Friar Don Pratt was born in 1962 on Long Island, New York, and is the youngest of five children.  He is the son of an aerospace engineer father and homemaker mother and grew up active in the Presbyterian Church. His home church – Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church -- was a house-church located in the middle of a suburban neighborhood and was one of the oldest in the United States.  His parents had active roles in the church. Both took turns with different church positions of service and leadership, including serving as ruling elders on the church session, Clerk of Session (father), and Director of the Church School (mother).
 
Friar Don has always had a healthy spiritual life. At a young age, he was introduced to Catholicism as a boy when he found his mom's Catholic missal (she was formerly Roman Catholic).  Don loved to read the missal, and was fascinated by the pictures of the liturgy. Many times, he would pretend to be a priest saying Mass. As a young adult, even though he loved the mass, the Roman dogmas were a deterrent, and he remained Presbyterian. 
 
After studying at Suffolk County Community College and the School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook, Friar Don began a career in human services. Inspired by a desire to help kids in need, he became the director of a county school-based suicide prevention program. Don would go on to be the executive director of an HIV/AIDS service agency and lead a housing program, through Catholic Charities, for people living with AIDS. It was at this time that he was introduced to the Independent Catholic Movement through a woman he was dating.
 
As the relationship progressed, she invited him to church. It was a small, vibrant, independent Catholic parish that was a welcoming, affirming, and loving community.  This community answered Don's prayer and he began his conversion to Catholicism. Don was welcomed into the church and adopted the name 'Francis' as his confirmation name, and was confirmed by Bishop Tony Hash.
 
Friar Don has been active in the United American Catholic Church almost since its foundation. He discerned a call to the Permanent Diaconate in December 2007 and later responded to the call of the priesthood being ordained in August of 2013. He was a founding member, and then, Pastor of the Emmaus Catholic Community on Long Island, NY. Father Don joined in the Order of Saint Francis & Clare and is a humble friar, currently discerning a new ministry in Salisbury, NC.  Also, he has a dynamic wedding ministry in the Piedmont Region (North & South Carolina).  Active in the Church, Friar Don was the UACC Director of Vocations from 2015 through 2017 and then was appointed UACC Chancellor. He will continue in that capacity. He is humbled and honored by his upcoming consecration as Bishop, and, by the Grace of God, he will work hard to assist in the growth of the UACC.