This page concerns Roland Lepire (Rev. Roland M. Lepire), born February 18, 1949, ordained August 23, 1975, a priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence who died February 26, 2025. 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 Roland Lepire’s ministry ran through the French-Canadian Catholic corridor of northern Rhode Island — Manville, St. Aloysius in Woonsocket, St. Matthew in Central Falls, and St. Leo the Great in Pawtucket — with assignments in Cranston and Coventry as well. 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 Lepire?
According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, Father Lepire was removed from ministry on February 9, 1996 and died on February 26, 2025. The Attorney General’s report records the later canonical outcome: suspended on leave from 1996 to 2004, then dismissed from the clerical state, with a penal dismissal date of October 1, 2004 (Appendix A, p. 190).
The report also documents how early the Diocese was on notice. It recounts that after a mother complained to Woonsocket police in the late 1970s, Bishop Louis Gelineau transferred Lepire from St. Aloysius to St. Mary’s in Cranston in February 1979 — “where Lepire’s abuse continued” — and quotes a 1979 internal note directing that Lepire “must be transferred at once” and “should not be reassigned in the Woonsocket area” “[f]or confidential reasons” (Appendix A, p. 190; Report, pp. 70–71). The report further recounts that in 1996, while at a treatment center, Lepire admitted to wrestling with a nine-year-old boy in a rectory and inappropriately fondling him nineteen years earlier (Report, p. 71). He was never criminally charged.
Where Father Lepire served: assignment history
The Diocese of Providence publishes the following assignment record:
| Assignment | Location | Years |
|---|---|---|
| St. James Church | Manville, RI | 1974–1975 |
| St. Aloysius Church | Woonsocket, RI | 1975–1979 |
| St. Mary Church | Cranston, RI | 1979–1980 |
| St. Matthew Church | Central Falls, RI | 1980–1986 |
| St. Leo the Great Church | Pawtucket, RI | 1986–1991 |
| St. Vincent de Paul Church | Coventry, RI | 1991–1996 |
Source: Diocese of Providence, individual clergy record, verified July 7, 2026. The Attorney General’s Appendix A publishes the same parish history and adds a Summer 1980 “sick leave” entry, the 1996–2004 suspension, and the 2004 dismissal from the clerical state (Appendix A, p. 190).
What the official lists say
The Diocese of Providence includes Roland Lepire on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased, with the status: “Removed from Ministry 2/9/1996; Died 02/26/2025”. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father Roland Lepire 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 Roland Lepire is accused of sexually abusing at least six boys between the ages of 8 and 14 years old from 1975 to 1980, at parish assignments in Woonsocket, Cranston, and Central Falls” (Appendix A, p. 190).
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. Father Lepire was never criminally charged; the 1996 admission described above is documented in the report itself (Appendix A, p. 2; Report, p. 71).
Father Lepire died in February 2025 — what that means for a claim
Many people first learn of a priest’s death from an obituary or a parish announcement, and only then start asking questions. Under Rhode Island’s revival window, his death does not affect the right to bring a claim: a civil claim for childhood sexual abuse — abuse of someone under 18 at the time — is brought against the responsible institution, not the individual, and may be filed until June 30, 2028, no matter how long ago the abuse occurred:
- Can you still sue if the priest has died?
- How Rhode Island’s revival window works
- The June 30, 2028 deadline
- Who can file a claim
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Roland Lepire 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 2/9/1996”; the Attorney General’s report records his dismissal from the clerical state on October 1, 2004.
Was he at St. Aloysius in Woonsocket? The Diocese’s published assignment record shows St. Aloysius Church, Woonsocket, 1975–1979.
He died in 2025 — 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 — in Woonsocket, Central Falls, Pawtucket, Manville, Cranston, or Coventry — 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 Richard Holden — also served at St. Aloysius Church, Woonsocket (+1 more shared)
- Father Barry Meehan — also served at St. Mary Church, Cranston
- Father Charles Dolan — also served at St. Leo the Great Church, Pawtucket
- Father Edward Kelley — also served at St. James Church, Manville
Related town records: see all verified Cranston records, Pawtucket 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 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 (status characterization; assignment detail), both are stated with attribution. Information current as of July 7, 2026; official lists are working documents and may change.