This page concerns Robert Marcantonio, ordained June 24, 1967, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence who died October 20, 1999. The Diocese's records state he was born November 30, 1942; the Attorney General's report states November 30, 1943. It 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 Robert Marcantonio’s three decades of ministry were unusually mobile: parish assignments in West Warwick, Cranston, and Cumberland; five years in Iowa spanning a parish, Iowa State University, a high school, and Drake University; and long stretches of campus ministry — Stonehill College in Massachusetts, the University of Rhode Island, and a decade at Rhode Island College. 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 Marcantonio?
According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, Father Marcantonio was removed from ministry on August 16, 1989 and died on October 20, 1999. The Attorney General’s report records his suspension as August 17, 1989, and its Appendix A shows him “suspended on leave” in Providence from 1989 to 1992 and in Arizona from 1992 until his death; it states he died of a heart attack in Arizona in October 1999 and was included on the Diocese’s list when it was released in 2019 (Appendix A, p. 216–217).
The report also documents the Diocese’s early knowledge. In 1970, following accusations that Marcantonio had abused “ten to fifteen” different boys, Bishop Russell McVinney told him he “could not in good conscience assign you to priestly work in this diocese” — yet, with the Bishop’s approval, Marcantonio moved to Iowa rather than being removed from the priesthood or reported to law enforcement (Report, pp. 101–02). After Diocesan-hired psychiatrists had deemed him “incurable,” an Iowa priest-therapist declared him effectively cured within ten months; the report states he “would go on to reoffend in both Iowa and upon his subsequent return to Rhode Island, at Bishop Gelineau’s invitation, in 1975” (Report, p. 134; Appendix A, p. 216).
Where Father Marcantonio served: assignment history
The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:
| Assignment | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Sacred Heart Church | West Warwick, RI | 1967 |
| St. Mary Church | Cranston, RI | 1967–1968 |
| Sacred Heart Church | West Warwick, RI | 1968–1969 |
| St. Mary Church | Cranston, RI | 1969–1970 |
| Our Lady of Providence Preparatory Seminary | Providence, RI | 1969–1970 |
| St. Thomas Aquinas Church | Ames, IA | 1970–1975 |
| Iowa State University | Ames, IA | 1971–1972; 1972–1973; 1973–1974, 1975 |
| Ames High School | Ames, IA | 1972, 1973 |
| Drake University | Des Moines, IA | 1974 |
| Stonehill College | North Easton, MA | 1975–1979 |
| St. John Vianney Church | Cumberland, RI | 1975–1979 |
| University of Rhode Island | — | 1977–1981 |
| Rhode Island College | Providence, RI | 1979–1989 |
| US Navy Reserve | — | 1980 |
| Bryant College | Smithfield, RI | 1989 |
| Sabbatical, University of Rhode Island | — | 1989 |
Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 7, 2026; entries reproduced as published, including split year listings. The Attorney General’s Appendix A publishes a shorter history for the same man, listing St. John Vianney Church as a weekend assignment through 1989 (Appendix A, p. 216).
What the official lists say
The Diocese of Providence includes Robert Marcantonio on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased, with the status: “Removed from Ministry 8/16/1989; Died 10/20/1999”. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Robert Marcantonio 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 Robert Marcantonio had served as a Diocesan priest for less than three years, and was just 27 years old, when the Diocese received the first documented allegations of child sexual misconduct against him, relating to his abuse of ‘ten to fifteen’ different boys” (Appendix A, p. 216). The report identifies him as one of the five priests alleged to have abused the most children in the Diocese — 17 reported victims, tied for the second-highest number (Report, p. 26).
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 your path crossed his as a child — parish, school, or seminary: the Rhode Island revival window
His record spans parishes in West Warwick, Cranston, and Cumberland; Our Lady of Providence Preparatory Seminary in Providence; and — listed on the Diocese of Providence’s own published record as his assignments — St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Ames High School in Ames, Iowa. 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, and his death in 1999 does not bar a claim, because 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
A note on his campus years: the assignments at Rhode Island College, the University of Rhode Island, Stonehill College in North Easton, Massachusetts, Bryant College, Drake University, and Iowa State University principally involved adults. The revival window reaches childhood sexual abuse only — those years fall within it only if you were under 18 at the time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Robert Marcantonio 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.
When was he removed from ministry? The Diocese’s published status is “Removed from Ministry 8/16/1989”; the Attorney General’s report records the suspension as August 17, 1989.
He died in 1999 — 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.
What if the abuse happened in Iowa or Massachusetts? The claim our firm evaluates is a Rhode Island claim. Its basis is the Diocese of Providence’s own conduct in Rhode Island — what its bishops knew, the placements they approved, and what was never reported — and it is brought against the Rhode Island institution, in a Rhode Island court, under Rhode Island law. The Diocese’s own published record lists the Iowa and Massachusetts assignments as his. Where the abuse itself occurred is part of the facts of such a claim; whether any particular claim qualifies is a fact-specific question for a Rhode Island attorney.
Confidential help
If something happened to you at one of these parishes or campuses, 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 Samuel Turillo — also served at Sacred Heart Church, West Warwick (+1 more shared)
- Father Barry Meehan — also served at St. Mary Church, Cranston
- Father Edmund Micarelli — also served at Sacred Heart Church, West Warwick
- Father Oscar Ferland — also served at University of Rhode Island, —
Related town records: see all verified Providence records and Cranston 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 7, 2026); Rhode Island Attorney General, Report on the Diocese of Providence and Appendix A (March 4, 2026). Where the two official sources differ (birth year; removal/suspension date), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 7, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.