The Romanian community in Dublin, Ireland, has seen notable growth since the Saints George & Columba Parish acquired its own place of worship, noted the Custodian of the Romanian Crown, Agerpres reports.
The parish was founded in 2009 after it became clear that many Romanians lived there. Ten years later, the Romanian community in Dublin succeeded in purchasing its own church building, where services are now held every Sunday, explained parish priest Raul Simion.
“This parish in Dublin was established in 2009 with the blessing and encouragement of His Eminence Metropolitan Iosif. In our area, most Romanians settled here, and seeing their numbers, His Eminence decided to found a parish. We first served not far from here,” said Fr. Simion.
“Through patience, God placed this church in our path, which we purchased in 2019 from the Catholic Church in Dublin, and we began services here in 2020. Every Sunday, we have around 400–500 attendees. The community purchased the church—we didn’t find it on a listing site. It cost €350,000, well below market value, and we took out a bank loan with the help of the faithful,” he added.
Romanian Language and Cultural Classes
In addition to liturgical services, the parish hosts Romanian language, literature, history, and geography classes for children of Romanian families living far from their homeland.
“Besides the services, we have other activities. Every Saturday from 10:00 to 12:00, we run our parish school where parents bring their children to learn exclusively in Romanian. They study Romanian language and literature, religion, art, music, and Romanian history and geography—all in Romanian, taught by teachers who were trained either in Romania or locally. We have around 70 children, split into two groups,” added Fr. Simion.
“An Impressive Achievement” — Royal Visit to the Parish
On Wednesday, the parish was visited by Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown, and Prince Radu. His Grace Bishop Nectarie of Ireland and Iceland thanked the royal guests for their visit.
“We joyfully welcome you to Dublin and the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Ireland and Iceland. It is an honour for our diocese (…). Historically, imperial authority supported the Church since the time of Saint Constantine the Great. The Romanian community here in Ireland enjoys the fruit of their labour and their love for their homeland and faith. Thank you for the honour of visiting one of the representative churches of Romanian Orthodox communities here in Dublin,” said Bishop Nectarie.
“It was a deeply spiritual experience, and I felt incredible human warmth here. I was deeply moved. The people are beautiful and have preserved our traditions. So many Romanians—and what they’ve accomplished with the church is truly wonderful. I’m very impressed,” responded Her Majesty Margareta.
The Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Ireland and Iceland is headquartered in Dublin and was established by the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church in February 2024.
It is part of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe. Bishop Nectarie was enthroned in January 2025 as the first Romanian Orthodox bishop of Ireland and Iceland.
Photo: Romanian Royal Family / Facebook
