Robert W. Edmondson

Robert Walter Edmondson (August 9, 1945 ~ May 3, 2020) was the second Metropolitan Archbishop of the Anglo-Lutheran Catholic Church (ALCC).
Edmondson was elected Metropolitan Archbishop by the Holy Synod of the ALCC on December 12, 2011, and replaced the founder and first Metropolitan Archbishop, Irl A. Gladfelter. Prior to his election he served as the ALCC's Vicar general (Chief of Staff in the Office of the Metropolitan Archbishop) Director, Office for the Promotion of Christian Unity, Archbishop of the ALCC's Archdiocese for the Military Services and Veteran's Affairs; Secretary General of the Augustana Catholic Communion, and Archbishop Ordinary, Archdiocese of Pittsburgh-Ohio Valley. He was a life-professed Augustinian priest in the ALCC's Priestly Society of Saint Augustine and Chairman of the Board of Governors of St. Ambrose College, Catholic Theological Consortium.
Edmondson is a graduate of Norwich University (the Military College of Vermont), Bloomfield College, Drew University (theological school), and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary; holding the degrees of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.), Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.), and Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) He also has received the honorary degrees of Doctor of Divinity and Doctor of Humane Letters.
Edmondson claimed a long and distinguished career in the United States Army. According to his biography, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, US Army Corps of Engineers, in 1968; was the Aide de Camp to the Commanding General of the US Army Corps of Engineers from 1968 to 1970; and was appointed to the US Army Chaplain Corps as a chaplain in 1975. As an army chaplain, he was Unit Chaplain of the Year in 1985. He served as Staff Chaplain with the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, served as a staff officer, Headquarters, U.S. Army Reserve Officers Corps, and at NATO Headquarters. Edmondson served as an Exchange Officer to the West German Defense Ministry and the Royal Belgium Army. He claimed to have served in the Department of the U.S. Army General Staff, in the United States Department of Defense, and served as a Military Advisor to the President of the United States. Edmondson was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General in 1997 and later Lieutenant General, .
Obituary
Edmondson's obituary published in 2020 did not describe him as having attained a high rank in the military, nor as having been a Lutheran clergyman, but as a teller of tall tales:
Robert Walter Edmondson, 74, a proud son, patriot, and friend, of Sewickley, passed peacefully in his home on Sunday, May 3, 2020. He was born in Summit, NJ on August 9, 1945 to the late Walter Carver and Alice Elizabeth (Sullivan) Edmondson. A graduate of Bloomfield College and Drew University Theological School, he was a military advisor and chaplain in the U.S. Army Reserves. He was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Pittsburgh 4th Ward, Franklin Park. Robert was an avid collector of watches dating back to WWI and antique trains. He was a history buff and could weave a tall tale from almost nothing. He comported himself as an in-charge person with larger than life military stance and booming voice. He is survived by his loving church family. All services were private, and burial was at the National Cemetery of the Alleghenies. Arrangements by Copeland’s.

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