19/05/2026
We are very pleased to be able to announce that St Dyfnog's have an interim priest, Rev'd Canon D Quentin Bellamy, who will be looking after the church for an initial period of 3 months. If you would like to meet him do come along on Sunday at 11:15. Refreshments will be served after the service.
Canon Quentin is from Colwyn Bay. He holds degrees in both Music and Religious Studies from the University of Wales.
In 1985 Quentin was appointed Organist & Choirmaster at Holy Trinity Church, Llandudno where he was encouraged by the Rector at the time, The Rev'd Canon Derek Richards, to explore a vocation to the Sacred Priesthood. He was accepted for training for ministry at Ripon College, Cuddesdon, Oxford. In the course of his training he spent time on Sheffield's huge Manor Estate, and in his third year he was selected by the college to undertake a year of exchange study at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California. During that time he experienced a 7.1 earthquake (17 October 1989 at 5.04pm - the "Loma-Prieta"); joined members of the North Californian Theatre Organ Society who were building a giant Wurlitzer theatre pipe organ in the High School Theatre; and he also met his wife-to-be, Kate, who eventually became the Vicar of Abergele & Rector of St George. Quentin was made Deacon at St Asaph Cathedral in 1990, and in 1991 he was ordained Priest. He served his title as Curate of Rhyl from 1990-94 with the Rev'd Canon Herbert Lloyd, who later retired to Prestatyn, and who remained a close friend and confidante until he died in July 2010.
Following four years in Rhyl, Quentin was inducted as the sixth Vicar of Llay. The years at Llay were very busy and filled with many adventures in ministry. In 1998, a parish exchange was made with Rev'd Charles Stacy of St Mark's-in-the-Valley Episcopal Church, Los Olivos, California, and in 2001, both the Quentin and Kate were sent by the Church in Wales to the Diocese of Pretoria in South Africa, where for six months he was Interim Rector of Holy Trinity Church, Rustenburg. He became Vicar of Prestatyn in 2004 remaining there for a little over ten years, before moving on to the parishes of Old Colwyn and Llanelian.
Whilst in the full-time ministry Quentin was Area Dean of St Asaph, a clerical Vice-President of the St Asaph Diocesan Conference, Chaplain to the St Asaph Diocesan Retired Clergy Association and in January 2014, the Bishop of St Asaph appointed him to be a Cursal Canon, and Executive Vice Chairman of the Friends of St Asaph Cathedral.
Quentin took early retirement from full-time Ministry at the end of 2020 and in the intervening years he has been busy establishing some very strong ecumenical friendships with the Roman Catholic Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Pentecostal Church, the United Reformed Church, and the Christian Brethren. For six months from September 2025 he was "locum vicar" at St David's Church, Penrhyn Bay, whilst that congregation were awaiting the arrival of their new Priest. And now he is coming to take pastoral care of St Dyfnog's Church, and looking forward to making new friends in Llanrhaeadr.
Canon Quentin is unashamedly an avid organ enthusiast, and still loves to play whenever the opportunity arises. He also enjoys listening to his organ CDs. He also enjoys computers and surfing the Internet, and cooking feasts with Kate, his wife!
