Credibly Accused

Search lists of U.S. Catholic clergy that have been deemed credibly accused of sexual abuse or misconduct.

Published Jan. 28, 2020

This database was last updated in January 2020 and should only be used as a historical snapshot of the lists published by dioceses and religious orders. There may be changes to those records that are not reflected here.

If you find an error in the data or would like to suggest changes, contact us.

Diocese of Providence, Rhode Island

William O'Connell

Status: Removed from Ministry 2/19/1985; Died 5/12/1996

Appeared under the heading: “List of Credibly Accused Clergy - Deceased”

Birth Year: 1922

Ordination year: 1950

Reported assignment history:

St. Andrew Church, Block Island, 1950
St. Francis Church, Wakefield, 1950-1952
St. Brendan Church, Riverside, 1952-1953
St. Michael Church, Georgiaville, 1953
Chaplian, U.S. Navy, 1953-1958
SS. Peter & Paul Church, West Warwick, 1958-1961
St. Mary Church, Providence, 1961-1966
St. Joseph Church, Central Falls, 1966-1967
Sacred Heart Church, Pawtucket, 1967
Holy Ghost Church, Tiverton, 1967-1972
St. Mary Church, Bristol, 1972-1985

If you find an error in the data or would like to suggest changes, contact us.

Sources: U.S Catholic dioceses and religious orders, ProPublica reporting, Pontifical Yearbook (2019)

Data entry by: Tatyana Bellamy-Walker, Grace Haley, Samantha Maldonado, Spencer Norris, Anna Pouza, Lilia Saul

You can download this complete dataset at the ProPublica Data Store.