Mount Saint Charles Academy, a private Catholic junior-senior high school located at 800 Logee Street in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, has been identified as a site where child sexual abuse occurred. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office named the school in its March 2026 report on clergy sexual abuse within the Diocese of Providence, confirming that credibly accused clergy and religious brothers served there. If you attended Mount Saint Charles and were abused by a teacher, priest, or other adult in a position of authority, you are not alone, and what happened to you was not your fault. A sexual assault attorney at Sommers Schwartz can help you understand your rights under Rhode Island’s newest and most powerful child sexual abuse law.

Table of Contents

• What the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report Found About Mount Saint Charles Academy
• How Institutions Like Mount Saint Charles Can Be Held Legally Responsible
• Rhode Island’s New Child Sexual Abuse Law (H-7200A/S-2616A) and What It Means for Mount Saint Charles Survivors
• Why Survivors Often Wait Decades to Come Forward, and Why That Is Completely Understandable
• How Sommers Schwartz Represents Mount Saint Charles Academy Sexual Abuse Survivors
• FAQs About Mount Saint Charles Academy Sexual Abuse Claims

What the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Report Found About Mount Saint Charles Academy

The Rhode Island Attorney General’s comprehensive report, released in March 2026, named Mount Saint Charles Academy as one of several Catholic schools in the state where clergy sexual abuse reportedly took place. The report documented that priests and religious brothers assigned to Catholic schools used their positions of authority to remove children from classrooms and then abuse them. Mount Saint Charles was specifically listed among those schools.

One of the most documented cases involves Brother Roger C. Argencourt, also known as Brother Odillion, a member of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart religious order. Argencourt was a member of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart who allegedly sexually assaulted an eighth-grade boy during the 1985-1986 school year at Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket. According to the Attorney General’s report, the abuse occurred after the student agreed to help Argencourt carry school supplies to the school’s basement.

The complainant reported the abuse to the Woonsocket Police Department in 2002, but Argencourt died suddenly later that same year, before the case could be presented to a grand jury. Around the time that the victim came forward, Argencourt was publicly accused of sexually abusing several students at Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua, New Hampshire, where he worked from 1972 to 1978 and again from 1986 to 2002. Police in New Hampshire said they had enough evidence to prosecute, but the statute of limitations had run out.

The report also confirmed that Father Armand Ventre, a credibly accused priest, was assigned to Mount Saint Charles Academy from 1959 to 1972, based on his documented assignment history. Father Alfred Desrosiers, another credibly accused priest, served at Holy Family Church in Woonsocket and Our Lady of Victories Church in Woonsocket during overlapping periods. The presence of multiple credibly accused individuals connected to the Woonsocket Catholic community reflects a broader, documented pattern of institutional failure.

The Attorney General’s report accused the Catholic Diocese of Providence of a “well-worn pattern” of failing to remove dozens of priests accused of child sexual abuse. The report identified 75 clergy members who sexually abused more than 300 children since 1950. Mount Saint Charles Academy was one of several educational institutions named in that investigation.

How Institutions Like Mount Saint Charles Can Be Held Legally Responsible

When a school or religious institution knows about abuse, or had reason to know, and fails to act, it can be held legally responsible for the harm that results. This is not just a moral argument. It is a recognized principle of civil law in Rhode Island.

Rhode Island General Laws Section 9-1-51 governs civil claims for childhood sexual abuse. Under this statute, survivors can pursue claims not only against the person who abused them, but also against institutions and supervisors who enabled or concealed that abuse. The Attorney General’s report made clear that diocesan leadership was repeatedly informed of abuse allegations and, in many cases, reassigned accused clergy rather than removing them from ministry or reporting them to law enforcement.

For survivors of abuse at a school like Mount Saint Charles, potential defendants in a civil lawsuit can include the school itself, the religious order that operated or staffed it, and any supervisory body that received complaints and chose not to act. The Brothers of the Sacred Heart, the religious order that operates Mount Saint Charles Academy, had members credibly accused of abuse at the school. The investigation found that accused priests were repeatedly returned to ministry. This pattern of reassignment and concealment forms the legal basis for institutional liability claims.

Proving institutional liability typically requires showing that the institution had actual or constructive knowledge of the abuse, that it failed to take reasonable steps to stop it, and that this failure caused harm to the survivor. An experienced sexual abuse lawyer can help survivors gather the records, assignment histories, and internal communications needed to build that case.

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

Rhode Island’s new child sexual abuse law is the most significant legal development for survivors in the state’s history. On June 11, 2026, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee signed legislation giving survivors of childhood sexual abuse a new opportunity to pursue civil claims that would otherwise be permanently closed.

The legislation (2026-H 7200A, 2026-S 2616A) was sponsored by House Judiciary Committee Chairwoman Carol Hagan McEntee and Sen. Mark McKenney. 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. The new law 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 this 24-month period, survivors can file civil suits even if the statute of limitations on their claims had previously expired. For many survivors of abuse at Mount Saint Charles, this is the first real legal opportunity they have ever had to hold the institution accountable.

The law also addresses a critical gap exposed by a 2023 Rhode Island Supreme Court ruling. In 2019, the General Assembly extended the statute of limitations and gave previously time-barred survivors an opportunity to sue. But 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. The 2026 law, H-7200A/S-2616A, directly corrects that gap by extending the revival window to institutions and supervisors.

This means that if you were abused at Mount Saint Charles and your prior claims against the school or the Brothers of the Sacred Heart were blocked by the statute of limitations, you now have a window to act. That window closes on June 30, 2028. Time is limited, and speaking with a sexual assault lawyer in Rhode Island now gives you the best chance to protect your rights before that deadline arrives.

Why Survivors Often Wait Decades to Come Forward, and Why That Is Completely Understandable

Survivors of childhood sexual abuse rarely disclose what happened to them right away. This is not a sign of weakness. It is a well-documented response to trauma. Children who are abused by trusted authority figures, like teachers, priests, or coaches, often feel shame, confusion, fear of not being believed, and a profound sense of isolation. Those feelings do not disappear when a person becomes an adult.

The Attorney General’s report described how accused clergy at Rhode Island Catholic schools used their authority to access children, removing students from classrooms and using their institutional status to silence victims. When the abuser is someone in a position of power over a child, the psychological barriers to disclosure are enormous. Many survivors spend years, even decades, trying to process what happened before they feel ready to speak about it.

Rhode Island’s new law recognizes this reality. The lookback window reflects a broader recognition that delayed disclosure is common in cases involving childhood sexual abuse. The law does not penalize survivors for taking the time they needed. It gives them a structured opportunity to come forward on their own terms.

If you attended Mount Saint Charles Academy and experienced abuse that you have never reported or discussed with an attorney, please know that your experience is valid. You are not required to have a police report, a prior complaint, or any documentation to begin a conversation with a lawyer. Many survivors file civil claims based entirely on their own testimony and the institutional records that attorneys can obtain through the legal process. You deserve to be heard, and you deserve the chance to decide for yourself what justice looks like for you.

How Sommers Schwartz Represents Mount Saint Charles Academy Sexual Abuse Survivors

Sommers Schwartz is a multi-state law firm with attorneys representing survivors of sexual assault and sexual abuse in Rhode Island. The firm handles cases involving institutional abuse at Catholic schools, parishes, and other settings where adults in authority failed to protect the children in their care.

Representing a survivor of institutional abuse requires more than general legal knowledge. It requires a thorough understanding of Rhode Island civil law, the specific history of the institution involved, and the legal tools available to hold organizations accountable. The attorneys at Sommers Schwartz work to obtain internal records, assignment histories, and diocesan communications that can demonstrate what an institution knew and when it knew it. In the context of Mount Saint Charles, the Attorney General’s report and the documented assignment histories of credibly accused clergy provide a strong evidentiary foundation for civil claims.

The firm handles these cases with a trauma-informed approach. That means listening without judgment, explaining the legal process in plain language, and letting survivors make fully informed decisions about how to proceed. You will never be pressured. You will never be blamed. Your story will be treated with the respect it deserves.

Sommers Schwartz takes sexual abuse cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing unless the firm recovers compensation for you. The revival window created by H-7200A/S-2616A runs only through June 30, 2028. If you or someone you care about attended Mount Saint Charles Academy and experienced abuse, contact Sommers Schwartz today for a free, confidential consultation. The call costs nothing, and it may be the most important step you take toward healing and accountability.

FAQs About Mount Saint Charles Academy Sexual Abuse Claims

Was Mount Saint Charles Academy officially named in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s clergy abuse report?

Yes. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office released its report on child sexual abuse within the Diocese of Providence in March 2026, and that report specifically named Mount Saint Charles Academy in Woonsocket as a location where clergy sexual abuse reportedly occurred. The report identified the school as a site where credibly accused clergy and religious brothers served and, in at least one documented case, committed abuse against a student.

What is the two-year revival window under Rhode Island law H-7200A/S-2616A, and does it apply to my claim against Mount Saint Charles?

Rhode Island’s new law, signed by Governor Dan McKee on June 11, 2026, and effective July 1, 2026, creates a two-year period during which survivors can file civil lawsuits against institutions and supervisors for time-barred claims of childhood sexual abuse. The window runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028. If you were abused at Mount Saint Charles and previously believed your claim was too old to pursue, this law may give you a new opportunity to file against the school or the religious order that operated it.

Can I file a civil lawsuit even if the person who abused me at Mount Saint Charles is deceased?

Yes. Civil claims for institutional sexual abuse can be filed against the institution itself, such as the school or the religious order, even when the individual abuser has died. The legal theory focuses on what the institution knew, what it failed to do, and how that failure caused harm to the survivor. Brother Roger Argencourt, for example, died in 2002, but that does not eliminate potential claims against the institution that employed and supervised him.

Do I need a police report or prior complaint to pursue a civil sexual abuse claim in Rhode Island?

No. A civil lawsuit is separate from a criminal case, and you do not need a police report, a prior complaint, or any prior legal action to file a civil claim. Many survivors of institutional abuse file civil lawsuits based on their own accounts of what happened, supported by records that attorneys obtain through the legal discovery process. The standard of proof in a civil case is also lower than in a criminal case, which means your testimony carries real legal weight.

What does it cost to speak with a Sommers Schwartz attorney about abuse at Mount Saint Charles Academy?

Nothing. Sommers Schwartz offers free, confidential consultations for survivors of sexual abuse. The firm handles these cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay no legal fees unless the firm recovers compensation on your behalf. There is no financial risk in making the call, and everything you share is protected by attorney-client confidentiality from the moment you reach out.

More Resources About School Abuse

• Rhode Island Private & Boarding School Abuse
• Rhode Island Parochial & Catholic School Abuse
• St. George’s School, Middletown *
• Portsmouth Abbey School *
• La Salle Academy, Providence *
• Bishop Hendricken High School, Warwick *