Dublin Korean Church
SOUTHERN DISTRICT
One common misunderstanding about Dublin Korean Church (DKC) in Leeson Park, is the question, “Do only Koreans attend?” The answer is no. Even long before the Korean Wave gained global popularity, DKC had been a multicultural faith community where Koreans, Indonesians, Japanese, Chinese, Irish, Americans, and French believers have worshiped together.
After the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer than twenty people attended the first in-person service. During this period, DKC focused on rebuilding its community. In the same way that the early church gathered Jews and Gentile diaspora together, DKC sought to form a leadership that shared life and responsibility together. From that time, Caoimhe Devaney and Marie Parche were no longer simply participants in this faith community - they became key members of the leadership team.
Caoimhe, born in Dublin, had naturally developed a supportive attitude toward a Korean classmate during her secondary school years. After joining DKC, she improved her Korean language skills. Already fluent in French, Caoimhe became a Sunday school teacher for the growing number of teenagers in the congregation during the post-COVID period. Her advice and personal experience were especially encouraging for students who were new to Ireland or unfamiliar with Irish culture.
Marie, from the United States, regularly attended both Sunday worship and the Wednesday Bible study conducted in Korean, steadily improving her Korean proficiency. She later became the first leader of one of the young adult cell groups, leading entirely in Korean. After the worship service, young adults divide into small groups of four to six people to share about their lives, pray for one another, and enjoy fellowship. Marie leads one of these cell groups, providing a spiritual shelter for young people who come from abroad.
In this way, within Dublin these two friends have played a central role in helping DKC grow. Through their unique contributions, they have helped build a church where young people and children make up the most vibrant part of the congregation in the city centre.