Biography
Fr. Dan Dunlap is currently in his eleventh year as Rector of Old Trinity Church. He also serves as Vicar of St. John’s Chapel in Cornersville, MD, located west of Cambridge in the historic “Neck District” between the Choptank and Little Choptank Rivers.
Originally ordained in the Reformed Episcopal Church, Fr. Dan has served parishes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Exeter, England (Free Church of England); and Shreveport, Louisiana. He entered the ministry of The Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Texas in 2007, after which he served as Rector of the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Tomball, Texas (2008-2014). March 17, 2024 marks his 34th year of active ministry.
Dan has also held several faculty positions, including Professor of Dogmatic Theology at Cranmer Theological House, Shreveport/Houston/Phoenix (1998-2004; Principal, 2001-2004), and Vice President/Dean of the Faculty (2004-2009) and Professor of Historical Theology & Worship at Houston Graduate School of Theology (2004-2014).
A 1986 graduate from Penn State University (BS), Dan went on to pursue ministerial formation at Biblical Theological Seminary (now Missio Seminary), near Philadelphia (MDiv, MA, 1989). He began doctoral work in Liturgical Studies in 1992 at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, before transferring his course of study to Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, a permanent private hall in the University of Oxford, where he was supervised by the late Prof. Roger Beckwith (Latimer House, Oxford), and Canon John Thurmer (Exeter University).
In December 2000, Dan successfully defended his doctoral thesis entitled, “Liturgy, Eucharist, and Holy Spirit: Pneumatology in the Anglican Liturgical Tradition from the 16th to the 20th Centuries,” before Dr. Richard Buxton (St. Deiniol’s Library) and Prof. Alister McGrath (Oxford University).
In January 2020, Dan was appointed Canon Theologian for the Episcopal Diocese of Easton by Bishop Santosh Marray. In this capacity he serves as Dean and Instructor for Iona Eastern Shore, an affiliate of the Iona Collaborative at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas. Iona Eastern Shore provides local clergy formation for those seeking ordination in the diocese. From 2018-2020, he served as Dean of the Institute for Diaconal Formation. He has also served on Diocesan Council, the Commission on Ministry, and the Advisory Board for the Bishop’s Institute.
Dan is active in the Rotary Club of Cambridge, and serves as a crew member on the Skipjack Nathan of Dorchester. He enjoys decoy carving and home brewing. Dan often does lectures of local interest for the Dorchester Historical Society and the South Dorchester Folk Museum. He and his wife, Donna, were both raised in Central Pennsylvania. They enjoy family, friends, boating, cooking, and travel. They have three grown children.
Father Dan’s Occasional Blog:
Chesapeake Parson (Theological Musings from the Waterfront)