The Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church

The Revd. Fr. Dan L. Edmunds
HonDD (St James Theol. Sem., Florida), Ed.D. (Argosy University), MA Theol. (University of Scranton), BA (University of Florida)
General Priest in charge of the Holy Protection Chapel and Oratory, Dunsmore, Pennsylvania, USA.

Fr. Dan is a priest in the LCAC based in Pennsylvania, USA. He was ordained priest by Metropolitan Nicholas Valissoupolis of the Greek Orthodox Church (Old Calendar) and subsequently transferred to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, which was in communion with his previous denomination.

Fr. Dan served at the age of 16 as the youngest legislative aide in the State of Colorado. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion with minor in Sociology from the University of Florida, Master of Arts in Theology from the University of Scranton (Theta Alpha Kappa) and Doctor of Education in Pastoral Community Counseling from Argosy University. He holds the degree of Doctor of Divinity honoris causa from St James Theological Seminary in Florida, where he also serves as Dean of Faculty, as well as serving on faculty at European-American University.

Founder of the International Center for Humane Psychiatry, Fr. Dan is a leading child and family existential psychotherapist specialising in drug-free treatment. He is an advocate of the autistic rights movement and a critic of the psychiatric establishment, formerly hosting his own radio program dealing with these and other issues. He is Board Certified in Sexual Abuse issues through the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress and has particular expertise in traumatology. Also active in research in India, he has worked with the Center for Advocacy in Mental Health, Pune. He is author of the book "Children Our Treasure: Meeting our Children's Needs Outside the Bio-Psychiatric Paradigm."

He has visited the places of worship and completed extensive study of all branches of Judaism, the Baha'i Faith, Hindu, Buddhist (Tibetan Vajrayana and Vietnamese Mahayana), Christian (various Protestant demoninations, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Old Catholic), and Islam. He has had particular interest in the mystical traditions of various faiths and the works of the Sufi poet Rumi and the Indian teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti. He has also had interest in existential philosophy, particularly the works of Sarte, Kierkegaard, and Frankl.

Further information is at the ICHP website.

The Holy Protection Chapel and Oratory
Fr. Dan writes: "All are welcome to participate in our inclusive community. We embrace the disenfranchised and all those seeking Divine love. We are a progressive and ecumenical community dedicated to Divine Love and encourages freedom of thought and expression and seeks to understand the human condition and offer compassion and caring. We find truth to be found in many expressions and are open to exploring the divine mysteries and the great mystery of life itself. We are open to the insights of other faiths and philosophies. We seek to envision the person of Christ not merely as a historical figure, but as a living presence within every person leading us to benevolent action and the desire for peace and unity. We are a community appreciating a mystical tradition and richness of the Byzantine Rite, yet respecting individual freedom and conscience. Rev. Dr. Edmunds has offered inter-faith ministry (funerals, weddings, prayers of healing, pastoral counseling) and celebrates the Liturgy frequently in the Chapel of the Holy Protection."

The website for the Chapel and Oratory is at http://www.geocities.com/StNektarios/ORATORY.html