St. Aloysius Home in Smithfield, Rhode Island was a Catholic-run residential facility that housed some of the state’s most vulnerable children, and it became the site of documented sexual abuse that spanned decades. If you were a resident there, or if someone you love was, you deserve to know the truth about what happened, what the institution knew, and what legal options exist for survivors today. What happened to children at St. Aloysius was not their fault, and Rhode Island law now gives survivors a meaningful opportunity to seek accountability.

Table of Contents

• What St. Aloysius Home Was and Who It Served
• Documented Abuse at St. Aloysius Home by Diocesan Priests
• How the Institution Responded to Abuse Allegations at St. Aloysius
• Rhode Island’s New Child Sexual Abuse Law and What It Means for St. Aloysius Survivors
• What Survivors of St. Aloysius Home Can Do Right Now
• Why Sommers Schwartz Represents St. Aloysius Home Survivors
• FAQs About St. Aloysius Home Sexual Abuse Claims

What St. Aloysius Home Was and Who It Served

St. Aloysius Home was a foster-care and residential treatment facility in Smithfield operated under the umbrella of the Diocese of Providence. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s March 2026 report, which identified 75 clergy members who sexually abused more than 300 children since 1950, named St. Aloysius as one of the institutional settings where that abuse occurred.

The facility operated from 1939 to 1994 under a corporation called the Rhode Island Catholic Orphan Asylum Corporation. It provided emergency shelter, residential treatment, and a foster-care program for children in the custody of the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth, and Families, commonly known as DCYF. The Diocese of Providence owned the land and the building, appointed the facility’s administrator, and the Bishop served as President of the corporation. These were children in state care, placed in a setting that was supposed to protect them.

The children who lived at St. Aloysius were already among the most vulnerable in Rhode Island. Many had experienced neglect or abuse before arriving. They depended entirely on the adults around them for safety, stability, and care. That trust was exploited. The facility’s stated mission, according to a 1991 brochure, was to help children return to a family or community setting. For many residents, the reality was far different.

The structure of the institution placed enormous power in the hands of a small group of clergy and lay staff. Children had no real avenue to report abuse, no independent advocate they could trust, and no way to leave. That power imbalance made abuse possible and made silence predictable. Understanding that context matters when evaluating the responsibility of the Diocese and others who oversaw the facility.

Documented Abuse at St. Aloysius Home by Diocesan Priests

Two Diocesan priests are together alleged to have sexually abused or attempted to sexually abuse 15 children at St. Aloysius Home from the 1950s to the 1980s. Both are listed on the Diocese of Providence’s Credibly Accused List and are deceased. Neither was ever criminally charged.

Father Robert McIntyre is credibly accused of abusing 11 children, primarily during his 23-year assignment at St. Aloysius Home. According to one survivor, McIntyre threatened him, saying, “If you don’t cooperate here, you’re not going to go home to your mother. We’ll find you a new family.”

Father McIntyre was assigned to St. Aloysius in 1971 and became director of the facility in 1978. His alleged victims were boys between the ages of seven and fifteen. The Diocese first received complaints naming McIntyre in 1993, and he was placed on the Credibly Accused List in 2019. After St. Aloysius closed, McIntyre went on to work in human services positions in Massachusetts, including as Director of Residential Services overseeing ten sites for at-risk children and youth, positions the Diocese allegedly did not alert his employers about despite the known abuse allegations against him.

Father Rene Guertin served as chaplain beginning in 1946 and as Recreation Director beginning in 1948, remaining at the facility until 1969. Survivors reported that Guertin sexually abused children in the 1950s and 1960s. One survivor reported that a nun would bring her to Father Guertin’s bedroom as a child, where he would sexually abuse her, and that the nun was aware of the abuse. Another survivor reported that Guertin made him strip naked and assaulted him with a stick when he disclosed sexual abuse by older boys at the facility. The Diocese first learned of allegations against Guertin in 2007, at which point he was already deceased. Records also show that Diocesan officials learned in 1973 that a 14-year-old girl was living in a church rectory with Guertin, and no documented action was taken in response.

How the Institution Responded to Abuse Allegations at St. Aloysius

The abuse at St. Aloysius did not stay hidden forever, but the institutional response when allegations did surface was deeply inadequate. The Rhode Island Attorney General’s investigation found that supervisors at the Diocese were aware of concerning behavior by clergy well before formal complaints were made, yet accused clergy were allowed to remain in active ministry for years.

The abuse first became public in 1992 when sixteen boys alleged that they had been sexually abused at the facility. That year, three former lay staff members and an outside optometrist were indicted for child molestation involving boys at St. Aloysius. One staff member pleaded nolo contendere to five counts of second-degree child molestation and received a ten-year suspended sentence with probation. Another pleaded nolo contendere to an amended charge of simple assault and received a year’s probation. The third was acquitted by a Superior Court jury.

In 1993, DCYF removed children in its custody from St. Aloysius following the allegations and troubling findings by the state child advocate and an independent consultant. The consultant, a physician, submitted a confidential report to DCYF that was critical of the facility’s policies, including delayed and selective reporting of abuse allegations to authorities. State Child Advocate Laureen D’Ambra ultimately secured orders from the Family Court requiring notification of abuse complaints to DCYF before any internal investigations by St. Aloysius could proceed. That same year, DCYF announced it would end its contract with St. Aloysius. The facility closed in January 1994.

For more than 70 years, the Diocese of Providence systematically concealed child sexual abuse, prioritizing institutional reputation over child safety, according to the Attorney General’s report. St. Aloysius was one part of that broader pattern. Survivors who came forward in the years after the closure found their civil lawsuits blocked by statute of limitations rulings and legal arguments about corporate structure. Prior to 2026, the legal system offered them very little.

Rhode Island’s New Child Sexual Abuse Law and What It Means for St. Aloysius Survivors

Rhode Island’s legal landscape for childhood sexual abuse survivors changed significantly on June 11, 2026, when Governor Dan McKee signed H-7200a/S-2616a into law. The law amends the statute of limitations for child victim claims of sexual abuse 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. It took effect on July 1, 2026.

The new law establishes a two-year civil revival window that runs 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 matters enormously for St. Aloysius survivors, many of whom are now in their fifties, sixties, or older.

Before this law, survivors who tried to sue the Diocese or the Rhode Island Catholic Orphan Asylum Corporation faced a critical obstacle. In 2002, the Rhode Island Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. Gelineau, 794 A.2d 476 (R.I. 2002), that a suit brought by a former resident of St. Aloysius was properly dismissed on statute of limitations grounds. The 2019 Annie’s Law extended the deadline for victims of childhood sexual abuse to file lawsuits against those who abused them, but it allowed a retroactive extension only if survivors were suing a perpetrator, not a non-perpetrator. The new 2026 law, for the first time, allows civil suits against institutions and others who caused or contributed to childhood sexual abuse.

The new law also allows lawsuits against “non-perpetrators,” meaning those who could have stopped the abuse but did not. For St. Aloysius survivors, that distinction is critical. The Diocese, as the owner of the land, the appointer of the administrator, and the overseer of the facility, may now be named as a defendant in civil claims that were previously time-barred. Working with an experienced sexual assault attorney who understands how this law applies to institutional claims is essential to protecting your rights before the window closes.

What Survivors of St. Aloysius Home Can Do Right Now

The revival window created by H-7200a/S-2616a is open now, but it will close permanently on June 30, 2028. If you were abused at St. Aloysius Home, that deadline is the most important date in your case. Missing it means losing the right to file a civil claim against the institutions that may have enabled your abuse, regardless of the circumstances.

In July 2026, a lawsuit was already filed against the Diocese of Providence and St. Aloysius Home under the two-year revival window, alleging that Father McIntyre repeatedly sexually abused a former resident in the 1980s. Survivors who were harmed at St. Aloysius have the legal right to pursue similar claims. The fact that the perpetrators are deceased does not automatically eliminate a claim against the institution that employed, supervised, and protected them.

You do not need to have reported the abuse at the time it happened. You do not need a criminal conviction. You do not need to have filed a prior lawsuit. What happened to you was not your fault, and the law does not require you to have done anything in the past to qualify for relief now. Many survivors of institutional abuse carry years of shame, fear, and self-doubt. Those feelings are a normal response to trauma, not a reflection of your credibility or the strength of your claim.

A civil claim can accomplish things that no criminal case can. It can force institutions to produce internal records. It can establish a public record of what happened. It can hold the people and organizations who enabled abuse financially accountable. For many survivors, that accountability is a meaningful part of healing. Reaching out to a sexual abuse lawyer who handles clergy and institutional abuse cases in Rhode Island is the first step toward understanding what a civil claim could mean for you specifically.

Survivors who file anonymously also have that option under Rhode Island court practice. Jane Doe and John Doe filings allow survivors to pursue civil claims without having their names made public, which removes one of the most common barriers to coming forward. The attorneys at Sommers Schwartz can explain how that process works and whether it applies to your situation.

Why Sommers Schwartz Represents St. Aloysius Home Survivors

Sommers Schwartz is a multi-state law firm with attorneys representing survivors of sexual assault and sexual abuse across Rhode Island. The firm takes cases involving institutional abuse seriously, including claims against the Diocese of Providence, affiliated facilities like St. Aloysius Home, and the supervisors and administrators who are alleged to have enabled abuse or failed to stop it.

The attorneys at Sommers Schwartz understand that reaching out is hard. Many survivors have spent years, even decades, trying to move forward without ever having their experience acknowledged. Coming forward does not mean reliving everything at once. An initial conversation is confidential, there is no pressure to file anything immediately, and you are in control of the pace. The firm works on a contingency basis, meaning you pay no legal fees unless your case results in a recovery.

Rhode Island’s revival window is a real and time-limited opportunity. The Diocese of Providence and institutions like St. Aloysius Home have had decades to protect themselves legally. Survivors deserve the same chance to protect their rights. The attorneys at Sommers Schwartz are ready to listen, answer your questions honestly, and help you understand what your options are. If you were abused at St. Aloysius Home or at any other Rhode Island institution, contact a sexual assault lawyer at Sommers Schwartz today. The window is open, and you should not have to face this alone.

FAQs About St. Aloysius Home Sexual Abuse Claims

Can I still file a lawsuit if the priest or staff member who abused me at St. Aloysius Home is deceased?

Yes, in many cases you can. Rhode Island’s new law, H-7200a/S-2616a, allows survivors to file civil claims against institutions and supervisors, not just the individual perpetrators. The Diocese of Providence owned the land, appointed the administrator, and oversaw St. Aloysius Home. Even if the person who abused you has died, a claim against the institution that employed and protected that person may still be viable. An attorney can evaluate the specific facts of your situation and advise you on who the appropriate defendants are in your case.

What is the deadline to file a claim related to abuse at St. Aloysius Home?

The two-year revival window created by H-7200a/S-2616a runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028. If your claim was previously time-barred under the old statute of limitations, you must file before June 30, 2028, or that claim will be permanently barred. This deadline applies to claims against institutions and supervisors accused of enabling or covering up sexual abuse. Do not wait until the last minute. Building a case takes time, and you should speak with an attorney as soon as possible.

Do I have to have reported the abuse at the time it happened to file a claim now?

No. There is no requirement that you reported the abuse when it occurred. Many survivors of childhood sexual abuse never reported what happened to them, for reasons that are entirely understandable: fear, shame, threats, a lack of trusted adults, or simply not having the words to describe what was done to them. Rhode Island’s revival window does not condition eligibility on a prior report. What matters is the nature of the abuse and when it occurred, not whether you told anyone at the time.

Can I file my lawsuit anonymously so my name is not made public?

Rhode Island courts allow survivors of sexual abuse to file civil claims using a pseudonym, such as Jane Doe or John Doe, which keeps your name out of public court records. This option exists specifically because legislators and courts recognize that privacy concerns are a real barrier for survivors. If anonymity is important to you, an attorney can file your case in a way that protects your identity while still pursuing your claim. Sommers Schwartz can walk you through how this process works and whether it is appropriate for your case.

What is the difference between a criminal case and a civil lawsuit for St. Aloysius Home abuse?

A criminal case is brought by the state and can result in jail time for the perpetrator. A civil lawsuit is brought by you, the survivor, and seeks financial accountability from the people and institutions responsible for the harm you suffered. Criminal charges against St. Aloysius-related perpetrators were blocked by statutes of limitations and other legal barriers, meaning many survivors never saw any criminal prosecution. A civil claim operates under a different legal standard and, thanks to the 2026 revival window, can now be brought against the institutions that enabled the abuse, not just the individual abusers. Civil litigation can also compel the production of internal church and facility records that have never been made public.

More Resources About Parish & Diocesan Institution Locations

• St. Mary’s Church, Cranston
• Our Lady of Mercy, East Greenwich
• Jesus Savior Church, Newport
• St. Matthew Church, Cranston
• St. Mary Church, Bristol
• Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Providence
• St. Raphael Academy, Pawtucket
• 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