Former street person Chris Kitch

Chris Kitch, the daughter of an unwed domestic servant, spent 32 years of her adult life on the streets of London. She was homeless, a drug addict, and an alcoholic. A religious experience led her to turn her life around. She became sober and earned a degree in English literature from North London University. The Monitor told Ms. Kitch's story in a profile that ran Dec. 27, 1995. At the time, she was working toward a master's degree.

Her path since has been rocky, but no less remarkable. In 1996, Kitch published a memoir, "Pavement for My Pillow" (Orion Press), which made her a minor celebrity in England. Exhausted by speaking engagements and suffering from health problems, she dropped out of the course.

"I didn't understand how to manage time," she explained in a recent phone interview. After a brief stint as a counselor and much soul-searching, she returned to school in 1998.

She sought additional help from her tutor and took an extra year to finish her course work. She is now about to start on her thesis on the movement to ordain women clergy in England.

A persistent feeling that she was being "called" led Kitch this year to apply to enter an Anglican convent. She was formally accepted in September.

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