Key Takeaways
- According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report, Desrosiers reportedly sexually abused three teenage girls and one altar boy between 1972 and the mid-1980s.
- Father Alfred Desrosiers was indicted on a rape charge in 1995 stemming from allegations that he sexually abused a 15-year-old girl while serving at St. Joan of Arc Church in Cumberland.
- Desrosiers died in 2001 while the criminal case against him was still pending.
- Survivors of clergy sexual abuse may have civil legal options against the institutions that enabled abuse.
Who Was Father Alfred Desrosiers?
Father Alfred R. Desrosiers was a priest of the Diocese of Providence who served in Rhode Island for more than three decades. Born on March 13, 1935, Desrosiers was ordained on June 25, 1961.
According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report, “Between 1972 and the mid-1980s, while serving as a priest in the Diocese of Providence, Father Alfred Desrosiers reportedly sexually abused three teenage girls and one boy.”
He was suspended from ministry in April 1993 and was a sent to a sabbatical program at Boston College after the Diocese received allegations of sexual abuse involving a minor. “The Diocese ultimately reported the complaint to the Rhode Island State Police early the next year (1994), and in September 1995, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Desrosiers with one count of raping the complainant when she was 15 years old in 1972.” (Appendix A)
Desrosiers died on February 15, 2001, while the criminal rape case against him was still pending.
According to the AG’s Report, in 2002, the Diocese settled civil lawsuits brought by both the victim in the criminal case and another victim of Desrosiers. Besides the lawsuits, “The Diocese received a third complaint against Desrosiers in 2012, and a fourth in 2019.”
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 Alfred Desrosiers Assignment History
Assignments of Father Alfred Desrosiers include:
- St. Michael Church, Smithfield (Summer 1961)
- St. Jean Baptiste Church, Warren (1961–1962)
- Holy Family Church, Woonsocket (1962–1971)
- St. Joan of Arc Church, Cumberland (1971–1978)
- Mount St. Francis Day Care Center, Lincoln (1977–1983)
- Our Lady of Victories Church, Woonsocket (1978–1993)
- Suspended on Leave (1993–1997)
- Retired (1997)
Understanding Spiritual Manipulation
The first complaint known to the Diocese was made in 1993 by a woman who alleged that Desrosiers sexually abused her between 1972 and 1974, beginning when she was 15 years old and involved in the parish’s Catholic Youth Organization. According to the Report, “Desrosiers was close with her family and spent significant time in their home.”
According to Complainant A, Father Desrosiers manipulated her by telling her that God had sanctioned his conduct. He told her, ‘what a gift of God [she] was to him, and how he needed [her] to be a better priest.’ Similarly, she said, Desrosiers ‘would repeat that the Lord was using [her], as he did Mary to bear Jesus, to make him a better priest, and that he needed [her].’ When she told Desrosiers that he was hurting her, he allegedly told her to ‘close [her] eyes, pray, and it would be over soon.’ Having been religiously educated to view her priest as ‘a representative of God, and one who would transform the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, who could forgive sins, who could baptize, who was ‘called by God’ to be a priest,’ [the victim] believed [Desrosiers] when he told [her] what he felt God was calling [her] to do in order to make him a better priest.”
Similarly, in the case of Complainant D, “an eight-year-old altar boy at Woonsocket’s Our Lady of Victories Church, where Desrosiers was the pastor…Desrosiers allegedly told the boy that it was his responsibility to teach him ‘about sex and love and that him using [Complainant D] to get his release…would allow him to become a better priest.’”
These allegations illustrate what is often referred to as spiritual manipulation, a form of grooming in which a religious leader uses their position of authority, religious teachings, or perceived relationship with God to gain a victim’s trust or normalize abusive conduct. The Attorney General’s Report further notes allegations that Desrosiers told the male complainant that no one would believe him because Desrosiers was a priest, highlighting how religious authority can be used to intimidate victims and discourage reporting.
Civil Lawsuits Filed
In addition to the criminal case for which he was indicted in 1995, Desrosiers was the subject of two molestation lawsuits. According to the Attorney General’s Report, one claim settled for $300,000 while another “was included as part of a $13.5 million dollar settlement reached between the Diocese and numerous abuse complainants in September 2002.”
For additional information regarding allegations against Desrosiers 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 Alfred Desrosiers?
Although Father Alfred Desrosiers died in 2001, 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 Alfred Desrosiers 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.
Contact us today to learn more.
📞 (866) 311-8640
📧 info@vca.law
Image sources: Fr. Alfred R. Desrosiers, courtesy of Bishop Accountability. St. Joan of Arc, courtesy of St. Joan’s Church RI.
