Everywhere you go, you always take the weather with you!

Well – if you are here in the Algarve for a holiday, I bet you are hoping that you haven’t brought the weather with you! 

I am also sure you will be hoping that the weather will be better than you left behind. And it might not be just the weather you want to leave behind. You also may be trying to forget about the troubles at home, perhaps the constant political ramblings on television, or perhaps a particular set of circumstances at home. But, the long and short of it is, we all feel we need a ‘break from it all’ at times, and we hope that, in doing so, we can recharge our batteries, be refreshed and uplifted in order to face those trials of life, or even just the daily grind of work, work and … more work!

It’s probably not something you think about if you are visiting the Algarve on holiday, but (believe it or not) even those of us who live here all the time feel the need to take a break and go away on holiday. Despite the beauty that surrounds us – the sea, the glorious beaches, the blue skies – plus the bars, restaurants and ice cream parlours, we all need an occasional change of scenery, a change of pace and the time to reflect. I have just returned from a couple of weeks away around Spain and France, but it’s always funny when you are travelling and tell people that you live in the Algarve how they tend to think you shouldn’t need a holiday.

In many ways, lots of us ‘churchgoers’ have found that our Sundays in church are mini holidays – time,taken out of the ordinary, to be renewed and uplifted by the extraordinary. We have many holiday worshippers at the services here in Luz church, and it’s wonderful to be able to come together and sing (also good for the soul, evidence suggests!). 

If you are on holiday here (should I make the connection at this point with Holy-day!!) make your stay extra special, with a visit to one of the church services here in Luz. You don’t have to sign up for life by coming along, it would be wonderful for me to meet you, say hello and hear a little of your story – I always tell people that it’s not ‘our church’ – if you come along to a service, even once, it’s your church.

Services are at 8 am and 11.30 am on Sundays, and on Thursdays at 10.30 am

God bless, and if you are on holiday, I hope you have a most fantastic time.

Fr Rob Kean – Chaplain of St Vincent’s Chaplaincy Algarve.

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