Key Takeaways
- Father Joseph Rocha was publicly identified in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report on Child Sex Abuse in the Diocese of Providence.
- According to the Report, Rocha was accused of sexually abusing two minors in Rhode Island in the early 1980s.
- He was also accused of sexually abusing a minor in Massachusetts in 1968 or 1969, a claim the Dominican Order settled in 2015.
- In 2001, Rocha pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 21-year-old man with disabilities at an assisted living facility.
- Rocha is named on the credibly accused lists of both the Diocese of Providence and the Dominican Province of St. Joseph, the religious order that supervised his ministry.
Who Was Father Joseph Rocha?
Father Joseph James Rocha was a priest of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph assigned to parishes and institutions in the Diocese of Providence for nearly 15 years, before leaving the Diocese in 1986 and the Dominican Order itself in 1988.
Rocha is identified on the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report and included on the Diocese of Providence’s List of Credibly Accused Clergy, as well as the Dominican Province of St. Joseph’s own list of friars with an allegation established after their death or departure. The Diocese’s published assignment history for Rocha notably omits his time at Bishop Hendricken High School, one location where he is separately alleged to have abused a child. He was also separately accused of abusing a minor while assigned to St. Stephen’s College in Dover, Massachusetts, years before his Rhode Island assignments. (Appendix A, p. 300)
Father Joseph Rocha Assignment History
According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report, Rocha served at:
- 1966–1967: Dominican Monastery, Syracuse, New York
- 1967–1970: St. Stephen’s College, Dover, Massachusetts
- 1970–1971: East Tennessee State Catholic Center, Johnson City, Tennessee
- 1971–1977: St. Pius V Church, Providence
- 1977–1982: Bishop Hendricken High School, Warwick, and Pastoral Counsellor/Judge of the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal
- 1983–1986: St. Raymond Church, Providence
- 1986: Left the Diocese of Providence
- 1988: Left the Dominican Order
The Allegations Against Father Joseph Rocha
Rocha’s file documents two distinct patterns: unexplained internal concern about his conduct in the 1980s, and a later criminal conviction for sexually assaulting a vulnerable adult, alongside separate, unresolved allegations that he abused children years earlier.
In a January 1986 letter to his Dominican Provincial, Bishop Louis Gelineau explained that Rocha would be removed from the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal and asked to meet in person about “another aspect” of the decision. Gelineau wrote that Rocha’s “health is not good” and that it “may even be symptomatic of deeper problems,” adding “it could be that the priests living with him have noticed something also.” It is unclear whether that meeting took place, and the Report states plainly it is unclear what animated Gelineau’s concerns.
- 1968 or 1969: While assigned to St. Stephen’s College, a Dominican house of studies in Dover, Massachusetts, Rocha was separately accused of sexually abusing a minor. The claim surfaced years later and was resolved through a November 2015 settlement between the complainant and the Dominican Order, independent of and years before the two Rhode Island complaints below.
- Summer 1982: A man told the Diocese in 2012 that Rocha sexually abused him three times that year, at age eight or nine: once on a camping trip in New Hampshire, where Rocha pressed against him in a shared bed; again on a trip to a summer home on Cape Cod, where Rocha touched his genitals; and once in Rocha’s office at Bishop Hendricken High School, where Rocha placed his penis in the boy’s mouth.
- 1981 or 1982: A second man, through his attorney, reported in April 2019 that Rocha had sexually abused him as a child, though he declined the Diocese’s request for a direct interview, and no further details of the allegation appear in the Diocese’s files.
- 1999: While working as a chaplain at an assisted living facility in North Providence, Rocha sexually assaulted a 21-year-old resident with a mental disability. He pleaded guilty in 2001 and was sentenced to a suspended 10-year prison term with 10 years of probation, a no-contact order, and mandatory sex offender registration.
Father Joseph Rocha’s Criminal Proceedings
Rocha was convicted only once, for the 1999 assault of the disabled adult resident, resulting in his 2001 guilty plea and sentencing. He was never charged in connection with either childhood abuse allegation. The Diocese referred the first complainant’s 2012 report to Rhode Island State Police within two days and forwarded the second complainant’s 2019 report as well, but both were closed because Rocha had already died in 2009.
Civil Litigation Against Father Joseph Rocha
The Dominican Order reached a confidential settlement in November 2015 with the man who accused Rocha of abusing him at St. Stephen’s College in Dover, Massachusetts, in 1968 or 1969. Public records do not show a lawsuit filed against Rocha over the two Rhode Island allegations. Rhode Island’s expanded statute of limitations may still allow additional survivors to pursue civil claims against the Diocese or the Dominican Province of St. Joseph.
Support for Survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse
If you or someone you love was sexually abused by Father Joseph Rocha, 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 Rocha or another religious leader, we encourage you to contact us today to learn about your legal options.
Every consultation is free and completely confidential.
📞 (866) 311-8640 📧 info@vca.law
Image sources: Father Joseph Rocha, via BishopAccountability.org. Bishop Hendricken High School, © Google, Google Maps.
