Chapel of Our Lady of Penha de Franca — Attraction in Funchal

On holiday in Funchal last week, I happened across a wonderful woman who invited me to the sunday service in English at 10.00. I thought it would be a rather serious minded service with a tiny handful of people, how wrong could a man be! Packed to the rafters, (people were also sitting and standing outside in the warm sunshine) it was full of exuberance, joy, happiness and light. The Priest, a wonderfully warm hearted man from India and the congregation, a mixture of residents and travellers were inspirational. After the service, we had tea, cafe and cakes in the "cantinho" (a little room in the garden to celebrate St Patrick's day. This is a place of friendship, Holy Peace and Love for all... A highlight of my time in Madeira,...

Gorgeous little church! Attended the 10am Holy Mass in English which was beautiful. The parishioners so friendly, welcoming and helpful. The priest celebrated the Mass beautifully and the homily was so true, full of love and touching people’s hearts. I had tears in my eyes. Enjoyed singing with the choir. There’s so much going on for such a little church- the parish is very involved in helping the poor. The church building is in very good condition and clean. Thank you for having me and my family. We’ve had a very blessed Sunday and thank you for your hospitality at the nearby cafe. What a lovely memory! May God bless you in all your...

Attended the English mass which is always on at 10am on Sunday. Very welcoming English speaking congregation who have made Madeira their home from various English speaking parts of the world. Social gathering after the mass, offering refreshments, was a great opportunity to connect with other English speaking Catholics...