Key Takeaways
- Father Dennis Brodeur was accused of repeatedly sexually abusing a boy while he was serving at St. Jude Church in Lincoln, RI, during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
- The Diocese of Providence received the allegation shortly after Brodeur’s death in 2004 and later conducted an interview with the alleged victim.
Father Dennis Brodeur was a Diocese of Providence priest who later became a professor, healthcare ethicist, and healthcare executive.
Following allegations that surfaced after his death, he was publicly identified on both the Diocese of Providence’s List of Credibly Accused Clergy and the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report.
Who Was Father Dennis Brodeur?
Born on July 1, 1951, Dennis Brodeur was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Providence on July 23, 1977.
After serving in Rhode Island parish ministry, Brodeur pursued a career in higher education and healthcare ethics. He taught at St. Ambrose College in Iowa and later worked at Saint Louis University’s Center for Health Care Ethics. He ultimately became a healthcare executive with SSM Health Care in St. Louis.
Brodeur died in St. Louis, Missouri, on January 1, 2004.
Father Dennis Brodeur’s Assignments
Father Dennis Brodeur served in the following assignments:
- Holy Trinity Church, Central Falls, RI (1976–1977)
- St. Catherine Church, Warwick, RI (Summer 1977)
- St. Jude Church, Lincoln, RI (1977–1980)
- Faculty, St. Ambrose College, Davenport, Iowa (1980–1982)
- Faculty, Center for Health Care Ethics, St. Louis, Missouri (1982–1986)
- Sisters of St. Mary Health Center, St. Louis, Missouri (1986–2004)
Allegations and Public Record
According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report, the Diocese first received an allegation against Father Dennis Brodeur on January 6, 2004, just days after his death.
The report states that the parents of an adult man informed a priest in the Archdiocese of Atlanta “that their adult son had recently disclosed that he had been abused by Brodeur as a 13-year-old boy when the family lived in Rhode Island.” The allegation was then relayed to the Diocese of Providence.
According to the complainant, “he was molested repeatedly by Brodeur at his family’s home in Lincoln when he was 13-14 years old. Brodeur was close friends with the complainant’s parents, whom he met at St. Jude’s Parish, and he spent significant amounts of time in their home. The complainant stated that Father Brodeur would enter his bedroom at night, while his parents were home, to ‘tuck him in,’ and that this escalated to repeated instances of masturbation and Brodeur performing oral sex on the boy. The complainant reported that this likely occurred 5-10 times, and that he disclosed the abuse for the first time around the time of Brodeur’s death.”
Although the Diocese received the complaint and conducted a detailed interview in 2004, the matter was not presented to the Diocesan Review Board until April 2019. The AG’s Report notes that diocesan records indicated there was “no law enforcement notification on file” regarding the allegation. The report further states that it does not appear the complaint was reported to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office or Rhode Island State Police in 2019.
For more information on this case, please see Appendix A of the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report.
Were You Abused by Father Dennis Brodeur? You May Still Have Options.
Even though Father Dennis Brodeur is deceased, survivors may still have civil legal options against the institutions that employed him, supervised his ministry, or failed to protect children from abuse.
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 Dennis Brodeur 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: Left: Rev./Father Dennis Brodeur, via Bishop Accountability. Right: Brodeur, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 5, 2004, via Bishop Accountability. Background: St. Jude Catholic Church, © Google, Google Maps.
