Father Normand Demers Sex Abuse Allegations

Key Takeaways

Father Normand Demers served in the Diocese of Providence for more than four decades before being suspended from ministry in 2002.
The Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report documents allegations involving at least eleven boys and young men who reported abuse by Demers.
Survivors of clergy sexual abuse may have civil legal options against the institutions that enabled abuse.

Who Was Father Normand Demers?

Father Normand Demers was a priest of the Diocese of Providence who served throughout Rhode Island for more than forty years.

Born on September 14, 1932, Demers was ordained on May 31, 1958. During his career, he served in parish ministry, hospital chaplaincy, correctional facilities, and other youth-serving ministries.

According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report, “Over a more than thirty-year period between 1965 and 1997, Father Normand Demers reportedly sexually abused at least eleven boys and young men while serving as a priest for the Diocese of Providence. The Diocese reported several, but not all, of these allegations to law enforcement, and none resulted in a prosecutable criminal case. Members of the Diocesan hierarchy first received notice of possible misconduct as early as 1965, but Demers remained in ministry until 2002.”

In 2002, Demers was suspended from active ministry. According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report, the Diocese had received at least five separate reports of abuse involving Demers by that time. Later that year, the Diocesan Child Protection Advisory Board unanimously voted against reinstating him. He died in 2018.

He is included on both the Diocese of Providence’s List of Credibly Accused Clergy and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report.

Father Normand Demers Assignment History

The assignment history of Father Normand Demers includes:

St. Francis of Assisi Church, Wakefield (1958)
St. John the Evangelist Church, Slatersville (1958–1959)
St. Vincent de Paul Church, Coventry (1959–1965)
Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, North Providence (1965–1973)
LaSalle Academy, Providence (1970–1980)
Adult Correctional Institutions, Cranston (1971–1976)
Dismas House, Providence (1973–1976)
St. Joseph Church, Providence (1974–1990)
Providence Haitian Project, Haiti (1989)
Saint Luke Institute, Maryland (1989–1990)
St. Martha Church, East Providence (1990–2002)
St. Joseph Hospital, Providence (1998)
Our Lady of Fatima Church, North Providence (1998–2002)

Summary of Allegations Against Father Normand Demers

According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report, allegations arose while Demers was working at multiple assignments and ministries, including Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, Dismas House, and St. Joseph’s Church.

One of the individuals who publicly accused Demers was Providence resident Robert Houllahan, who authorized the AG’s office to publish his name. Houllahan “first disclosed his allegations to the Diocese through an attorney in July 2012, and was interviewed by the State Police in July 2014 and again in October 2018.”

He alleged Demers, along with another adult male, sexually abused him when he was approximately seven or eight years old at St. Joseph Parish in Providence during the late 1970s.

The Attorney General’s investigation found that concerns regarding Demers’ conduct were raised repeatedly over the course of decades before his removal from ministry in 2002. Demers denied all the allegations of sexual abuse made against him during diocesan investigations.

Civil Lawsuit Filed After Demers’ Death

In February 2020, Mr. Houllahan filed a civil lawsuit alleging that Father Normand Demers sexually abused him as a child at St. Joseph’s in Providence.

The lawsuit further alleged that church officials “actively thwarted efforts” to stop the priest, who used the “guise of international charitable work to prey on boys at orphanages in Haiti and rectories in Rhode Island.” (Providence Journal)

The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed, and the dismissal was later affirmed on appeal.

However, the Diocese’s handling of allegations was later examined as part of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s clergy abuse investigation.

For additional information on the allegations against Demers and the Diocese’s response, readers may review Appendix A of Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report on Child Sexual Abuse in the Diocese of Providence and sources compiled by Bishop Accountability.

Were You Harmed by Father Normand Demers?

Although Father Normand Demers died in 2018, Rhode Island’s recently enacted childhood sexual abuse revival window has created an opportunity for survivors to pursue civil claims that may have previously been barred by the statute of limitations.

At Andreozzi + Foote, we represent survivors of clergy sexual abuse in Rhode Island and nationwide. Our team takes a trauma-informed approach to every case, ensuring survivors are heard, supported, and empowered throughout the legal process.

If you were abused by Father Normand Demers or another member of the clergy, we encourage you to speak with an attorney about your rights and potential legal options. Every consultation is free and completely confidential.

📞 (866) 311-8640
📧 info@vca.law