Ann Sieben, The Winter Pilgrim

[Theatregal]

Sharing a piece from this months Harper's Magazine about the enduring allure of pilgrimage and the mendicant pilgrim Ann Sieben,

Numinous Strangers, by Lisa Wells

The enduring allure of pilgrimage

harpers.org

 

[mspath]

Theatregal,
Thanks for sharing this piece. One very snowy night in February 2009 I met Ann in the old winter albergue room in Santo Domingo de la Calzada and have followed her many journeys ever since. She has extraordinary courage and determination and is an inspiration for so many!

 

[Kirkie]

Sharing a piece from this months Harper's Magazine about the enduring allure of pilgrimage and the mendicant pilgrim Ann Sieben,

Numinous Strangers, by Lisa Wells

The enduring allure of pilgrimage

harpers.org

Thank you. I am reminded of a short scene in a Canadian film, Jesus of Montreal, where a woman nearly trips over herself trying to find superlatives to say something was wonderful.
I just say again: thank you for the second gift of food for thought I have received today via the forum.

 

[VNwalking]

Extraordinary.
Thank you for this lovely meal for the heart, @Theatregal!

This quote of Ann's is so true, as so many once-anxious-now-veteran Forum members know:

"fear and experience seem to me to occupy the same place in the soul. The more experience one has, the less room there is for fear; yet in the absence of experience—even borrowed experience—fear expands to fill the void. It can become paralyzing.”

 

[Theatregal]

Theatregal,
Thanks for sharing this piece. One very snowy night in February 2009 I met Ann in the old winter albergue room in Santo Domingo de la Calzada and have followed her many journeys ever since. She has extraordinary courage and determination and is an inspiration for so many!

Wonderful. Two winter pilgrims met. Both an inspiration for so many

 

[LTfit]

Sharing a piece from this months Harper's Magazine about the enduring allure of pilgrimage and the mendicant pilgrim Ann Sieben,

Numinous Strangers, by Lisa Wells

The enduring allure of pilgrimage

harpers.org

Unfortunately I can't read it unless subscribe.

 

[linnea.borealis]

Thank you for sharing this. I’ve shared it with our New Mexico pilgrim group. We’ve been blessed to have Ann with us from time to time.

 

[lalaone]

Unfortunately I can't read it unless subscribe.

I also don't subscribe, and the original link worked for me, but here is an archived version that should work.

EDIT: This wonderful story reminded me of another solo female pilgrim years ago, who ventured across North Africa (a dream of mine) enroute to Jerusalem. I was about to post on this forum to ask if anyone remembered this story or her name - only to see it is one and the same inspiring peregrina! Her blog is still available online. Here's how I described it in an old email to my husband, from 2012:

check out this map!
http://winterpilgrim.blogspot.com/

I am completely blown away by this blog I stumbled across! It is by an American woman who made the pilgrimage to Santiago and who then became a pretty hardcore, long distance pilgrim. Check out the map at the top of her page - she is now about to arrive in Jerusalem, having left from Santiago and walked down through Spain, then across ALL of North Africa!!! As a woman, alone!!! This blows my mind.

 

[LTfit]

I also don't subscribe, and the original link worked for me, but here is an archived version that should work.

EDIT: This wonderful story reminded me of another solo female pilgrim years ago, who ventured across North Africa (a dream of mine) enroute to Jerusalem. I was about to post on this forum to ask if anyone remembered this story or her name - only to see it is one and the same inspiring peregrina! Her blog is still available online. Here's how I described it in an old email to my husband, from 2012:

check out this map!
http://winterpilgrim.blogspot.com/

I am completely blown away by this blog I stumbled across! It is by an American woman who made the pilgrimage to Santiago and who then became a pretty hardcore, long distance pilgrim. Check out the map at the top of her page - she is now about to arrive in Jerusalem, having left from Santiago and walked down through Spain, then across ALL of North Africa!!! As a woman, alone!!! This blows my mind.

I remember reading her blog years ago! Thanks for posting about it, also giving the link for the article about Ann.

 

[Margaret Butterworth]

Is Ann still walking? Her blog ends in 2018.

 

[Theatregal]

Unfortunately I can't read it unless subscribe.

I have a magazine subscription but don't subscribe digitally. I was able to open the story online and assumed it would be readable to all. Sorry @LTfit !

I also don't subscribe, and the original link worked for me, but here is an archived version that should work.

Thanks for finding the archived version and posting @lalaone !

 

[Maxsmart]

Is Ann still walking? Her blog ends in 2018.

Indeed she is! She came to the APOC Annual Gathering in Early April and did an absolutely fascinating talk on Saint Martin. Although she doesn’t Blog any more (she said it got too time consuming), I believe there is a website of her activities somewhere. She was going on to walk a string of Abbeys along the Rhine in May, taking a few other Pilgrims with her. Next year she’ll walk a route in France that connects all the places associated with Saint Martin. I think she has a plan to walk somewhere in the U.S., as well as a U.S.-Mexico pilgrimage associated with Our Lady of Guadalupe.