Get to know St Vincent's Chaplaincy
Our Chaplaincy is part of the Diocese in Europe (a diocese of the Church of England) and a member of the Anglican Communion. The Chaplaincy has been serving the Algarve since 1963. More importantly, we are a diverse group of people united in seeking to follow Christ.
Thank you for visiting our site. Please have a good click around our pages, we hope you find the information you need.
Thank you for visiting our site. Please have a good click around our pages, we hope you find the information you need.
Some members spend all year in the Algarve, some come and go, and people on holiday often join us for worship and fellowship. We serve the whole of the Algarve from west to east, so whether you would like to know more about our worship and the life of our church community, or to request a home communion, or to arrange a baptism, wedding or funeral, please do contact us.
Our three congregations
Click here for maps and directions to our places of worship. Keep up to date with all that's happening in the Chaplaincy using our Facebook page (right). Please like our page and share your news and thoughts with the community.
Eastern Algarve
St Luke's is the only consecrated Anglican church building in the Algarve, located 6km east of Loulé. A popular location for wedding blessings, St Luke's is in the heart of the countryside. 
Western Algarve
The church at Praia da Luz (just west of Lagos) is very near the beach. For regulars, the beautiful centre of the church community, for others an island of peace in the family holiday! 
Central Algarve
The congregation here meets at Boliqueime, handily placed near both the A22 motorway and the N125. A friendly core congregation with a good spattering of visitors and winter residents. Worship at Praia da Luz and Pereiras is by kind permission of the Catholic Bishop of Faro.
More information about our locations can be found here. We are part of the Diocese in Europe. You can read the diocesan magazine The European Anglican here.
Don't be shy . . .
Come and join us! Please do get in touch, whether you want information about worship, or weddings, baptisms or funerals, our contact details are here.
Something missing?
We've all been there. At some point in life, everyone has a time when something has made us stop and think about meaning, about spirituality, about the existence of God. We certainly haven't found all the answers, but we are on a journey! We welcome the sceptical and the searching to join us as we explore the Christian faith further. We have short study courses in the spring and autumn, details will appear on this site.
Safeguarding
|
A little history . . .
n 1959 a retired Civil Servant, John Cook, came to reside in the Algarve. The nearest Anglican Churches at that time were 200 miles away. He was convinced that other ex-pats would welcome communal worship but wondered how he could get it started.
At Easter 1960 two women on holiday joined him while he read Morning Prayer. Then Mrs Vi King, who lived in the Algarve, asked him to arrange a service to be held in her home on Christmas Day 1960. This was the breakthrough. Mr Cook sought the help of Canon Humphreys of Estoril. He arranged for a missionary in Lisbon, en route to Mozambique, to come to Praia da Rocha and conduct the service. There were fourteen people present and this was the seed from which St. Vincent’s Chaplaincy has grown.
Soon a number of residents were promising support for regular Sunday services. On April 23rd 1963 a small group of residents met at Praia da Rocha under the Chairmanship of Canon Humphreys to approve for submission to the Bishop of Fulham and Gibraltar, the late Rt. Rev. Stanley Eley, a constitution of a house-church to be named St. Vincent’s. The Church became and still is the only Anglican Church in the Algarve incorporated in the Diocese of Gibraltar.
By Easter 1968 the numbers attending had grown to 87 people. They met on an open patio because of the numbers, in mackintoshes and with umbrellas because of heavy rain. Following an earthquake in 1969 Mrs King’s house had to be vacated because of damage caused in the earthquake. The Directors of the Penina Hotel offered a conference room for Easter services in 1969 and 150 people attended. The year 1970 closed in sadness when on the 16th October John Cook, founder, benefactor and Lay Reader died. He is buried in Portimão cemetery.
In October 1971, following a period of uncertainty, the Bishop agreed to provide a full-time Chaplain on an experimental basis with financial assistance for six months. In October 1971 the Rev George Bolton came as the first Chaplain of St. Vincent’s, now a Chaplaincy in its own right. At the end of the six month trial the Bishop agreed that the Chaplain could remain on a permanent basis, but he was unable to provide any further financial help. All expenses had to be met by the Chaplaincy members themselves. That is how it remains to this day.
St. Vincent's Chaplaincy is here to serve the needs of the resident English speaking community. It provides pastoral care, church services, funerals, baptisms, and wedding blessings. Our Constitution bars us from attempting to influence the local population and because of this we have an excellent relationship with the local Roman Catholic Diocese of Faro.
In 1980 the Diocese of Europe was formed within the Church of England and St. Vincent's became a Chaplaincy within the Diocese.
At Easter 1960 two women on holiday joined him while he read Morning Prayer. Then Mrs Vi King, who lived in the Algarve, asked him to arrange a service to be held in her home on Christmas Day 1960. This was the breakthrough. Mr Cook sought the help of Canon Humphreys of Estoril. He arranged for a missionary in Lisbon, en route to Mozambique, to come to Praia da Rocha and conduct the service. There were fourteen people present and this was the seed from which St. Vincent’s Chaplaincy has grown.
Soon a number of residents were promising support for regular Sunday services. On April 23rd 1963 a small group of residents met at Praia da Rocha under the Chairmanship of Canon Humphreys to approve for submission to the Bishop of Fulham and Gibraltar, the late Rt. Rev. Stanley Eley, a constitution of a house-church to be named St. Vincent’s. The Church became and still is the only Anglican Church in the Algarve incorporated in the Diocese of Gibraltar.
By Easter 1968 the numbers attending had grown to 87 people. They met on an open patio because of the numbers, in mackintoshes and with umbrellas because of heavy rain. Following an earthquake in 1969 Mrs King’s house had to be vacated because of damage caused in the earthquake. The Directors of the Penina Hotel offered a conference room for Easter services in 1969 and 150 people attended. The year 1970 closed in sadness when on the 16th October John Cook, founder, benefactor and Lay Reader died. He is buried in Portimão cemetery.
In October 1971, following a period of uncertainty, the Bishop agreed to provide a full-time Chaplain on an experimental basis with financial assistance for six months. In October 1971 the Rev George Bolton came as the first Chaplain of St. Vincent’s, now a Chaplaincy in its own right. At the end of the six month trial the Bishop agreed that the Chaplain could remain on a permanent basis, but he was unable to provide any further financial help. All expenses had to be met by the Chaplaincy members themselves. That is how it remains to this day.
St. Vincent's Chaplaincy is here to serve the needs of the resident English speaking community. It provides pastoral care, church services, funerals, baptisms, and wedding blessings. Our Constitution bars us from attempting to influence the local population and because of this we have an excellent relationship with the local Roman Catholic Diocese of Faro.
In 1980 the Diocese of Europe was formed within the Church of England and St. Vincent's became a Chaplaincy within the Diocese.