Father Peter Tedeschi (1931–1986)

Father Peter Tedeschi’s twenty-six years of ministry ran from Holy Trinity in Central Falls through parishes in Providence, Warren, Woonsocket, and Cranston to St. Joseph Hospital in Providence and a final year at St. Joseph Church in Cumberland. His name appears on two official lists that classify him differently: the Diocese of Providence’s published List of Publicly Accused Clergy – Deceased, and Appendix A of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report, which includes him among the 72 clergy the Attorney General determined to have been credibly accused (Appendix A, p. 2). This page states both classifications, side by side, with citations.

What happened to Father Tedeschi?

According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, his status reads, in full: “Died 10/18/1986; Predeceased any allegation received”. That is, per the Diocese’s record, he died before any allegation was received. The Attorney General’s entry prints “Retired: N/A” in its header and records his death as October 18, 1986 (Appendix A, p. 347).

The Attorney General’s Appendix A states that “[t]wenty-six years after his death, Father Peter Tedeschi was accused of sexually abusing a 14- to 15-year-old girl while he was assigned to Holy Trinity Church in Central Falls during the summer of 1960” (Appendix A, p. 347). The complainant, Margaret McKenna — who authorized the report to publish her name, and whom the main report identifies as a former President of Lesley University — reported her abuse to Office of Education and Compliance Director Robert McCarthy on October 18, 2012, and has spoken about it publicly since (Appendix A, p. 348; Report, p. 63). Per the entry, “[t]here are no other documented allegations of abuse against Father Tedeschi in the records produced by the Diocese” (Appendix A, p. 347).

The entry records that after the 2012 disclosure, Director McCarthy reviewed Tedeschi’s personnel file — which revealed no other complaints — and notified the Rhode Island State Police of the allegation on November 19, 2012; the Diocese forwarded further information to the State Police after a January 2013 interview, and Ms. McKenna filed her own State Police complaint on September 29, 2014. The criminal investigation could not proceed due to Tedeschi’s death in 1986 (Appendix A, p. 348; Appendix A, p. 349).

Ms. McKenna also told the Attorney General’s Office that she had notified the Diocese about the abuse on three earlier occasions — in or around 1961, 1968, and the early 2000s; the report states there is no documentation of those complaints in the records the Diocese produced (Appendix A, p. 348). The Boston Globe reported on her efforts in 2019, including her questions about the Diocese’s decision to omit Tedeschi from its Credibly Accused List (Appendix A, p. 349).

Where Father Tedeschi 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 first assignment as “Summer 1960” where the Diocese prints “1960,” and prints “Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church” where the Diocese’s individual record prints “Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church” (Appendix A, p. 347); each is stated here as the official documents print it.

How the two official lists classify Father Tedeschi — and why they differ

The Diocese of Providence lists Peter Tedeschi on its List of Publicly Accused Clergy – Deceased — a category the Diocese maintains separately from its credibly accused lists. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) reached its own determination and includes Peter L. Tedeschi 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). In the report’s words: “The Diocese lists Father Tedeschi, and one other priest, Monsignor Anthony DeAngelis, as ‘publicly accused,’ as opposed to ‘credibly accused,’ clergy” (Report, p. 63). Both classifications are official, current, and stated here side by side. He is one of the 75 names on the Diocese of Providence credibly accused list, explained.

The Diocese’s published explanation of its “publicly accused” category, as reproduced in the Attorney General’s report, states that each of the two priests in the category “retired in good standing,” that each “is the subject of a single allegation” made after his death, that the claims “could not be verified or substantiated without any corroborating witnesses or facts,” and that significant publicity at legislative hearings “warranted a separate category” (Appendix A, p. 347 n.34). The Attorney General, applying the credible-allegation standard in its 2019 agreement with the Diocese, nonetheless included him in Appendix A (Appendix A, p. 2).

The report’s summary of the allegations states: “Twenty-six years after his death, Father Peter Tedeschi was accused of sexually abusing a 14- to 15-year-old girl while he was assigned to Holy Trinity Church in Central Falls during the summer of 1960” (Appendix A, p. 347).

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 Tedeschi was never criminally charged; the complaint documented in the produced records was first reported to the Diocese in 2012, twenty-six years after his death, and the State Police advised in 2014 that the criminal investigation could not proceed against a deceased suspect (Appendix A, p. 347; Appendix A, p. 349). Ms. McKenna’s account of earlier reports to the Diocese, for which the report found no documentation in the produced records, is stated above with attribution.

If you were at Holy Trinity in Central Falls — or these Providence, Warren, Woonsocket, Cranston, or Cumberland 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 1986 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 Peter Tedeschi on the credibly accused list? The two official lists differ. The Diocese of Providence lists him on its List of Publicly Accused Clergy – Deceased — a separate category from its credibly accused lists. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report includes him in Appendix A, among the 72 clergy the Attorney General determined to have been credibly accused (Appendix A, p. 2).

Was Father Tedeschi ever criminally charged? No. The complaint documented in the produced records was first reported in 2012, after his 1986 death, and the State Police advised in 2014 that no criminal investigation could proceed (Appendix A, p. 347; Appendix A, p. 349).

What does “publicly accused” mean? It is the Diocese’s own category. Per the Diocese’s published explanation, as reproduced in the Attorney General’s report, the two priests in the category “retired in good standing,” each is “the subject of a single allegation” made after death that “could not be verified or substantiated,” and publicity at legislative hearings “warranted a separate category” (Appendix A, p. 347 n.34).

He died in 1986 — 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 Holy Trinity, Our Lady of Mount Carmel, St. Alexander, St. Ann, St. Anthony, St. Mary, or St. Joseph’s, 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 Samuel Turillo — also served at St. Ann Church, Providence (+3 more shared)
• Father Peter Scagnelli — also served at Holy Trinity Church, Central Falls (+2 more shared)
• Father Charles Dolan — also served at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, Providence (+1 more shared)
• Father Edmund Micarelli — also served at St. Alexander Church, Warren (+1 more shared)

Related town records: see all verified Providence records, Cranston records, and Woonsocket 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 (including its List of Publicly Accused Clergy – Deceased) 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 classification itself (publicly accused vs. credibly accused); the “Summer 1960” vs. “1960” first-row form; and the Mount Carmel/Mt. Carmel name forms), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 21, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.