Father William Gillooly (1918–1989)

Father William Gillooly served twelve Rhode Island assignments over thirty-six years — West Warwick, Wakefield, Warwick (including three years as Regional CYO Director), Woonsocket, Harrisville, Providence, Newport, and eight final years at St. Rita in Warwick. 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 Gillooly?

According to the Diocese of Providence’s published list, his status reads, in full: “Died 9/2/1989; 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 a 1981 retirement (Appendix A, p. 148).

The Attorney General’s Appendix A states that all three complaints against Father Gillooly “were posthumous.” One complainant alleged abuse in 1976, when he was eight years old, while swimming in the Narrow River in Narragansett; another reported witnessing the abuse of a 15-year-old boy in 1965 at the Narragansett residence of Father William O’Connell — described by the report as “another credibly accused priest”; and a third reported a 1978 assault at St. Rita Church, a complaint the report says the Diocese did not credit, apparently because the complainant “likely misidentified another priest he claimed was also involved” (Appendix A, p. 148).

Appendix A further records that Diocesan documents indicate Bishop Louis Gelineau “forced Gillooly to retire in 1981 after confronting him with a “list of accusations,” the details of which are not clear,” and that in exchange Gelineau agreed Gillooly would receive full retirement benefits; the report states there is no indication of any internal investigation or law-enforcement referral during his lifetime (Appendix A, p. 148). The main report adds that in November 2024 the 1976 complainant told the Attorney General’s Office that his entire family had been affected and that Gillooly had betrayed his parents’ trust and faith in the Church (Report, p. 70).

Where Father Gillooly 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 beginning in 1944 where the Diocese prints 1945, prints the St. Francis of Assisi assignments as South Kingstown where the Diocese prints Wakefield, prints the St. Patrick assignments as Burrillville where the Diocese prints Harrisville, does not print the Diocese’s Regional CYO Director row, and adds a “1981: Retired” line (Appendix A, p. 148); each is stated here as the official documents print it.

What the official lists say

The Diocese of Providence includes William Gillooly on its List of Credibly Accused Clergy – Deceased. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report (March 4, 2026) includes Father William Gillooly 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: “The Diocese received three complaints accusing Father William Gillooly of sexually assaulting boys between the ages of 8 and 15, while he was assigned to St. Francis Church in South Kingstown and St. Rita Church in Warwick, between 1965-1978. All three complaints were posthumous” (Appendix A, p. 148).

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 Gillooly was never criminally charged; per the report, all three complaints were brought after his death in 1989, and there was no law-enforcement referral during his lifetime (Appendix A, p. 148).

If you were at these parishes — or in CYO programs in the early 1950s: 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 1989 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 William Gillooly 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 Gillooly 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 states all three complaints were posthumous (Appendix A, p. 148).

Why did he retire in 1981? Appendix A records that Bishop Gelineau forced the retirement after confronting Gillooly with a “list of accusations” whose details are not clear from the records, with full retirement benefits agreed in exchange (Appendix A, p. 148).

He died in 1989 — 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 any of these parishes or programs, 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 Adrian Menard — also served at St. Peter Church, Warwick
• Father Armand Ventre — also served at St. Patrick Church, Harrisville
• Father Barry Meehan — also served at St. James Church, West Warwick
• Father Charles Dolan — also served at St. Agnes Church, Providence

Related town records: see all verified Providence records, Woonsocket records, and Warwick records, plus West Warwick records and Newport 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 1944/1945 start year; the Wakefield/South Kingstown and Harrisville/Burrillville place names; the CYO row; 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.