Key Takeaways
- Father Edmond Micarelli was publicly identified in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report on Child Sex Abuse in the Diocese of Providence as one of the diocese’s most prolific abusers.
- According to the report, Micarelli sexually abused at least 16 boys and one young man between 1959 and 1975, largely while serving as a chaplain at the Boy Scouts’ Camp Yawgoog.
- The report states the diocese did not refer any allegation against Micarelli to law enforcement until 2008, decades after the first complaint reached church officials.
Who Was Father Edmond Micarelli?
Father Edmond Micarelli was a priest in the Diocese of Providence who served as a summer chaplain at Camp Yawgoog in Hopkinton for 14 years, in addition to parish assignments across the state.
The Attorney General’s Report names Micarelli among the five most prolific clergy abusers identified in the diocese, alongside William O’Connell, Brendan Smyth, Robert Marcantonio, and Michael LaMountain. He is included on the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report and the Diocese of Providence’s List of Credibly Accused Clergy.
According to the Report, Micarelli sexually abused at least 16 boys, ages 8 to 15, and one 18-year-old young man, largely at his Camp Yawgoog cabin and later at St. Alexander’s rectory in Warren. One complainant told investigators Micarelli bragged that he “had sex with every kid he knew.” (Appendix A, p. 259)
Father Edmond Micarelli Assignment History
According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report, Micarelli served at the following:
- 1959–1973: Camp Yawgoog, Hopkinton (summer chaplain)
- 1959–1966: St. Mary Church, Christian Brothers Center, and the Newman Center at the University of Rhode Island
- 1966–1973: Sacred Heart Church, West Warwick; St. Ann Church, Providence and Cranston; SS. Peter & Paul Church, West Warwick
- 1973–1989: St. Alexander Church, Warren
- 1989: Retired to Florida
- 1990: Suspended on leave
The Allegations Against Father Edmond Micarelli
Micarelli’s earliest known victim was an 18-year-old homeless man he met in 1959, whom he reportedly coerced into a sexual relationship for years in exchange for gifts. Through the 1960s, multiple boys said Micarelli abused them at his Camp Yawgoog cabin, including a 14-year-old counselor Micarelli allegedly raped starting in 1963 and later pressured into bringing him other boys to abuse.
The pattern escalated in the 1970s. In 1971, Micarelli picked up a 12-year-old hitchhiker, brought him to his cabin, gave him beer, and raped him while he was incapacitated, an incident later cited directly in the Attorney General’s public summary of the report. Between 1972 and 1975, at least seven more boys, several of them altar servers at St. Alexander’s, reported abuse at the rectory, the Camp Yawgoog cabin, and motels in Massachusetts, sometimes involving multiple victims and alcohol or marijuana at once.
- 1983: A father filed the first documented complaint with Providence Police after learning Micarelli had abused his son, but the statute of limitations had already lapsed by the time of the report.
- 1988: A victim disclosed his 1973 rape to a diocesan priest, who forwarded it to Auxiliary Bishop Kenneth Angell. Bishop Louis Gelineau accepted Micarelli’s “retirement” weeks later, citing “degenerative arthritis” rather than the allegation.
- 1990: Two brothers reported abuse from the 1960s. An internal Diocesan memo originally described “probable pedophilia” before Gelineau personally struck the phrase and replaced it with “charges,” which he denied. Gelineau revoked Micarelli’s faculties that April.
- 1993: An attorney notified the diocese he represented ten victims, and a civil lawsuit followed detailing abuse dating back to the 1960s.
- 2002 to 2015: Additional victims came forward individually. The Diocese settled multiple claims for more than $2 million in 2002. Micarelli requested laicization in 2003; the Vatican denied it in 2005, restricting him to celebrating Mass privately.
Father Edmond Micarelli’s Criminal Proceedings
Micarelli was never criminally charged. The Diocese did not refer any allegation to the Rhode Island State Police until 2008 and, between then and 2015, forwarded several more, but each was closed because the alleged conduct fell outside the statute of limitations, in part because Rhode Island law did not classify oral sex or sodomy as felony offenses before 1979. A detective interviewed Micarelli directly in 2010; he denied the allegations. In 2024, State Police recontacted his surviving victims to confirm their accounts for the report.
Civil Litigation Against Father Edmond Micarelli
Micarelli was named in a 1993 civil lawsuit brought on behalf of multiple victims, which the Diocese resolved along with other claims in a 2002 settlement exceeding $2 million. Rhode Island’s expanded statute of limitations may still allow additional survivors to pursue civil claims against the Diocese.
Support for Survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse
If you or someone you love was sexually abused by Father Edmond Micarelli, 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 Micarelli 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 Edmond Micarelli, via Providence Journal. Camp Yawgoog, © Google, Google Business Profile.
