Ministers and Board

Minister

Mark Shiels is minister of the International Unitarian Church of Prague. Mark, who lives in London and Prague, works as both a psychotherapist and a minister.

Mark has previously served Unitarian congregations in London, the Wessex Area and Cork. He is Irish and found his way into Unitarianism over thirty years ago while studying and working in London.

He is an experienced meditation practitioner and teacher. Prior to working for the church and training as a minister he worked in both the business and charitable sectors. His academic background is in Psychology, Business Studies, Theology and the study of World Religions. He has a Masters in Philosophy from the Irish School of Ecumenics and Peace Studies, Trinity College Dublin. He trained as a psychotherapist at the Karuna Institute in Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Devon, England and is a fully registered and accredited psychotherapist.

Mark also runs a Holistic Anger and Stress Management Consultancy based in central London with a group of Body work therapists and psychotherapists.

Board

Chairperson:   Zuzana Dussel Jurgens
Secretary:      Lena Jurgensova
Treasurer:      Simon O’Neill
Music Director:   Lukaš Olejnik
Social Justice Lead: Barbara Woodard
Publicity and Website: Simon O’Neill

Intern Minister

Sarah Vinz is undertaking a ministerial internship with the International Unitarian Church of Prague for the calendar year 2024, in conjunction with her ministerial training and studies through the Czech Unitarian Academy. Her goal is to be ordained in 2026. She has been a Unitarian for over 40 years and participated in a variety of U/U congregations and events along the way.
 
 
Sarah’s professional background includes working for international organizations, secondary schools, and universities. She has also worked as a freelance writer, editor, soft skills trainer, and English language teacher. Her academic credentials include a BA in Political Science (Moorhead State University), a Master of International Affairs degree (Columbia University), and an MA in English with a concentration in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (St. Cloud State University). 
 
Sarah grew up in Minnesota (US) but has since called many countries and continents home. She currently lives just outside Prague with her partner, John.