Key Takeaways
- Father Paul Tousignant was publicly identified in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 Report on Child Sex Abuse in the Diocese of Providence; the Diocese has never included him on its own List of Credibly Accused Clergy.
- According to the Report, Tousignant allegedly sexually abused two boys in the 1950s. One complainant died before the Diocese could investigate his allegation, while a second complainant came forward in 2019 to report abuse that allegedly occurred when he was an altar boy in the late 1950s.
- When the second victim asked the Diocese in 2019 about Tousignant’s status on the Diocese’s Credibly Accused List, the compliance director told him it was because no prior complaint existed, a statement the Attorney General’s Report found to be incorrect.
Who Was Father Paul Tousignant?
Father Paul Tousignant was ordained in 1951 and served at parishes in Coventry, Woonsocket, and Pawtucket before a prolonged, unexplained suspension in the 1960s led to his voluntary laicization in 1967. He died in 1987.
Tousignant 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. According to the Report, both known victims were boys abused in the 1950s, one at Precious Blood Parish in Woonsocket and the other, an altar boy, at Our Lady of Consolation Church in Pawtucket. (Appendix A, p. 357)
Father Paul Tousignant Assignment History
According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report, Tousignant served at:
- 1951–1954: St. Vincent Church, Coventry
- 1954–1955: St. Joseph Church, Woonsocket
- 1955–1956: Precious Blood Church, Woonsocket
- 1956–1964: Our Lady of Consolation Church, Pawtucket
- 1960: Suspended on leave, Via Coeli Monastery, Jemez Springs, New Mexico
- 1964: St. Edward Church and St. Vincent de Paul Church
- 1965–1967: Suspended on leave
- 1967: Laicized
The Allegations Against Father Paul Tousignant
Tousignant’s file rests on two complaints, filed six years apart, neither of which could ever be fully investigated because of the timing of when they surfaced.
- 1956: A man disclosed to the Archdiocese of Denver in September 2013 that Tousignant sexually assaulted him at Precious Blood Parish in Woonsocket. He was already terminally ill at the time of his disclosure and died before the Diocese of Providence could investigate further; the records produced to the Attorney General’s Office contain no additional details of what he described. Diocesan records show Tousignant was reassigned from Precious Blood to Our Lady of Consolation that same year, though his personnel file gives no reason for the transfer.
- Late 1950s: A second man reported by email in July 2019 that Tousignant sexually assaulted him repeatedly as an altar boy, between about ages 12 and 15, at Our Lady of Consolation in Pawtucket. He said Tousignant would wait in the church bathroom and grab him as he passed by to serve Mass, forcing his hand into Tousignant’s pants. He told the Diocese he had carried the memory for roughly 65 years before disclosing it to his wife and then to the Church and that he doubted he was Tousignant’s only victim.
The Diocese’s Response
When the second complainant asked compliance director Kevin O’Brien why Tousignant wasn’t on the credibly accused list, O’Brien told him it was “because we never received any complaints about him for child sexual abuse or any other matter,” and repeated the same claim in his referral letter to Rhode Island State Police. Both statements were incorrect: the Diocese had already received and forwarded the first complaint six years earlier, in 2013. The Diocesan Review Board reviewed the case at least twice, in 2013 and again in 2019, but no record survives of either determination, and it is unclear whether the Board was even aware of the earlier referral when it reviewed the case the second time.
Separately, Diocesan records show Bishop Russell McVinney suspended Tousignant in August 1960 and sent him to Via Coeli, a New Mexico facility used for priests removed from ministry, before briefly restoring his faculties in 1964 and suspending him again in 1965. The Report states plainly that the Diocese produced no documentation explaining why Tousignant was sent away, what treatment, if any, he received, or why his leave of absence lasted as long as it did.
Tousignant was never criminally charged. Rhode Island State Police closed the 2013 referral after determining both the complainant and Tousignant were deceased, and closed the 2019 referral after being unable to reach the second complainant; further attempts to reach him in 2024 were also unsuccessful.
Support for Survivors of Clergy Sexual Abuse
If you or someone you love was sexually abused by Father Paul Tousignant, 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 Tousignant 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: no verified photograph of Father Paul Tousignant was located after checking BishopAccountability’s database directly. Our Lady of Consolation Church, 211 Sabin Street, Pawtucket, RI, merged into Holy Family Parish in 2009, which itself merged into St. John Paul II Parish in early 2026; the building’s current status was not independently confirmed. No Wikipedia page exists. © Google, Google Business Profile.
