Rev. John Bocciarelli C.S.-Assignment Record

Assignment Record– Rev. John (Giovanni) Bocciarelli, C.S.

Summary of Case: A native of Placenza, Italy, John (Giovanni) Bocciarelli was a Scalabrinian priest (Congregation of Missionary Fathers of St. Charles ) ordained in 1945. He arrived in the U.S. in 1947, and worked in parishes in the diocese of Providence RI and Boston MA. In 1997 Bocciarelli was accused, along with Rev. Joseph Fugolo, of sexually abusing a 9 or 10-year-old boy in the late 1960s at a Somerville MA parish. Bocciarelli returned to Italy in either 1995 or 1997, and died there April 19, 1998.

Ordained: 1945
Died: April 19, 1998

Start	Stop	Assignment	Town/Accusations	State	Position	Notes
1947 Providence bishop was Russell Joseph McVinney (1948-1971).	1953	Holy Ghost (Italian)	Providence	RI	3/5	Indexed but not listed at Holy Ghost in 1952 and 1953 Directories. Parish had a grade school with154-191 boys and 161-175 girls and a junior high with 55-60 boys and 70-55 girls. Appears in Directories prior to 1962 as Giovanni Bocciarelli, p.s.c.c. (Pious Society of the Missionaries of St. Charles, or "Scalabrinians". The initials c.s. also refer to the Scalabrinians.)
1953 Boston archbishop was Richard James Cushing (1944-1970), followed by Humberto Sousa Medeiros (1970-1983).	1972	St. Anthony's (Italian)	Somerville • The archdiocese received allegations in 1997 that Bocciarelli sexually abusing 9 or 10-year-old boy during 1967-1969 while at St. Anthony's. His accuser said Bocciarelli would "take him to his room, undress him and perform oral sex." The same person said Rev. Joseph Fugolo would photograph him naked. Fugolo denied the accusations.	MA	2/2, 1/1,1/2, 1/3, 1/2	St. Anthony's had a school starting in 1959 with 62-187 boys and 55-190 girls. Appears in 1962-1967 Directories as John Bocciarelli, p.s.c.c. and thereafter as John Bocciarelli, c.s. Indexed but not listed at St. Anthony's in 1972 Directory.
1972 New York archbishop was Terence James Cooke (1968-1983).	1973	Scalabrinian Provincial Curia	New York	NY	Third Consultor and Provincial Procurator	The Provincial Curia was at 27 Carmine St., New York NY. Possible association with Our Lady of Pompeii, which was a c.s. parish. Bocciarelli not listed there, but parish's priests resided at 25 Carmine St.
1973 McVinney was succeeded as Providence bishop by Louis Edward Gelineau (1971-1997).	1984	Holy Ghost (Italian)	Providence	RI	1/2	Holy Ghost had a school with 331-231 students and a daycare with 60-75 children.
1984 Medieros was replaced by Bernard Francis Law (1984-2002).	1989	St. Anthony's (Italian)	Everett	MA	2/2	St. Anthony's had a school with 262-175 students.
1989	1997	St. Anthony's (Italian)	Somerville	MA		St. Anthony's had a school with 204 students. Bocciarelli's name is not indexed beyond the 1997 volume of the Directory. Bocciarelli's obituary states he returned to Italy in 1995, which may be incorrect. He died in Arco, Italy April 19, 1998.

Sources: Official Catholic Directory (New York: Kenedy & Sons, 1949-1997).

• Docs produced by Boston Archdiocese: 1997 letter by Fugulo denying allegation
• Docs produced by Boston Archdiocese: 1997 memo describing allegations
• The Missing Names from Cardinal O'Malley's List of Accused Clerics, November 20, 2011

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.

This assignment record collates Bocciarelli's career history as it is represented in the Official Catholic Directory with allegations as reported in the media. We make no representation regarding the truth of the allegation we report, and we remind our readers that the U.S. legal system presumes that a person accused of or charged with a crime is innocent until proven guilty. Similarly, individuals who may be defendants in civil actions are presumed not to be liable for such claims unless a plaintiff proves otherwise. Admissions of guilt or liability are not typically a part of civil or private settlements. For more information, see our posting policy.

This assignment record was last updated September 30, 2015.