Meet the dedicated team serving the Anglican community across the Algarve.
Rev Carla joined St Vincent’s Chaplaincy on 1 December 2024, and serves the churches in the Central Algarve (Boliqueime) and the East (St Luke’s Palhagueira). Carla is Portuguese and happy to be back home after 39 years in the UK. She is married to Nick and they have two grown up sons. Her professional background is in business and marketing. Since ordination, in 2015, she has ministered in city, rural and cathedral contexts in the UK. As a Christian she has a passion for storytelling and teaching about the love of God. She also loves cycling, reading and above all, good food.
In mid-August 2026, Father Rob Kean left St Vincent’s West after nine years’ service, returning to the UK to serve a group of parishes in the Diocese of Ely. He and Angela are accompanied by our profound thanks, good wishes and prayers for their future ministry.
During this period of vacancy, we will be served by a team of locum chaplains who are already good friends of the Chaplaincy, and day-to-day matters (including funeral bookings) will be handled by Lay Minister Chris Wells.
We have one licensed and two trainee Lay Ministers. They lead worship, conduct funerals and assist the clergy.
Chris wears many hats, as well as being our Lay Minister, he is also the Electoral Roll officer, blueberry farmer, lecturer on pain management and husband to Tricia. His love of the Algarve has spread to his family, and his sister and daughter’s family now also live close by.
Chris and Tricia are active in initiatives to make church and the local community more climate friendly.
Paul was born to an American father from Tennessee and an English mother from the Cotswolds and was brought up in both England and the US. In 1989 he started his career at NASA as an aerospace engineer and retired in 2021. Now he and wife Morri are loving retirement in the Algarve. Paul enjoys working on his 1968 Land Rover, woodworking, gardening, SCUBA diving and traveling. Morri used to work as an optometrist and they have two children.
Alison comes from north Wiltshire, near the historic city of Bath in the UK. She and husband Nick lived in Cyprus for over a decade before moving to Portugal in 2013. She was delighted to find such a friendly congregation in Boliqueime and found herself helping with online worship during Covid, which led to training as a Lay Minister. She enjoys baking and looking after her garden pond.
Shirleen has been a resident of Luz since 2021 after moving from the U.S. where she attended an Episcopal church with very similar worship and services as St Vincent’s. She is an active member of the Fundraising Team and works with the children who attend the Children’s Sunday Club.
Having spent several winters in Luz from Bristol via Cornwall, Louise found herself here at the start of the Covid pandemic and decided to remain and become resident. Louise also serves as the Fundraising Coordinator for Luz church, a role which she embraces with a lot of enthusiasm.
With a long history in the Algarve and a background in music administration at St Edmund’s Canterbury, Carol brings organizational expertise to St Luke’s
Alison moved to the Algarve in 2013. She is currently training to be a Lay Reader and supports the Boliqueime congregation with dedication.
