Dublin, August 11, 2025
Photo: dublin.anglican.org
The Romanian Orthodox community in Dublin is urgently seeking to raise €4 million ($4.3 million USD) to purchase Christ Church Leeson Park, the former Anglican church building they have been using for worship for many years.
Fr. Călin Florea of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Ireland announced that the community was informed on December 4, 2024, that the church would be put up for sale starting February 1, 2025. The community has launched a GoFundMe campaign that has raised €19,789 ($21,300 USD) of its €200,000 ($215,000 USD) initial goal.
Fr. Călin stated that the community needs to raise at least another €700,000 to make the purchase possible. The Anglican community has expressed interest in seeing the church preserved as a sacred space, though legal requirements mandate that the property must also be available for other potential uses, such as community or social spaces.
Photo: dublin.anglican.org
The Romanian Orthodox community is seeking support through direct donations, legal loans to the church, and spreading awareness of their fundraising efforts. Donations can be made to:
Romanian Orthodox Church in Ireland
Church Fund
IBAN: IE53BOFI90003381064726
BIC: BOFIIE2D
Christ Church Leeson Park was deconsecrated on March 11, 2025, following a final service of Evening Prayer, marking the end of over 150 years of Anglican worship at the site.
The church’s origins date to the 1860s when the Molyneux Asylum for the Female Blind relocated from Peter Street to Leeson Park. The Molyneux Chapel was rebuilt and renamed Christ Church Leeson Park in 1874. It became a parish in 1892 and was united with St Bartholomew’s, Clyde Road in 1972.
The church, which could accommodate hundreds of worshippers, was closed in 2007. From 2008, it operated with a modified right of use. A license agreement allowed the Romanian Orthodox Church to use the building for many years.
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