Dame Beverley Kerr of the Order of St Gregory the Great remains remarkably humble

Bev Kerr, the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW’s Vice President – Special Works, has been declared a Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great, an order of papal knights.

Bev was conferred the honour during Mass on Sunday morning, 22 January at the St Francis Xavier Cathedral in Wollongong by Bishop Brian Mascord.

The accolade was bestowed in recognition of Bev’s lifelong dedication to assisting people experiencing homelessness, poverty, and disadvantage.

It follows much behind the scenes work, particularly by Leo Tucker, Executive Director – Mission and Spirituality, to advance Bev’s nomination all the way to the Vatican.
On the day, Bev seemed happy but both surprised and very modest about being named a Dame in the Order of St Gregory the Great.

“I think I was still, sort of, in shock because I still don’t understand why Leo nominated me for that medal.

“You don’t get a medal for doing what you enjoy doing, helping the poor, the destitute, and the vulnerable.

“I just love doing it all and I’m just so passionate about what I do, I just don’t think you need a medal for doing something that you love doing,” Bev says.

“From what everyone tells me, it’s very, very important and it’s a very high achievement but I’m just an ordinary person.

“I’m just an ordinary Vincentian, just doing Vincentian and God’s work,” Bev says.
And with COVID restrictions no longer in place, Bev is looking forward to getting out on the road again in her role as Vice President – Special Works.

Before the pandemic it regularly took her all around the state to oversee them and one of the first places she’ll be headed is the Society’s Castlereagh Industries and Green Villa in Coonamble.

“We have 72 special works across New South Wales – I travel as far as Broken Hill, Albury, Tweed Heads, and out to Coonamble,” Bev says.

One of the highlights of her more than 20 years of being an ordinary Vincentian was being the co-project manager for the refurbishment and opening of Vincentian House in Sydney.

“When I was in DOCS – I was in child protection – we would have a father and his daughter or a mum and her teenage boys come in because they were homeless.

“We could place the mum in a refuge or the dad in a refuge but the children would have to go into foster care or short-term care because there were no facilities for them to be together.

“And they would say to me: ‘I’d rather be homeless than be separated from my child.’

“When the Society built Vincentian House, which was for single mums, mums with children, dads with children, families – mum, dads, and the kids.

“I think it was a really important thing and I felt so good about this because those people didn’t have to be separated from their children.

“They could be together.

“Nothing is more daunting than to have to say to a parent we’ll place you in a refuge but you can’t take your child with you,” Bev says.