry Meehan — also served at St. John the Baptist Church, Arctic
- Father Joseph McCra — also served at St. Joseph Church, Woonsocket
Related town records: see all verified Woonsocket records, plus West 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 Anthony/Arctic village names vs. the Attorney General’s town names; the final parish’s name form; the leave-of-absence dates; and the Attorney General’s added 1981 retirement), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 21, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.