Father Peter Scagnelli (1949–2017)

Father Peter Scagnelli served across a wide sweep of Rhode Island parishes — Slatersville, Providence, Warwick, Bristol, Warren, Central Falls, and Woonsocket — as well as Roger Williams University, a regional CYO center in East Providence, and three years leading the diocesan Office of Worship & Liturgy. 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 Scagnelli?

According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, Father Scagnelli was removed from ministry on January 1, 1994 and died on July 12, 2017. The Attorney General’s report records his suspension as July 21, 1994 (Appendix A, p. 317).

The report records that the Diocese received nine complaints of sexual misconduct involving children and young adults against Scagnelli — seven while he was living, two after his death — and that of the seven received during his lifetime, “it appears the Diocese referred only two to law enforcement.” The report adds that one complaint “may have been prosecutable had it been referred,” as those allegations were not time-barred (Appendix A, p. 318). A laicization process begun in his final years was paused in June 2016 because he was terminally ill; he died in July 2017 and was included on the Diocese’s 2019 list (Appendix A, p. 318).

Where Father Scagnelli served: assignment history

The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:

Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 7, 2026. The Attorney General’s Appendix A publishes a substantially similar history with minor differences — it lists the first assignment in North Smithfield (Slatersville is a village within it), describes the St. Anselm Abbey years as a sabbatical, and does not list the Genesis Community assignment (Appendix A, p. 317).

What the official lists say

The Diocese of Providence includes Peter Scagnelli on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased, with the status: “Removed from Ministry 1/1/1994; Died 7/12/2017”. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Peter Scagnelli 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 Peter Scagnelli was accused of sexually abusing six boys and two young men from 1977 to 1994. Scagnelli was also accused of grooming a teenage boy in 2000. The alleged abuse occurred at St. Timothy Parish in Warwick, Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Bristol, Sacred Heart Parish in Woonsocket, and St. Anselm Abbey in Manchester, New Hampshire” (Appendix A, p. 317).

Father Scagnelli was never criminally charged — the report recounts that the State Police advised the Diocese in the 1990s that prosecution was foreclosed by the then-applicable statute of limitations, and that when interviewed by the Diocese’s investigator, Scagnelli denied sexually abusing the boys (Report, p. 212). 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).

If you were a minor at these parishes or the East Bay CYO: the Rhode Island revival window

Rhode Island’s revival window allows civil claims for childhood sexual abuse — abuse of someone under 18 at the time — regardless of how long ago it occurred, until June 30, 2028. His death in 2017 does not bar 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 Peter Scagnelli 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 Scagnelli ever charged with a crime? No. The report recounts that the State Police advised that prosecution was foreclosed by the statute of limitations then in effect, and he denied the allegations. The credibly-accused listings are investigative determinations, not convictions.

When was he removed from ministry? The Diocese’s published status is “Removed from Ministry 1/1/1994”; the Attorney General’s report records his suspension as July 21, 1994.

He died in 2017 — can a claim still be filed? Yes. Under the revival window — which covers abuse of someone under 18 at the time — 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 one of these parishes or programs, 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 Peter Tedeschi — also served at Holy Trinity Church, Central Falls (+2 more shared)
• Father Samuel Turillo — also served at St. Ann Church, Providence (+2 more shared)
• Father Charles Dolan — also served at St. Anthony Church, Woonsocket (+1 more shared)
• Father Edmund Micarelli — also served at Cathedral of SS. Peter & Paul, Providence (+1 more shared)

Related town records: see all verified Providence records, Woonsocket records, and Warwick 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 7, 2026); Rhode Island Attorney General, Report on the Diocese of Providence and Appendix A (March 4, 2026). Where the two official sources differ (removal/suspension date; assignment details), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 7, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.