TRIBUTES have been paid to a priest who worked in Mold for 27 years.
Canon James Webb, 78, was found dead at the presbytery of the Church of St David yesterday morning.
Members of the congregation raised the alarm when they found the church was not open for mass.
It is thought that Canon Webb, who had a heart condition, died in his sleep on Sunday evening.
Parishioners are said to be shocked at the loss of a warm and highly regarded priest.
“He was a larger than life character and an intellectual,” said Canon Terence Carr, parish priest of Prestatyn, a friend of Canon Webb for 31 years.
“He had a first in English from Cambridge and was very bright and very well read but he had a very human touch to him,” he added. “He had a warm heart and was a very dedicated priest.”
Canon Webb was born in Gateshead and was raised by his mother after his father died while he was young.
He went on to teach English at Manchester Grammar School before being ordained in 1963.
He trained at the Beda College in Rome, where he became fluent in Italian.
He taught English at St Richard Gwyn High School in Flint and was parish priest of Prestatyn from 1973 until 1986. He then became the parish priest the Church of St David in Mold.
Canon Carr said: “He was a wonderful cook. If you went for dinner you ate well. He added: “We are shocked and stunned.
"He will be greatly missed.”