SIX deacons and six priests will be ordained by the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron at St Asaph Cathedral on Saturday, June 29.

The priests include the Church in Wales’ youngest priest, Revd Dominic Cawdell, an assistant curate in Llay, Wrexham, who is only 23 years old – a year younger than the usual age set for ordination – and needs a dispensation from the Archbishop of Wales to enable his ordination to the priesthood to take place

Dominic, who went to Argoed School and Alyn School in Mold, studied Theology at Cambridge University, before training for the priesthood at St Padarn’s Institute in Cardiff.

The Bishop of St Asaph, the Rt Revd Gregory Cameron will conduct the ordinations. This will be his last public engagement before a four-month sabbatical. Speaking ahead of the ordinations he said: “This year’s ordinands bring a huge diversity of talent to the ordained ministry of St Asaph, evidence that God calls men and women, young and old to serve the church and proclaim the gospel.

"We are also proud to be commissioning our first two stipendiary youth and children’s chaplains at the same service.”

The new deacons are:

Gareth Erlandson, 35, a former music teacher from Ruabon who will serve in Borderlands Mission Area, which covers parts of Flintshire.

Sally Harper, a former senior lecturer in music at Bangor University, who will serve at St Asaph Cathedral.

Simon Piercy, 44, a primary school teacher from Penyffordd who will serve in Alyn Mission Area, which covers part of north and west Wrexham.

Sue Storey, a former nurse and midwife who will serve in Aled Mission Area, which includes communities on the Denbighshire/Conwy border.

Carol Thomas, is part of the Expressive Arts Service in Conwy, offering African Drumming, Samba and Creative Composition workshops. She will serve in Denbigh Mission Area.

James Tout, 31, head of science at the Marcher School in Oswestry, who will serve in Wrexham Mission Area

The following will be ordained as priests on June 29:

Dominic Cawdell, assistant curate in Alyn Mission Area

Alan Cronin, a former policeman, now an assistant curate in the Borderlands Mission Area

Dylan Parry Jones, assistant curate in the Dyffryn Clwyd Mission Area, around Ruthin

John Searl, who runs a forestry management company in St Asaph and is an assistant curate in Aled Mission Area

Kathy Stewart, a former social worker and now an assistant curate in the Mold Mission Area

Heather Shotton, a former nurse in the Royal Navy and now an assistant curate in the Wrexham Mission Area

The ordination service takes place at 10am at St Asaph Cathedral on Saturday 29 June. All are welcome to the service.