Maundy money honour for Myrtle Kerr
Warmest congratulations to Mrs Myrtle Kerr from Kilbroney Parish, Rostrevor, who is one of this year’s recipients of the Royal Maundy money.
For the second year in a row the Maundy Service planned for today in St George’s Chapel, Windsor, is not going ahead because of the restrictions around Covid–19. Myrtle has, however, received her Maundy coins and a signed letter from the Queen by Special Delivery.
Bishop David nominated Myrtle, now 84, for her enormous contribution to the work of reconciliation in Northern Ireland.
In 1974 Myrtle, along with her husband the late Revd Cecil Kerr, founded the Christian Renewal Centre in Rostrevor, County Down, on the Northern Ireland side of the border with the Republic of Ireland. The Christian Renewal Centre was a beacon of hope, a centre for prayer and a place that brought Roman Catholics and Protestants together during all the years of the Troubles. It was a place where people found refuge and healing at a time when division and sectarianism kept communities apart.
Over several decades, Myrtle and Cecil worked tirelessly for peace and reconciliation and played a significant role in all that eventually led to the Peace Process.
Cecil became ill with Alzheimer’s in 1999 and died in 2010 but Myrtle continues in her own quiet and gracious way to bring people together in her home in Warrenpoint. Her ongoing commitment to the work of reconciliation in Northern Ireland is legendary. Myrtle also quietly helps out in her local parish church showing kindness and hospitality to many in her community who need a listening ear or practical encouragement. Her Christian faith is deep and real and has been lived out in costly and sacrificial ways for decades, without ever looking for or expecting any acclamation.
Myrtle said: “I feel very honoured to receive this gift from the Queen and I accept it on behalf of Cecil and the interdenominational community in Rostrevor who made the ministry possible. It’s only by the grace of God and his call on our lives that the Christian Renewal Centre came into being. It was totally a faith venture, but God never let us down. It was a privilege to serve there for many years, especially when Cecil was around.”
Also honoured this year, Mr Stanley Tomkins from Kilkeel.
Maundy Money
Each recipient of Maundy money is given two small leather purses by The Queen, one red and one white.
The first contains a small amount of ordinary coinage which symbolises the Sovereign’s gift for food and clothing. The second purse contains Maundy coins up to the value of the Sovereign’s age. The coins are legal tender, but recipients normally prefer to retain them as a keepsake.