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Timing is a mystery if you know what I mean.  Today was a wonderful day for a wedding and I was blessed to witness a wonderful young couple tie the knot at San Roque Church this afternoon. Not as a guest you see but as a "Wedding Coordinator" in service to the parish.  So much joy and promise for the future, hope and optimism.  A beautiful thing.

 The Spotlight this time is on a man in our community named Jerry Bellamy. Jerry happens to be a retired Ordained Catholic Priest (inactive status) who performs non-denominational weddings throughout the state.  In my inbox just this afternoon, were his responses to my interview questions. And, because the wedding today has me in the mood to write about the subject of weddings....

Meet Jerry Bellamy

Over 40 years ago as a young man Jerry entered the seminary and spent the next 12 years on various assignments throughout the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.  Including Our Lady of Guadalupe and St Raphael's parish in our community.  While there, he was head of the Non-Denominational Chaplain program at SB County Jail, SB Juvenile Hall and Los Prietos Juvenile Detention Facility.  In 1981 he made the decision to leave full time ministry because he wanted to be married and raise a family.  And that he did.  He met and married a local wonderful woman named Adrienne Nunez. Adrienne holds a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology and has taught at SBCC Adult Ed for 25 years. Together they have two adult children.  Beatrice Nunez-Bellamy and Timo Nunez-Bellamy. Both of whom are professional Flamenco artists.  What's more is Beatrice is Assistant State Attorney General for the State of Maryland, and Timo is a professional producer and actor who performs on TV, in movies and other venues all over the world!  It's safe to say Jerry made the right decision to marry and have offspring! 

Jerry tells me he has performed over 7000 weddings over the past 40 years.  He's fluent in Spanish and in fact teaches ESL night classes through SBCC and has done so for the past 26 years.  Much of his time is spent on the road because he will go to San Diego and up to San Francisco for destination weddings. He has seen it all over the years from the most humble of weddings to the most lavish.  Bet he has some great stories. (Wonder if he's met bridezilla?) 

I asked (Father) Jerry to share a great piece of advise about marriage and this is what he said. "Love is a decision. There are feelings of love, thank goodness, but in essence, love is a decision.   Feelings come and go in frequency and degree, but a person can still love someone else and even themselves, while feelings go up and down."  He also shared his closely held belief that when you ask you shall receive.  Just look at his life.  He asked for a wife and a family, and with effort and determination,  his dreams, hopes and his potential have been realized.  And it's a safe bet that he's not finished yet. I'm glad to know Father Jerry, do we have some fabulous neighbors in San Roque or what??  

I like his style I found this quote on his website. 

 "What makes people holy is not how religious they are. What makes people holy is how LOVING they are. "

 How can one argue with that?

Check out his website here and if you know of a couple looking to tie the knot you know who to call.

 http://www.santabarbaraweddingminister.com/                                                 

Would you like to be in the Spotlight?  Let me know.