St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, is a Catholic high school operated under the traditions of the Brothers of the Christian Schools. For most of its history, it has been regarded as a place of faith and education. However, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s March 2026 report on child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence revealed something deeply troubling: the school was named as a location where clergy sexual abuse was reported, and at least four credibly accused clergy members served there. If you attended St. Raphael Academy and were abused, you are not alone, and what happened to you was not your fault. Rhode Island’s new law, signed by Governor Dan McKee on June 11, 2026, may give you a path to justice that you thought had closed long ago.

Table of Contents

• What the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report Found About St. Raphael Academy
• Credibly Accused Clergy Who Served at St. Raphael Academy, Pawtucket
• Rhode Island’s New Child Sexual Abuse Law (H-7200A / S-2616A) and What It Means for St. Raphael Survivors
• How Institutions Like St. Raphael Academy Can Be Held Legally Responsible
• Why Survivors of St. Raphael Academy Abuse Should Contact Sommers Schwartz Now
• FAQs About St. Raphael Academy Sexual Abuse Claims in Rhode Island

What the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report Found About St. Raphael Academy

The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office released a comprehensive report in March 2026 documenting child sexual abuse within the Diocese of Providence. That report named St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket as one of several Catholic schools where clergy abuse was reported during the review period. Investigators found that accused clergy served in schools and other educational institutions across the state, and St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket was specifically listed among those schools.

The push for new legislation was closely tied to that 284-page report, which documented more than 300 survivors of abuse within the Diocese of Providence and identified 75 clergy members with credible allegations of sexual misconduct dating back to 1950. It also outlined how the Diocese allegedly concealed that abuse for decades.

The report did not treat St. Raphael Academy as a footnote. According to the reference material drawn from the Attorney General’s Credibly Accused Clergy appendix, four credibly accused clergy members served at the school. That number places St. Raphael Academy among the most heavily implicated Catholic educational institutions in Rhode Island, alongside La Salle Academy in Providence, where four accused clergy also served.

The report’s findings about Catholic schools are particularly important. Priests and brothers assigned to these schools reportedly used their authority to remove children from classes and then abused them. That pattern, where trusted adults exploited their institutional access to harm students, is central to understanding what happened at St. Raphael Academy. If you experienced something like this as a student, the Attorney General’s investigation confirms that your experience was not isolated.

Credibly Accused Clergy Who Served at St. Raphael Academy, Pawtucket

The Attorney General’s report and its accompanying appendices identify specific individuals with credible abuse allegations who were assigned to St. Raphael Academy. Understanding who these individuals were, and how long they served, helps survivors connect their own experiences to the documented record.

Brother Raphael Edes, a member of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, served at St. Raphael Academy from 1978 to 1994, a span of nearly two decades. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report states that Brother Edes is the subject of at least three separate allegations of sexual abuse that have been deemed credible by either the Diocese or the Christian Brothers. Two of his accusers were students at St. Raphael who reported that he abused them there between 1986 and 1990. When Rhode Island State Police interviewed Edes in 2025 as part of the investigation, he admitted to what he described as consensual sexual contact with one of the complainants. There is no such thing as consensual sexual contact between an adult in authority and a child. If you were abused by Brother Edes, that was not your fault.

According to the Attorney General’s Appendix A report, Father Paul Charland allegedly sexually abused a 15-year-old student at St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket in 1980 or 1981 while serving as a guidance counselor and Catholic Youth Organization teacher. The alleged abuse involved fondling and kissing, and the victim reported witnessing Charland do the same to her friend. The Diocese was aware of the conduct as early as January 1982, when a priest informed the bishop that Charland’s behavior had covered ten years and that Charland could not deny kissing the student.

Father Armand Ventre also served at St. Raphael Academy from 1974 to 1977, according to the Attorney General’s credibly accused clergy records. He is among the individuals named in the broader investigation. A sexual abuse lawyer who handles Rhode Island parochial and Catholic school abuse cases can help you understand how these documented assignments connect to your potential legal claim.

Rhode Island’s New Child Sexual Abuse Law (H-7200A / S-2616A) and What It Means for St. Raphael Survivors

Rhode Island’s new child sexual abuse law, known as H-7200A in the House and S-2616A in the Senate, was signed by Governor Dan McKee on June 11, 2026, and took effect on July 1, 2026. The law amends the statute of limitations for claims of sexual abuse of a child and creates a two-year window for survivors to bring otherwise time-barred claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse.

The new law establishes a two-year civil “revival window” that opens from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028. During this 24-month period, survivors can file civil suits even if the statute of limitations on their claims had previously expired. This is a critical distinction. Before this law, many St. Raphael Academy survivors had no legal recourse because their claims had expired under older deadlines.

In 2023, the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled that the 2019 law only applied to suits against individual perpetrators, not the institutions or supervisors who enabled them. That ruling left a significant gap. The new H-7200A law directly addresses that gap by specifically targeting institutions and the people who ran them.

The new law specifically targets institutions and organizations such as churches, schools, youth programs, healthcare facilities and sports leagues, as well as supervisors. For St. Raphael Academy survivors, this means that a claim against the school, the Diocese of Providence, or supervisors who knew about abuse and failed to stop it may now be possible, even if years or decades have passed. The window is open now, and it closes on June 30, 2028. That deadline is firm.

Survivors who want to understand how this law applies to their specific situation should speak with a sexual assault lawyer who handles Rhode Island childhood sexual abuse claims. The legal analysis is fact-specific, and time is genuinely limited.

How Institutions Like St. Raphael Academy Can Be Held Legally Responsible

When a student is sexually abused by a teacher, brother, priest, or guidance counselor at a school, the individual abuser is not the only one who may bear legal responsibility. Institutions can be held liable when they knew, or should have known, that a person in their care posed a risk to children, and failed to act.

The Attorney General’s report described a pattern across Catholic institutions in Rhode Island where warning signs were ignored, abusers were transferred rather than removed, and complaints were not reported to law enforcement. At St. Raphael Academy, the documented record shows that accused clergy served for years, in some cases nearly two decades, without being removed despite credible allegations. The Diocese’s awareness of Father Charland’s conduct as early as January 1982, for example, raises serious questions about what steps were taken to protect students after that point.

Under Rhode Island civil law, an institution can face claims of negligence when it fails to properly screen, supervise, or remove individuals who harm children in its care. Supervisors and administrators who actively concealed abuse may face additional legal exposure under the new law. These are the exact types of claims that H-7200A was designed to address.

Holding an institution accountable is not just about money. For many survivors, it is about forcing an acknowledgment that the abuse happened, that it was enabled, and that real people in positions of authority made choices that harmed children. A qualified sexual assault attorney can evaluate the specific facts of your case and help you understand what claims may be available to you under Rhode Island law.

Why Survivors of St. Raphael Academy Abuse Should Contact Sommers Schwartz Now

Coming forward is one of the hardest decisions a survivor can make. Many people wait years, or even decades, before they are ready to talk about what happened to them. That is completely understandable. Trauma does not follow a schedule, and delayed disclosure is recognized as a normal response to childhood sexual abuse. The new Rhode Island law was built with that reality in mind.

Sommers Schwartz is a multi-state law firm representing sexual abuse and sexual assault survivors in Rhode Island. Our attorneys handle cases involving parochial and Catholic school abuse, clergy abuse, and institutional failures across the state. We work on a contingency basis, which means you pay no fees unless we recover compensation for you. You will never be pressured, judged, or questioned about why you waited. What happened to you was not your fault, and you deserve to be heard.

The two-year revival window created by H-7200A is open now, but it will close permanently on June 30, 2028. For survivors whose claims were previously time-barred, this window may be the only opportunity to pursue a civil claim against the institution or supervisors who failed to protect them. Every case is different, and the earlier you speak with an attorney, the more time there is to gather records, identify witnesses, and build the strongest possible case.

If you attended St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket and were abused by a brother, priest, teacher, or other adult in a position of authority, please reach out to Sommers Schwartz today. A confidential conversation costs you nothing and may open a door you thought had closed for good.

FAQs About St. Raphael Academy Sexual Abuse Claims in Rhode Island

Was St. Raphael Academy named in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s abuse report?

Yes. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s March 2026 report on child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence named St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket as one of several Catholic schools where clergy abuse was reported. The report identified four credibly accused clergy members who served at the school, making it one of the most heavily implicated Catholic educational institutions in the state.

Who are the credibly accused clergy connected to St. Raphael Academy?

The Attorney General’s report and accompanying appendices identify Brother Raphael Edes, who served at the school from 1978 to 1994 and faces at least three credible abuse allegations, Father Paul Charland, who allegedly abused a student while serving as a guidance counselor and CYO teacher in 1980 or 1981, and Father Armand Ventre, who served at the school from 1974 to 1977. A fourth accused clergy member also served at the school during the review period. These names appear in the official public record.

What does Rhode Island’s new child sexual abuse law (H-7200A / S-2616A) do for St. Raphael Academy survivors?

The law, signed by Governor Dan McKee on June 11, 2026, and effective July 1, 2026, amends the statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse claims and creates a two-year revival window running from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028. During this window, survivors can file civil claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse, even if those claims had previously expired under older deadlines. This is especially significant for St. Raphael Academy survivors whose earlier claims were blocked by the 2023 Rhode Island Supreme Court ruling that limited the 2019 law to individual perpetrators only.

Can I file a claim against St. Raphael Academy or the Diocese of Providence, not just the individual abuser?

Potentially, yes. Rhode Island’s H-7200A specifically targets institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse. If the school or Diocese knew about abuse and failed to act, or if supervisors concealed misconduct, those entities may face civil liability under the new law. Whether a claim against a specific institution is viable depends on the facts of your individual case, which is why speaking with an attorney as early as possible is important.

What if I am not ready to talk about what happened, but I am worried about the deadline?

Your feelings are completely valid, and there is no pressure to share more than you are comfortable with in an initial conversation. The most important step right now is to contact an attorney before the June 30, 2028 deadline so that your legal options are preserved. At Sommers Schwartz, every conversation is confidential, and you will never be judged or questioned about why you waited. Reaching out now simply protects your right to make a decision later.

More Resources About Parish & Diocesan Institution Locations

• St. Mary’s Church, Cranston
• Our Lady of Mercy, East Greenwich
• St. Aloysius Home, Smithfield
• Jesus Savior Church, Newport
• St. Matthew Church, Cranston
• St. Mary Church, Bristol
• Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Providence
• St. Joseph Church, Woonsocket
• St. Margaret Church, East Providence
• St. Anthony Church, North Providence
• Immaculate Conception Church, Cranston
• St. Jude’s Parish, Lincoln
• St. Michael Church, Providence
• Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) Programs in Rhode Island