Rev. Daniel M. Azzarone-Assignment Record

Assignment Record– Rev. Daniel M. Azzarone

Summary of Case: Complaints against Azzarone were received as early as 1985, 1992 and 1998-1999. He was placed on leave in November 2001 due to accusations that he abused a 15-year-old boy during a Caribbean cruise in November 2000. The abuse continued until 2001, often in the rectory of his parish. Another youth also accused him of abuse. Azzarone pleaded no contest to two counts of first-degree sexual assault in September 2005 and was sentenced to three years prison and seven years probation. Azzarone was named in a 2005 civil suit which settled in August 2008 as part of $1.326M settlement by the Providence diocese. He was laicized in 2009.

Ordained: 1978
Laicized: 2009

Start	Stop	Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1978 Bishop of Providence was Louis B. Gelineau (1971-1997)	1980	Our Lady of Mt. Carmel (Italian)	Providence • Accused in 1992 of sexual abuse while at this parish (Providence Journal September 7, 2005).	RI	2/2 Pastor was Msgr. Galliano J. Cavallaro
1980	1981	St. Clement's	Warwick • Accused of molesting boys at St. Clement's (The Providence Journal December 2, 2007).	RI	2/2 Pastor was Rev. George F. Gorman
1981	1983	St. Paul's	Cranston • Accused of molesting boys while at St. Paul's (The Providence Journal December 2, 2007).	RI	2/3, 3/5 Pastor was Msgr. William J. Carey.Third priest 1981-1982 was Henry J. Bodah who was listed fourth after Azzarone 1982-1983. That same year Rev. Robert J. Giardina was second priest, and Rev. Joseph E. Davis was listed fifth. St. Paul's had a school with 243-251 students.
1983	1990	St. Ann's (Italian) Providence Journal September 7, 2005	Providence • Diocese aware in 1985 that Azzarone was accused of sexual abuse of one boy, and that there were rumors he was molesting others (Providence Journal-Bulletin March 20, 2002).	RI	3/4, 2/4, 2/3 Pastor was Rev. Nicholas J. Iacovacci. Rev. Dominic Raspallo was second priest 1983-1984, and Rev. Alfred V. Ricci was fourth priest. In residence at St. Ann's 1984-1986 was Rev. Emil M. Sopoliga. Third priest after Iacovacci and Azzarone 1987-1990 was Rev. Roland L. Simoneau. Parish had a school (Msgr. Bove School) with 306-255 students.
1990 Bishop was Robert E. Mulvee (1997-2005)	2001	St. Mary's (Italian)	Cranston • Arrested in November 2001. Pleaded no contest to raping two boys at this parish (Providence Journal September 7, 2005).	RI	2/3, 2/4, 2/5 Pastor was Rev. Alfred C. Lonardo. Third priest 1991-1993 was Rev. Ronald P. Simeone. Deacon Peter A. Ceprano at St. Mary's 1992-2001. Third priest 1993-1995 was Rev. Anthony W. Verdelotti, replaced by Rev. Joseph A. Pescatello 1995-1998. Rev. Joel A. Lecuivre was in residence 1993-1997. St. Mary's had a school with 110-316 students, and a religious education program with 645-442 students.
2001 Bishop is Thomas J. Tobin (2005- )	2007	Absent on Leave		RI		Sentenced in 2005 to three years in state prison, and later "stripped of his priesthood" (The Providence Journal December 2, 2007). He was laicized by the Vatican June 12, 2009. (Diocese of Providence, February 12, 2010)

Source: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1979-2007).

Priests in a Parish: We use the following convention to show a priest's place among the clergy of a parish: 1/2 means that he is the first priest listed in the Official Catholic Directory (usually the pastor) and that there is a total of two priests at the parish. The shorthand 3/4 means that the priest is listed third on a four-priest roster. See our sample page from the Directory.

Note: The Official Catholic Directory aims to report the whereabouts of Catholic priests in the United States on January 1 of the Directory's publication year. Our working assumption is that a priest listed in the Directory for a given year was at the same assignment for part of the previous year as well. However, Kenedy & Sons will sometimes accept updates well into the year of publication. Diocesan clergy records are rarely available to correct this information. The Directory is also sometimes misleading or wrong. We have tried to create an accurate assignment record, given the source materials and their limitations. Assignment records are a work in progress and we are always improving the records that we post. Please email us with new information and corrections.