Orthodox Church look for Cork home
Ireland’s second Serbian Orthodox Church looks set to be established here in Cork as an online fundraiser gains momentum.
With the blessing of his Eminence Bishop Nektarije of London, Britain, and Ireland, a GoFundMe page has been set up to purchase an unused church in West Cork.
The former Church of Ireland Saint Mary's in Knockmacool, Co. Cork, is located three kilometres east of Enniskeane village.
Ireland’s only other Serbian Orthodox Church, the Parish of St George, is located in Dublin. Ireland’s population census 2022 found there to be 100,165 Orthodox Christians living in the country at the time, a significant increase from the 60,777 recorded in 2016.
In a post on the GoFundMe page, Ireland’s only Serbian Orthodox priest, Fr Mladen Gardovi, said the purchase offers “a great and historic opportunity” to establish a place of Orthodox Christian worship in the south of Ireland.
He said: “This church would be a place of prayer, gathering, and spiritual comfort for present and future generations of our people.
“The Lord God has once again deemed us worthy and called us to be contributors and benefactors in the purchase of a new church in the south of the country.”
Fr Gardovi said the church is available for a “favourable price” with a GoFundMe target of €90k set on the page. So far, the campaign has raised just under €14k in less than two weeks.
He continued: “I invite all parishioners and people of good will to take part in this holy and God-pleasing mission, according to their abilities. Every contribution, whether small or large, represents a stone in the foundation of our shared spiritual home.”
According to real estate website listedbuy.com, the site has an overall floor area of 285 m² comprising of a former church situated within a graveyard. The website described the building as being of a stone masonry construction with a pitched timber and slate roof. The roof is currently in “poor condition” the website said. No services are currently connected to the church and no price is listed.
Fr Gardovi said: “May faith, love, and unity guide us in this endeavour, so that, with God’s help, we may leave a blessed trace of our presence and bear witness to the Orthodox faith in Cork.”
To make a donation towards the purchase of the church, visit gofundme.com and search ‘Buying a Church in Cork’.