Weasel attack! Still more on Episcopal priest Dan McClain and his sneaky games

TLD: Episcopal priest Dan McClain is engaging in emotional, spiritual, and relational abuse of his childran as he continues his sneaky efforts to win his divorce case by duplicity, deception, and disrespect.

As usual, Anglican Watch continues to monitor the Court docket and keep our ear to the ground for developments in the sordid case of Episcopal priest Dan McClain of St. Paul’s, Dayton, OH, who is in the midst of both a divorce and a Title IV clergy disciplinary case. The latter was filed by Anglican Watch after receiving literally dozens of complaints from parishioners — past and present — about Dan McClain’s manipulative, abusive, and narcissistic behavior.

There’s been a small flurry of filings in the divorce case, and we find the recent pleadings by Tricia Duff to be the most helpful in understanding the issues at hand. Specifically, Duff’s pleadings are valuable, because, simply put, they are truthful and accurate. As a result, we are publishing them below.

We occupy an unusual, liminal space in this and other situations. On the one hand, we are a media outlet, and we strive for the highest standards of accuracy and integrity. On the other hand, we are not a traditional, newspaper-style publication. Specifically, we are biased, and we make no bones about it.

At the same time, we strive to form our own conclusions. Because primary sources often can’t or won’t speak to us, we are beholden to the endless string of tips, leads, phone calls, social media posts, and help from fellow “discernment bloggers,” in uncovering the truth.

In this case, our sources, all second-hand, strongly indicate that Dan McClain is, as alleged by Duff, coaching the kids on what to say at the upcoming, in-camera (judge’s chambers) interviews. Simultaneously, Dan appears to be proffering both a carrot and a stick to the kids.

Between these factor and Dan’s surreptitious efforts to enroll the kids in Reynoldsburg schools, you’d think Dan really wants custody of his kids, right?

On that score, you’d be sorely disappointed. Dan’s real goal appears to be to crush his wife, Kate, at all costs. The kids are just pawns in the game to Dan.

Why do we say that? We say it because Dan’s proven just as eager to ditch the kids when he has custody and hang out with his adulterous partner, Erin O’Rourke, as to spend time with the kids.

How do we know that? Suffice it to say, we spend a lot of time talking with folks outside the family. Neighbors, delivery people, folks who are otherwise afraid of Dan, and more. Our source is not Kate, and it is not the kids.

Of course, those matters raise additional issues:

• No one should be afraid of their priest. Yet dozens of people we’ve spoken to tell us that they are. Thus, we see how the divorce case and the clergy disciplinary case are inevitably intertwined.
• What kind of scumbag uses their kids as pawns in a divorce? We want to be crystal clear: It doesn’t get much lower.
• While we generally choose not to weigh in on divorce cases, in situations like this, it is imperative for the church and others to protect children. Indeed, if as a society we cannot protect children from manipulation of the sort we see coming from Dan, we are a failed society. Moreover, by making Dan a priest — a huge mistake — the Episcopal Church has granted a credibility to Dan that is anything but deserved. Indeed, Dan’s conduct is trashing the church’s reputation, every step of the way. (Yes, we get that Title IV is not oriented to resolving problems arising in the context of divorce, but for the love of the Almighty, could someone please shut Dan up? He is a bully of the worst sort.)
• We remind readers, the community, and the Court that this is not Dan’s first trip to the emotional abuse rodeo when it comes to his kids. Bringing his kids to divorce court? At some point, whatever shred of human decency Dan has within him should kick in. Or maybe Erin.

Relatedly, we have some concerns about the court’s seemingly abrupt foray into picking and choosing schools for the kids.

Candidly, we are not, generally speaking, fans of home schooling. (But then, most of the crew at AW doesn’t have kids.)

That said, the McClain kids appear to be doing well with the hybrid model of homeschooling and Branches and Vines. This Guardian ad Litem has previously recognized that the children are thriving in a home schooling environment, and Branches and Vines appears to be a delightful addition to the curriculum. Indeed, while we come from a very different theological and political vantage point than the school, we will be the first to say the school sounds delightful and we wholeheartedly endorse the school and its offerings.

However, Dan McClain appears in this instance to have done another of his manipulative about-faces to the court, and now is trying to undercut the children’s experience.

Again, enough with treating the kids as pawns, Dan. We already know you are a scumbag—no need to reinforce the conclusion. Particularly since your conduct is unlikely to win you friends in the educational community that you have recently embraced.

Thus, our hope is that the Court will be mindful of several things as the McClain divorce case moves forward:

1. Dan McClain consistently engages in self-help, disobedience to Court orders, and acts in a manner inconsistent with the best interests of his children.
2. It is not helpful to children, who are in their most sensitive, formative years, for Dan to attempt to have them move in with him while residing with his adulterous partner, Erin. Indeed, modern society present numerous challenges to children forming a healthy parental bond with their biological parents; there’s no need to confuse the matter, particularly when doing so is violative of McClain’s vows as an Episcopal priest,.
3. Dan McClain’s history of coaching his kids, bribing them, punishing them, manipulating them, and otherwise pulling out all the stops to engage in parental alienation is a relational pattern that is profoundly unhealthy and is not a lesson he should be teaching his children — or any child.
4. We remind all involved that, among the ecclesiastical charges against Dan are misuse of church funds, which some might term conversion, theft, or embezzlement. But whatever term is used, the allegations — which did not come from us, by the way — are a further indicator of corruption and evil on Dan’s part.
5. Again, the fact that numerous churchgoers and community members say they are afraid of Dan should speak loudly to the Court about Dan’s true motives. Indeed, the correct phrase is “emotional abuse.”
6. Anglican Watch encourages the Court to watch for signs that Dan has coached the kids during the upcoming, in-camera interviews.
7. Finally, Anglican Watch suggests the Court carefully review the Order about enrolling the kids at an accredited school. As Dan McClain well knows, many church-related schools are not accredited, yet provide excellent educations. (All but one member of the AW staff are products of Episcopal Schools, and we are grateful for the experiences.) Moreover, Dan McClain appears to have pulled one over on the Court with his recent objection to the kids’ school, as he conveniently omits the fact that the school is an enrichment program, not a one-and-done solution.

We are posting below Duff’s pleadings, as they are accurate and truthful. We are not giving air time to Dan McClain’s pleadings, as they are not worth the electrons used to file them.