Ann Sieben is an extremely rare kind of woman. She is not a nun, nor is she married. For more than 15 years now, she has been a ‘Winter Pilgrim.’
A 52-year old American, Ann was born and brought up in New Jersey. Since she studied geological engineering, she received job offers related to nuclear engineering from all over the world. She worked in Germany for seven years. In 2007, when she was in Spain, she undertook her first pilgrimage. Soon she felt called to a unique way of life and so gave up her job. Later that year she walked from Canterbury in England to Rome in Italy. That is when people, who offered her accommodation for the night, began to call her a ‘Winter Pilgrim’.
You may ask what is so great about being a pilgrim. Well, however far her destination may be, she just walks. Secondly, she is a mendicant pilgrim. A mendicant pilgrim is one who literally begs for food while travelling. She eats anything which people offer her. “Two nights ago,” she told Peter Stanford of the Tablet, “I stayed on a farm where they gave me some of their cheese. Last night, the people who invited me into their home gave me bread. And here in the hostel, I’ve found canned food and pasta. I’m chubby, because I eat anything.”
Fr Joe Antony SJ
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