Photos by James Atkinson / Worcester Cathedral.

Four Catholics from the Archdiocese of Birmingham were today, Thursday 28 March, among those receiving Maundy money from Queen Camilla.

Sister Thérèse O’Brien, Pastoral Assistant at St Chad’s Cathedral and Philip Jones from St George’s Catholic Church in Worcester were among the 75 men and 75 women receiving the gift. The number of men and women corresponding to the Monarch’s age.

On Maundy Thursday, a longstanding tradition takes place where the Monarch distributes special Maundy money to pensioners. This year the service took place within our diocese at the Anglican Worcester Cathedral and, due to King Charles III’s ill health, the Maundy money was bestowed by Queen Camilla.

During the service, the Queen personally presented each recipient with two purses: one red and one white.

The white purse contains a set of specially minted silver Maundy coins, the value of which corresponds to the age of the reigning Monarch (currently 75 years old).

The red purse contains two commemorative coins, symbolizing the Sovereign’s historical gift of food and clothing.

At today’s service, Queen Camilla bestowed the Maundy gift upon the men and women, expressing gratitude for their Christian service and their contributions to local communities. This meaningful tradition dates back to 600 AD, and the special coins have retained a similar form since 1670.

Sister Thérèse (pictured below) said that the Maundy money is for the Sisters of St Paul, Selly Park, and would be kept at their Mother House. She said she felt overjoyed, it was a wonderful day.

Additionally, Maundy Thursday marks the beginning of the Triduum celebration. During this Mass, we honour the last meal Jesus shared with his twelve apostles before his death. Following the homily, we emulate Jesus by participating in the washing of feet, a ritual that reminds us of our baptismal commitment to serve one another.