Father Armand Ventre served as a Roman Catholic priest in the Diocese of Providence for 42 years, from his ordination in 1957 until his retirement in December 1999. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report on clergy sexual abuse names him among the most prolific abusers in the Diocese’s documented history. If you or someone you love was harmed by Father Ventre, you are not alone, and what happened was not your fault. A sexual abuse lawyer at Sommers Schwartz can help you understand your legal options and take the next step toward accountability.

Table of Contents

• Who Was Father Armand Ventre and What Did the Diocese of Providence Know?
• Father Ventre’s Documented Pattern of Abuse Across Multiple Assignments
• How the Diocese of Providence Enabled Father Ventre’s Continued Access to Victims
• Rhode Island’s 2026 Child Sexual Abuse Law Opens a New Window for Ventre Survivors
• What the Attorney General’s Report Means for Survivors Considering a Civil Claim
• How Sommers Schwartz Supports Survivors of Father Ventre’s Abuse
• FAQs About Father Ventre and Rhode Island Clergy Sexual Abuse Claims

Who Was Father Armand Ventre and What Did the Diocese of Providence Know?

Father Armand Ventre was born on February 8, 1932, and ordained as a Catholic priest on June 30, 1957. His ministry spanned more than four decades and carried him through assignments across Rhode Island, including St. Jude Church in Lincoln, Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket, St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket, and Our Lady of Good Help Church in Burrillville. According to the Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report on child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence, Ventre was accused of sexually abusing six boys and one mentally disabled man over the course of his ministry.

The Diocese of Providence was not ignorant of the danger Ventre posed. Internal records reviewed by the Attorney General’s office show that Diocesan leaders received complaint after complaint about Ventre’s conduct with children and vulnerable adults. Despite those complaints, bishops repeatedly allowed Ventre to remain in ministry. He was not removed from active service until his retirement in December 1999, and he died just days later on December 27, 1999.

The Attorney General’s report placed Ventre on the Diocese’s Credibly Accused List, a formal designation meaning that the evidence against him met the threshold for a credible finding of sexual misconduct. That list was compiled from more than 250,000 diocesan files, law enforcement records, civil court records, and direct survivor accounts gathered over a multi-year investigation.

Understanding who Ventre was, and what the Diocese knew about him, matters because civil claims against institutions like the Diocese depend on proving that the institution had notice of the danger and failed to act. The record in Ventre’s case suggests that notice existed for decades.

Father Ventre’s Documented Pattern of Abuse Across Multiple Assignments

The Attorney General’s report describes a clear and repeated pattern in how Father Ventre gained access to children and vulnerable people. He used ordinary activities, including swimming, bathing, and overnight visits, to create situations where abuse could occur and where the behavior might seem, to a child, like something normal between an adult and a young person.

One documented incident involved a 13-year-old boy whom Ventre abused in 1977, while Ventre was assigned to St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket and serving as the boy’s guidance counselor. The boy accepted Ventre’s invitation to his lake house in Gloucester. After swimming, Ventre insisted the boy needed to bathe because of algae in the lake, then bathed the boy himself, including his genitals. According to the victim, this happened at least four times. Ventre also reportedly slept in the same bed as the boy despite other beds being available in the home.

Three additional reported incidents of abuse took place between 1980 and 1985, while Ventre was the priest at Our Lady of Good Help Church in Burrillville. In 1985, Ventre was indicted on charges related to the sexual molestation of two altar boys and one mentally disabled youth. A Superior Court bench trial in 1986 resulted in his acquittal. Following that acquittal, rather than removing Ventre from ministry entirely, the Diocese sent him on a sabbatical at the Religious Leaders Program at the University of Notre Dame, where a subsequent internal report concluded that the program had not addressed the relevant issues.

After Notre Dame, Bishop Louis Gelineau assigned Ventre as chaplain at the Fatima Unit of St. Joseph’s Hospital in North Providence in 1987. That assignment marked his return to full-time priestly duties, and it was not long before new accusations followed. The Diocese’s own internal records show that, by 1995, a senior Diocesan official assessed Ventre as posing an “extreme risk.” He remained in ministry anyway.

How the Diocese of Providence Enabled Father Ventre’s Continued Access to Victims

The Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report makes clear that the Diocese of Providence did not simply fail to stop Father Ventre. It actively created the conditions that allowed him to continue causing harm. Bishops made deliberate choices, documented in Diocesan records, that prioritized keeping Ventre in ministry over protecting children and vulnerable adults.

When Ventre was assigned as hospital chaplain in 1987, the Diocese knew about multiple prior abuse allegations. During his very first year in that role, Ventre was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a 24-year-old mentally disabled man who lived in a group home. The young man’s mother complained about Ventre’s excessive contact with her son, including multiple overnight visits where the two reportedly slept in the same bed. Ventre reportedly admitted to Bishop Gelineau that he had shared a bed with the young man. Bishop Gelineau admonished Ventre and referred him to the Saint Luke Institute, a known treatment center for accused priests, but allowed him to remain as hospital chaplain.

In 1989, while still serving at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Ventre was again accused of inappropriate conduct, this time involving a 14-year-old boy he met at the hospital. Ventre allegedly spent an excessive amount of time with the boy and gave him gifts. A fellow hospital chaplain raised concerns directly with Bishop Gelineau. Despite these ongoing complaints, and despite the Diocese’s own 1995 internal assessment that Ventre posed an “extreme risk,” Bishops Gelineau and Mulvee permitted Ventre to remain at St. Joseph’s Hospital until his December 1999 retirement.

This pattern, documented across Ventre’s entire career, reflects what the Attorney General’s report describes as a systemic practice within the Diocese: transferring accused priests rather than removing them, avoiding law enforcement referrals, and prioritizing institutional reputation over child safety. Survivors who experienced abuse connected to this institutional failure may have civil claims not just against Ventre’s estate, but against the Diocese itself as the institution that enabled and covered up the harm.

Rhode Island’s 2026 Child Sexual Abuse Law Opens a New Window for Ventre Survivors

For many survivors of Father Ventre’s abuse, the passage of time felt like a permanent barrier to justice. That changed on June 11, 2026, when Governor Dan McKee signed House Bill H-7200A and Senate Bill S-2616A into law. The 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, and it takes effect on July 1, 2026.

The new law establishes a two-year civil revival window that opens from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2028, during which survivors can file civil suits even if the statute of limitations on their claims had previously expired. This is significant for Ventre survivors because the abuse he committed spans from the late 1970s through the late 1990s. Under prior law, most of those claims would have been permanently closed.

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 matters because many survivors of childhood sexual abuse do not connect their adult struggles to what happened to them until years, sometimes decades, after the abuse occurred.

The new law specifically targets institutions and organizations such as churches, schools, youth programs, healthcare facilities and sports leagues, as well as supervisors. That means the Diocese of Providence, as the institution that assigned and retained Father Ventre despite knowing the risk he posed, is exactly the type of entity this law was designed to hold accountable. If you were harmed by Father Ventre and believed your time to act had passed, speaking with a sexual assault lawyer now is the right first step.

What the Attorney General’s Report Means for Survivors Considering a Civil Claim

The Rhode Island Attorney General’s 2026 report on child sexual abuse in the Diocese of Providence is one of the most important documents available to survivors who are considering a civil claim. Released on March 4, 2026, after a multi-year investigation, the report says the Diocese of Providence concealed decades of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, identifying at least 315 victims and 72 credibly accused clergy.

For Ventre survivors specifically, the report provides documented evidence of what the Diocese knew, when it knew it, and what it chose to do instead of protecting children. That kind of institutional knowledge, captured in the Diocese’s own internal records and confirmed by the Attorney General’s office, is exactly the type of evidence that supports civil claims against an institution for enabling or covering up abuse.

The report also matters because it confirms the broader pattern of conduct within the Diocese, a pattern in which accused priests were moved to new assignments rather than removed, complaints were not referred to law enforcement, and protecting the institution’s reputation took priority over protecting children. That pattern directly connects to Ventre’s decades-long career in active ministry despite ongoing accusations.

Civil claims brought under Rhode Island’s new law do not require a criminal conviction. They require evidence that abuse occurred and, where institutional liability is at issue, that the institution knew or should have known about the risk. The Attorney General’s report provides substantial documented support for both elements in Ventre’s case. A sexual assault attorney at Sommers Schwartz can review the facts of your specific situation and help you understand what a civil claim might look like for you.

How Sommers Schwartz Supports Survivors of Father Ventre’s Abuse

Reaching out for legal help after surviving sexual abuse takes real courage. At Sommers Schwartz, we understand that. Our attorneys represent survivors of clergy sexual abuse and institutional sexual abuse across Rhode Island, and we approach every case with the care and respect that survivors deserve. We know that every person’s experience is different, and we never rush or pressure anyone into decisions they are not ready to make.

Our team handles cases against both individual perpetrators and the institutions that enabled them. In cases involving Father Ventre, that means examining not only what Ventre did, but what the Diocese of Providence knew and when it knew it. The Attorney General’s report, combined with the internal Diocesan records it draws from, gives our attorneys a detailed foundation from which to build a claim on your behalf.

Rhode Island’s new revival window, open from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028, means that time-barred claims can now move forward. But that window will close, and once it does, claims that were not filed may be permanently barred. Acting sooner gives your legal team more time to gather evidence, build your case, and pursue the accountability you deserve.

You do not have to navigate this process alone. Sommers Schwartz offers confidential consultations, and speaking with us does not obligate you to file a lawsuit. Our goal is simply to give you the information you need to make the decision that is right for you. What happened to you was not your fault, and you deserve to have someone in your corner who will fight for you.

FAQs About Father Ventre and Rhode Island Clergy Sexual Abuse Claims

Was Father Armand Ventre ever convicted of sexual abuse?

Father Ventre was indicted in 1985 on charges related to the sexual molestation of two altar boys and one mentally disabled youth. A Rhode Island Superior Court bench trial resulted in his acquittal in 1986. However, an acquittal in a criminal case does not prevent survivors from bringing civil claims. The legal standards in civil court are different from those in criminal court, and the Diocese’s own internal records document ongoing abuse complaints against Ventre both before and after his acquittal.

Can I still file a civil claim if Father Ventre is deceased?

Father Ventre died on December 27, 1999. While claims against him personally are no longer possible, civil claims against the institutions that enabled his abuse, including the Diocese of Providence, may still be available. Rhode Island’s new law, H-7200A and S-2616A, specifically creates a two-year revival window for claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse. An attorney can help you determine whether a claim against the Diocese is viable based on the specific facts of your experience.

What does Rhode Island’s new 2026 child sexual abuse law actually do for survivors?

The law signed by Governor Dan McKee on June 11, 2026, does two things. First, it amends the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims going forward, giving future survivors more time to file. Second, it creates a two-year revival window, open from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2028, during which survivors whose claims had already expired under the old deadlines can file civil lawsuits against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up abuse. If your claim was previously time-barred, this window may restore your right to sue.

Does filing a civil lawsuit mean I have to go to trial?

Most civil sexual abuse cases resolve before trial, often through a negotiated settlement. Filing a lawsuit is the legal mechanism that opens the door to that process, but it does not automatically mean your case will go before a jury. Your attorney will advise you on the likely path your case might take based on the specific evidence and parties involved. At Sommers Schwartz, we walk clients through each stage of the process so there are no surprises.

What if I am not sure whether what happened to me qualifies as sexual abuse?

You do not need to make that determination on your own. Many survivors of clergy abuse experienced conduct that they were told was normal, or that they did not recognize as abuse until years later. Father Ventre’s documented methods, including insisting on bathing children, sharing beds with minors, and cultivating private relationships with vulnerable individuals, are recognized forms of grooming and sexual abuse. If something happened to you that felt wrong, speaking with an attorney in a confidential consultation is a safe way to get answers without any obligation to move forward.

More Resources About Clergy Abuse

• Diocese of Providence Clergy Abuse
• Father John Abruzzese
• Father Raymond Allard
• Father Argencourt
• Father Azzarone
• Father Barnes
• Father Battel
• Father Belhumeur
• Father Bordignon
• Father Dennis Brodeur
• Father Campbell
• Father Carpentier
• Father Cavanaugh
• Father Charland
• Father Corbesero
• Father Crafton
• Father D’Angelo
• Father DeAngelis
• Father Louis Demers
• Father Albert Desrosiers
• Father Paul Desrosiers
• Father Diogo
• Father Dolan
• Father Doran
• Father Dunn
• Father Dziob
• Father Edes
• Father Feeney
• Father Oscar Ferland
• Father Ferry
• Father Fitzgerald
• Father Flanagan
• Father Gagnon
• Father Gillooly
• Father Gorton
• Father Guertin
• Father Holden
• Father James Jackson
• Father Edward Kelley
• Father Lacasse
• Father LaMountain
• Father Leboeuf
• Father Paul Henry Leech
• Father Lepire
• Father Lonardo
• Father Philip Magaldi
• Father Manu
• Father Normand Marcantonio
• Father Joseph McCra
• Father McIntyre
• Father Meehan
• Father Meglio
• Father Menard
• Father Micarelli
• Father O’Connell
• Father J.F. O’Neil
• Father W. O’Neill
• Father Powers
• Father Rafferty
• Father Raiche
• Father Reynolds
• Father Rocha
• Father Sadowski
• Father Santagata
• Father Francis Santilli
• Father John Scagnelli
• Father Smyth
• Father Tanguay
• Father Tedeschi
• Father Tormey
• Father Tousignant
• Father Turillo