Father Joseph Gerard Raymond Lacasse was a Catholic priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate who served in Rhode Island and whose name now appears on the Rhode Island Attorney General’s list of credibly accused clergy. If you or someone you love experienced abuse connected to Father Lacasse, you are not alone, and what happened was not your fault. Rhode Island law has changed in meaningful ways that may give you a path to justice, even if you believed that path had closed long ago.

Table of Contents

• Who Was Father Joseph Gerard Raymond Lacasse and What Did He Do in Rhode Island?
• How the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report Named Father Lacasse
• Rhode Island’s New Child Sexual Abuse Law Gives Survivors a Two-Year Window to Act
• What the Statute of Limitations Means for Lacasse Survivors Going Forward
• Why Survivors of Father Lacasse Should Speak with Sommers Schwartz Now
• FAQs About Father Lacasse and Rhode Island Clergy Abuse Claims

Who Was Father Joseph Gerard Raymond Lacasse and What Did He Do in Rhode Island?

Father Joseph Gerard Raymond Lacasse was born on December 26, 1932, and ordained on September 15, 1958. His known assignment history shows he served in Oblate missions in the Republic of the Philippines from 1959 to 1973, then at Epheta House in Cumberland, Rhode Island from 1973 to 1981, followed by a period at Immaculata Retreat House in Willimantic, Connecticut in 1981.

Lacasse was a member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He allegedly “forcibly kissed” an 11-year-old girl at the Oblates’ retreat in Cumberland sometime between 1968 and 1970, after entering her room, locking the door, and pinning her to the bed.

In 2010, the Diocese of Providence received a report that Lacasse sexually assaulted a girl sometime between 1968 and 1970, when the girl was between ages 8 and 11. The alleged victim said she was staying at the Oblate Home overnight for a “teen program” and that Lacasse went into her room, locked the door, laid on top of her, and “forcibly kissed her on the mouth.” The Oblates told the Diocese that since 1996 there were four other complaints about Lacasse involving the sexual assault of adult women.

The survivor reported the abuse in 2010, and the diocese reported it to state police, noting it had received three other complaints “of similar conduct” but involving adult women, plus another from the Oblates, totaling five. Only the 2010 allegation was forwarded to police. Two complaints by women were filed in 1996 and one in 1997.

Lacasse’s faculties were revoked in 1997. From January to October 1997, he underwent treatment at the Saint John Vianney Center in Pennsylvania. He then moved to the Oblate Foreign Missions House in Lowell, Massachusetts, and was released from his vows in 2012. He reportedly continued to live with the Oblates until his death on October 7, 2018. Father Lacasse is deceased, but that fact does not end every legal option for survivors. Civil claims against institutions that enabled or concealed abuse may still be possible.

How the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report Named Father Lacasse

Father Lacasse was named publicly as accused in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report released on March 4, 2026. That report was the product of a sweeping, multi-year investigation into the Diocese of Providence and represents one of the most detailed public accountings of institutional clergy abuse in Rhode Island history.

The report identified approximately 75 clergy members with credible allegations involving more than 300 minor children and described patterns in which accused clergy were reassigned and allegations were inconsistently reported to authorities. Father Lacasse’s inclusion in that report confirms that his case was reviewed, investigated, and found to meet the threshold of credibility.

The pattern the report describes is important for survivors to understand. Across many cases, the Diocese received complaints, yet priests were not removed from ministry, not reported to law enforcement, and not prevented from continued contact with vulnerable people. The report holds that the Diocese of Providence failed its community by hiding the abuse its clergy members perpetrated against children. According to the report, Diocese officials protected accused priests by promising them confidentiality and transferring them out of the community of the accuser. This practice of moving offending priests to another location provided them a new pool of victims to abuse, rather than addressing the problem at the source.

In Father Lacasse’s case, the Diocese received multiple complaints over several years before his faculties were revoked. The decision to forward only the 2010 complaint to law enforcement, while keeping earlier complaints from police, raises serious questions about institutional accountability. Those questions matter in civil court, where a sexual abuse lawyer can pursue claims not just against an individual perpetrator but against the institution that failed to act.

Rhode Island’s New Child Sexual Abuse Law Gives Survivors a Two-Year Window to Act

Rhode Island’s new law amends the statute of limitations for claims of sexual abuse of a child and creates a two-year window for victims to bring otherwise time-barred claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse. The new law takes effect on July 1, 2026.

The legislation (2026-H 7200A, 2026-S 2616A) was sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Carol Hagan McEntee and Senator Mark McKenney. Governor Dan McKee signed it into law on June 11, 2026. The law was a direct response to the Attorney General’s report documenting decades of institutional failures within the Diocese of Providence.

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 genuine second chance for people who believed their legal options were gone.

In 2023, the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled that a 2019 law only applied to suits against individual perpetrators, not the institutions or supervisors who enabled them. The new 2026 law directly addresses that gap. The new law specifically targets institutions and organizations such as churches, schools, youth programs, healthcare facilities, and sports leagues, as well as supervisors.

For survivors connected to Father Lacasse, this matters enormously. Because Father Lacasse is deceased, the most viable civil claims will likely focus on the institutions and supervisors who received complaints, failed to act, and allowed continued access to potential victims. A Rhode Island sexual assault lawyer can evaluate your specific circumstances and help you understand what claims may be available during this window.

What the Statute of Limitations Means for Lacasse Survivors Going Forward

Understanding the statute of limitations, which is the legal deadline for filing a lawsuit, is critical for any survivor considering a civil claim. Rhode Island’s new law changed these deadlines in two important ways: one for future claims, and one for survivors whose deadlines already passed.

Future claims must be filed by whichever date is later: either 35 years from the date of the abusive act, or seven years from when the survivor first discovers or reasonably connects their adult injuries to the childhood abuse. The statute of limitations begins running when the survivor turns 18. This means a child abused at age 10 would have until age 53, at minimum, to file a civil lawsuit.

For survivors whose deadlines already passed under the old rules, the revival window is the critical opportunity. All time-barred claims must be filed by June 30, 2028, or they may be forever barred. That is not a distant date. If you were abused by Father Lacasse or experienced abuse at an Oblate facility in Rhode Island and your legal deadline had previously expired, the time to speak with an attorney is now.

Survivors sometimes ask whether it matters that Father Lacasse died in 2018. The answer is that civil claims against institutions, including the Diocese of Providence and the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, can proceed independently of whether the individual perpetrator is living. The institutions that received complaints, failed to report, and allowed continued ministry are the focus of the revival window’s institutional accountability provisions. An experienced sexual assault attorney can explain exactly which claims apply to your situation and which entities may bear responsibility.

Why Survivors of Father Lacasse Should Speak with Sommers Schwartz Now

Reaching out for legal help after experiencing abuse takes real courage. You may have carried this for years, or even decades. You may have wondered whether anyone would believe you, or whether the law could do anything to help. Rhode Island’s new child sexual abuse law answers that last question directly: yes, the law can help, and the window to act is open right now.

At Sommers Schwartz, we represent survivors of clergy sexual abuse and institutional sexual abuse with the seriousness and compassion that every survivor deserves. We understand that trauma does not follow a neat timeline. Many survivors of childhood abuse do not come forward until years or decades after the abuse occurred, and the 2026 law reflects that reality by giving those survivors a meaningful opportunity to seek accountability.

Father Lacasse’s case involves an Oblate institution in Rhode Island, a pattern of complaints that were not forwarded to law enforcement, and a Diocese that received those complaints over multiple years. These are exactly the kinds of institutional failures that the new law was designed to address. Lawmakers cited the findings of the Attorney General’s report as a key factor in advancing legislation to expand survivors’ ability to pursue civil claims. Your story is part of that history, and your claim matters.

The revival window runs through June 30, 2028, but waiting carries real risk. Building a strong civil case takes time, and attorneys need time to gather records, identify witnesses, and prepare your claim properly. The sooner you contact Sommers Schwartz, the more time we have to work on your behalf. What happened to you was not your fault. You deserve answers, and you deserve to be heard.

FAQs About Father Lacasse and Rhode Island Clergy Abuse Claims

Father Lacasse died in 2018. Can I still file a civil lawsuit?

Yes. While Father Lacasse himself is deceased, civil claims in Rhode Island can be directed at the institutions and supervisors that enabled or concealed the abuse. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Diocese of Providence both received complaints about Father Lacasse. Rhode Island’s new law (H-7200A/S-2616A), effective July 1, 2026, specifically creates a two-year revival window for claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up child sexual abuse. An attorney can evaluate whether your claim falls within that window.

What is the two-year revival window and does it apply to my situation?

The revival window is a temporary period, running from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, during which Rhode Island survivors can file civil lawsuits even if their prior legal deadline had already expired. It applies to claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up child sexual abuse. If you experienced abuse connected to Father Lacasse or any other credibly accused clergy member in Rhode Island, this window may apply to you regardless of when the abuse occurred.

The Diocese received complaints about Father Lacasse years before his faculties were revoked. Does that matter legally?

It can matter significantly. When an institution receives complaints about a priest and fails to report that abuse to law enforcement, fails to remove the priest from ministry, or actively conceals the misconduct, that institution may bear civil liability for the harm that followed. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s report documented that only one of the multiple complaints about Father Lacasse was forwarded to police. An attorney can examine those institutional decisions as part of your civil claim.

I was abused at an Oblate retreat or facility in Rhode Island. Is my case different from a Diocese case?

Not necessarily in a way that prevents you from filing. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate operated independently of the Diocese of Providence but maintained a relationship with it regarding reporting and oversight. The new Rhode Island law covers institutions broadly, including religious orders and their facilities. Whether your claim is against the Oblates, the Diocese, or both depends on the specific facts of your case. A civil attorney can help you identify which entities may be responsible.

How do I know if my claim is strong enough to pursue?

You do not need to make that determination on your own. The attorneys at Sommers Schwartz review survivor cases with care and without judgment. What matters most is your account of what happened, when it happened, and where. From there, attorneys can investigate institutional records, the Attorney General’s report, and the known history of Father Lacasse’s assignments and complaints to evaluate your claim. There is no obligation when you reach out, and speaking with an attorney is a private, confidential process.

More Resources About Clergy Abuse

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