Key Takeaways
- Father Alfred Santagata was publicly identified in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report on Child Sex Abuse in the Diocese of Providence. The Diocese has not included him on its own List of Credibly Accused Clergy.
- According to the Report, Santagata sexually abused two girls in the early 1960s while assigned to St. Mary’s Church in Cranston.
Who Was Father Alfred Santagata?
Father Alfred Santagata was a priest in the Diocese of Providence who died in August 1967. Rhode Island Attorney General records show only a partial assignment history for him, limited to a single decade-long posting at St. Mary Church in Cranston.
Santagata is identified on the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report, but is not included on the Diocese of Providence’s own List of Credibly Accused Clergy. His case came to light only through the Attorney General’s independent review of Diocesan files, one of several instances the Report identifies in which credible allegations existed in Diocesan records but were never added to the Church’s own public list.
Father Alfred Santagata Partial Assignment History
According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report, Santagata served at:
- 1954–1964: St. Mary Church, Cranston
The Allegations Against Father Alfred Santagata
Santagata’s file rests on two women’s accounts, separated by nearly 30 years, both describing the same parish and the same pattern of abuse by two men working there together.
- Early 1960s: In March 1995, the Diocese’s Office of Education and Compliance received a nine page handwritten letter from a woman who, by then, was living out of state and working as a clinical psychologist. She wrote that she had grown up attending a Diocesan parish in Rhode Island, where she was repeatedly sexually abused over a period of years by both the parish priest, Santagata, and the parish’s music minister, who she said would grope her and say explicit things to her. Diocesan Director Robert McCarthy called her days later, and she confirmed her account, telling him she had finally found the resolve to report it to someone in authority. (Appendix A)
In an internal memo following that call, McCarthy noted that both Santagata and the music minister were already dead and wrote, “[n]o further action is needed in this case.” The Diocese’s own records show no indication McCarthy took any further investigative steps, such as reviewing Santagata’s personnel file for other complaints or attempting to identify other children who may have attended the parish during his tenure. The woman died in 2022, having never seen her report result in any documented Diocesan action.
- 1961 to 1963: In March 2024, an attorney contacted the Diocese on behalf of a second woman, who said she was abused by Santagata at the same Cranston parish between 1961 and 1963, when she was 12 to 14 years old. Unlike the 1995 report, the Diocese promptly forwarded this allegation to both Rhode Island State Police and the Attorney General’s Office. State Police invited the woman to discuss her account directly, but as of the Report’s publication, she had not contacted them. (Appendix A)
Santagata was never criminally charged. He died in 1967, decades before either allegation reached the Diocese, and no referral to law enforcement occurred until the second complainant’s report in 2024, which remains open pending her decision on whether to speak with investigators.
Support for Survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse
If you or someone you love was sexually abused by Father Alfred Santagata, Andreozzi + Foote is here to help.
Recent changes to Rhode Island law have 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 across the nation. 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 Santagata or another religious leader, we encourage you to contact us today to learn about your legal options.
Every consultation is free and completely confidential.
Image sources: Father Alfred Santagata, via BishopAccountability.org. St. Mary Church, 1525 Cranston Street, Cranston, RIm © Google, Google Business Profile.
