Live from the St Augustine’s Lobby at Forward Movement headquarters, the bells are ringing, the crowd has gathered, and the purple cloaked conclave is over! Fr. Michael and Fr. Christian have emerged with the blessing of the Supreme Executive Committee, and that can only mean one thing...

Welcome to Nominationtide!

Before we can pit saint against saint in the madness, we need you, yes, you in the pew, the pulpit, or just procrastinating at your desk, to help us decide who will enter the 2026 Lent Madness bracket! For one glorious week, you get to nominate a saint you believe is fit for a chance to win the coveted Golden Halo. Will it be a desert-dwelling hermit? A hymn-writing bishop? A martyred monastic with a flair for hospitality and a killer bread recipe? Only you can decide!

The Supreme Executive Committee (SEC), long may they reign in purple glory, has entrusted the 2026 bracket to the dynamic duo of Fr. Michael and Fr. Christian. They're keeping the tradition fun, holy, and wholly Lent Madness.

It’s a new day, but the same joyous madness. Through laughter, bracketology, and some surprisingly intense saintly showdowns, we continue growing in the knowledge and witness of the saints, and through them, in the love of Christ!

To ensure your SUCCESSFUL nomination, please consult the sacred Nominationtide Rules & Regulations, which are lovingly inscribed on a weathered scroll, sealed with a kiss, and currently secured in a waterproof tube beneath the Forward Movement koi pond.

 The nominee must, in fact, be dead.

1. The nominee must be on the official calendar of saintly commemorations of some church.
2. We will accept only one nominee per person.
3. You must tell us WHY you are nominating your saint. A brief paragraph (or even a long one) will suffice.
4. The ONLY way to nominate a saint will be to leave a comment on this post.
5. That means comments left on Facebook, X, Instagram or attached to a brick and thrown through the window at Forward Movement headquarters don’t count.

As you discern which saint to nominate, please keep in mind that a number of saints are ineligible for next year’s Saintly Smackdown. Based on longstanding tradition, this includes the entire field of Lent Madness 2025, those saints who made it to the Round of the Elate Eight in 2024 and 2023, and those from the 2022 Faithful Four.

Below is a comprehensive list of ineligible saints. Please keep this in mind as you submit your nominations. Do not waste your precious nomination on an ineligible saint! (it happens more than you'd think).

Time to nominate your favorite saint! But first, look over this list.

The Saints of Lent Madness 2025 (ineligible)

Dunstan
Elizabeth of Hungary
Emily Cooper
Felicity
Francis Xavier
Gregory the Great
Hiram Kano
Hugh of Lincoln
Irenaeus of Lyons
James the Just
Katharina Zell
Lucy of Syracuse
Lucy Yi Zhenmei
Mechthild of Magdeburg
Nicolaus von Zinzendorf
Ninian
Onesimus
Philip (Deacon and Evangelist)
Quiteria
Richard Meux Benson
Rose of Lima
Sundar Singh
Theodore of Tarsus
Ursula
Verena of Zurzach
Wenceslaus
Yvette of Huy
Zechariah
Zenaida
Zita of Tuscany
Agatha Lin Zhao
Athanasius of Alexandria

2024 & 2023 Elate Eight (ineligible)
Albert Schweitzer, Cornelius the Centurion, Henry Whipple, Canaire, Joseph of Arimathea, Julian of Norwich, Ambrose of Milan, Andrew the Fisherman, Bertha of Kent, Chief Seattle, Jonathan Daniels, Florence Li Tim-Oi, Joana tbe Myrrhbearer, Blandina, Marin De Porres, JS Bach

2022 Faithful Four (ineligible)
Teresa of Avila, Madeleine Barat, Thomas of Villanova

Congratulations to 2025 Golden Halo winner Zechariah! In the final battle of Lent Madness XVI, Zechariah defeated a valiant opponent in Nicolaus Zinzendorf 55% to 45% to take this year's crown. Both of these last remaining saints, one ancient and one modern, captured the imagination of the Lent Madness voting public, but only one can wear the golden headgear. And that is Zechariah, marking just the THIRD time in Lent Madness history that a Biblical saint has emerged victorious.

Zechariah joins previous Golden Halo winners George Herbert (2010), C.S. Lewis (2011), Mary Magdalene (2012), Frances Perkins (2013), Charles Wesley (2014), Francis of Assisi (2015), Dietrich Bonhoeffer (2016), Florence Nightingale (2017), Anna Alexander (2018), Martha of Bethany (2019), Harriet Tubman (2020), Absalom Jones (2021), José Hernández (2022), Jonathan Daniels (2023), and Julian of Norwich (2024).

To celebrate Zechariah's victory, we will soon be releasing a commemorative mug for your drinking pleasure. Stay tuned for your chance to won a small piece of Lent Madness 2025 history.

Finally, blessings to all as we head into the Triduum and enter into the death and resurrection of our Lord. It’s been a privilege to have you join us on our Lenten pilgrimage. Happy Lent!