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Ethne to attend Maundy Thursday Service at Worcester Cathedral
Ethne McCord.
A parishioner from Clogher Diocese will be among the 150 recipients of Maundy Money at this year’s Maundy Thursday Service in Worcester Cathedral attended by a member of the Royal Family. This year the service will be attended by Her Majesty, Queen Camilla, taking the place of King Charles.
Mrs Ethne McCord, who resides with her husband, Dr. David McCord in Northern Ireland, is the nominee from Clogher Diocese to receive Maundy Money at this year’s service on Thursday, 28 March. She is a parishioner of St. Salvator’s Church, Glaslough in the Donagh Group of Parishes which also includes Tyholland with Errigal Truagh iln Co, Monaghan.
Ethne is described as an extraordinary woman whose compassion, concern and dedication to efforts that enhance and augment the lives of others through volunteering and charity work in communities on both sides of the border are “exceptional.”
She is a regular volunteer in the McCague Day Centre in Aughnacloy which she has done for many years stretching back to when she managed her husband’s GP surgery in the town and she is also a volunteer in the RNLI shop in Donaghadee where she lives, one day a week.
Ethne is probably best known as the Musical Director of the cross community and cross border Donagh Community Choir based in St Salvator’s Parish Church. The Choir is made up of parishioners of the local Church of Ireland and Roman Catholic Parishes and members of the local Presbyterian congregation as well as people from across Co Monaghan and Co Tyrone aged from 18 to 86.
Donagh Community Choir sing at the harvest festivals in the three local Church of Ireland Parishes and in St Mary’s, Catholic Parish and in Glennan Presbyterian. One of the highlights of the social calendar in North Monaghan is the Winter’s Tale Concerts held each year on the Monday and Tuesday before Christmas.
Ethne is organist in St Salvator’s Parish Church in Glaslough and she travels from her home in County Down and trains the choir. As well as the senior choir, Ethne also nurtures the musical talents of the small junior choir who join the Donagh Community Choir for the Christmas concerts each year.
Ethne is also Secretary to the Select Vestry of St Sillian’s, Tyholland with St Muadain’s, Errigal Truagh and she is proactive in securing heritage and community grants for the parishes within the Donagh Group of Parishes.
She has a great interest in local history and has been involved in a project to archive, record and tell the history of St Sillian’s, Tyholland and is currently putting together a proposal for an archaeological study which aims to reveal the history of the ecclesiastical site at Tyholland which is believed to stretch back to the earliest days of Christianity in north Monaghan.
She is also a member of Clogher Diocesan Synod, Diocesan Council, and other committees, as well as assisting parishes in Co. Monaghan with charity compliance issues and she is a member of the RCB and its Property Committee and a member of General Synod.
The Bishop of Clogher, the Right Revd. Dr. Ian Ellis, nominating her, described Ethne as “an extraordinary person whose compassion, and dedication enhances the lives of others through her voluntary and charity work.”
At the service in Worcester Cathedral, ceremonial coins will be presented to 75 men and 75 women from around the country, in recognition of their exemplary Christian service to church and community over many years.
The tradition of presenting alms on Maundy Thursday goes back to at least the 4th Century. The number of men and women receiving the Maundy Money is equivalent to the Monarch’s age.
As Lord High Almoner, Bishop John will accompany HM The Queen as she presents the gifts.