Nominations for next year’s field of 32 saints are currently being accepted by the Supreme Executive Committee. Yes, in addition to Eastertide, today begins Nominationtide.
But before we get to the main attraction, we encourage you to visit the Lentorium. You can prove your love for Lent Madness by loading up on Lent Madness merchandise, including the Lent Madness 2014 tote bag, the Lent Madness wall clock, some Lent Madness 2014 coasters, a Lent Madness 2014 magnet, and much, much more. And, of course, don't forget to stock up on Charles Wesley or Lent Madness perpetual purple mugs.
And now, on to the main attraction, the call for nominations for Lent Madness 2015!
As always, we seek to put together a balanced bracket of saints ancient and modern, Biblical and ecclesiastical representing the breadth and diversity of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Inevitably, some will disagree with certain match-ups or be disappointed that their favorite saint didn’t end up in the official bracket. If you find yourself muttering invective against the SEC, we implore you to take a deep cleansing breath. Remember, there’s always Lent Madness 2029.
While the SEC remains responsible for the formation of the final bracket, we encourage your participation in the nominating process. As in past years, we might even listen to some of your suggestions.
As you discern saints to nominate, please keep in mind that a number of saints are ineligible for next year’s “saintly smack down.” This includes the entire field of Lent Madness 2014, those saints who made it to the Round of the Elate Eight in 2013 and 2012, and those from the 2011 Faithful Four. Here is a comprehensive list of ineligible saints. Please keep this in mind as you submit your nominations — which you can do by leaving a comment on this post.
Also, please note that the saints you nominate should be in the sanctoral calendar of one or more churches. We’re open minded. To a point.
Remember that when it comes to saints in Lent Madness, many are called yet few are chosen (by the SEC). So leave a comment below with your (eligible) nomination!
The Field from 2014 (all ineligible)
Mary of Egypt
David of Wales
Ephrem of Edessa
Catherine of Siena
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Alfred the Great
Lydia
Catherine of Alexandria
Antony of Egypt
Moses the Black
Thomas Gallaudet
Joseph of Arimathea
John Wesley
Charles Henry Brent
Christina the Astonishing
Alcuin
Julia Chester Emry
Charles Wesley
FD Maurice
SJI Schereschewsky
Phillips Brooks
Harriet Bedell
JS Bach
Anna Cooper
John of the Cross
James Holly
Nicholas Ridley
Aelred
Louis of France
Thomas Merton
Basil the Great
Simeon
Past Golden Halo Winners (ineligible)
George Herbert, C.S. Lewis, Mary Magalene, Frances Perkins, Charles Wesley
From 2011 — 2013 (ineligible)
Jonathan Daniels
Harriet Tubman
Hilda of Whitby
Luke
Dorothy Day
Li-Tim Oi
Oscar Romero
Enmegahbowh
Emma of Hawaii
Margaret of Scotland
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Evelyn Underhill
Jerome
Thomas Cranmer
Clare of Assisi
Thomas Beckett
Perpetua
By the way, it's worth remembering that all the talk you hear these days about transparency and accountability is moot for the SEC. We reveal little and answer to no one. So if you don't like the choices that we'll announce at an unspecified future date known only to us (see what we did there?), start your own online devotional.
For now, we wish you a joyous Eastertide and Nominationtide.
985 comments on “Nominations Open!”
Mother Theresa
Cosmos and Damien (together, is that permissible?)
St Anthony (St Anthony, St Anthony, please come around, something has been lost and cannot be found)
Blessed Jonathan Daniels (yes, yes, yes)
Verna Dozier (love her no nonsense attitude)
St. Stephen (that's my church)
St. David (Cymru am byth!)
Br. Roger of Taize
I also support Brother Roger of Taize and Pope John the xx111.
Yes to Margaret Anna Cusack!
Please add:
Walter Rauschenbush (for his vision of bringing about the Kingdom of God through the Social Gospel)
Pope John XXIII
Teilhard
Considering the importance of this election year and the shenanigans that have been pulled and are being pulled I nominate Saint Chad.
Dunstan. He tweaked the devil on the nose with his saintly blacksmith tongs. Top that!
St. Gregory of Narek
Sts. Hripsime and Gayane
St. Odo of Cluny
St. Odilo of Cluny
St. Hugh of Lincoln
St. Bede
St. Swithun
Not on sanctoral calendar, but worthy:
Sister Lucia of Fatima
Fred Rogers
The Virgin Mary.
I nominate Columba of Iona who spread the Christian faith throughout northern England.
Also Hildegard of Bingen!
Ignatius of Loyola
Kevin of Glendalough
Joan of Arc
Teilhard
Teresa of Avila
Francesco Forgione - Padre Pio
Please considea St.Jude patron saint of lost causes and hospitals.
Joan of Arc and Ida B. Wells!
St Teresa de Avila, St Ignatius of Loyola, St John of the Cross, St Therese of Lisieux
Isidore of Seville - patron saint of technology & the internet (also "The last scholar of the ancient world")
St. Vincent de Paul - patron saint of charitable giving
St. Francis de Sales - patron saint of authors, writers, journalists
St. John Bosco - patron saint of teachers
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
St. Elizabeth of Portugal
(match up of the Elizabeths?)
Aelred of Rievaulx
Rose Hawthorne founded the Hawthorne Dominican Sisters in NY in the late 1800's today they are still serving giving care to people with terminal cancer. She also was the daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne of Scarlett Letter fame.
Desmond Tutu
Tutu is still with the Saints on Earth
So many good suggestions above. Please continue to lift up stories that reflect the diversity of our church - Verna Dozier, Pauli Murray, David Pendleton Oakerhater, Hiram Hisanori Kano, etc. Though he is not on an official calendar, Malcolm Boyd also comes to mind.
It's about time to include a "Whimsical Apologist" who adopted porcupines at the Zoo, raised a pig named Francis Bacon, drove a motorcycle, knitted her own socks and had a eulogy read at her funeral written by C. S. Lewis.
Her explicitly religious works include themes on the importance of moral living in every area of human life, a plea for intellectual honesty and the sacredness of work done for the glory of God... (Glorious Companions, 2002)
I proudly nominate Dorothy L. Sayers
I would like to nominate our very own Philander Chase. He does have his own Day in our calendar.
S. Julie Billiart---founder of the Noddre Dame de Namur order.
Henry Beard Delany, born in slavery, became mason, teacher, architect, deacon, priest, archdeacon, bishop suffragan in North Carolina, beloved father of "Sadie" and "Bessie" Delany (among others), known through their book and play "Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters First 100 Years"
St Thomas of Canterbury
Corbinian
Gertrude
Alban
Hugh of Lincoln
I don't know anything about him, but I do like that name "Corbinian!"
Bishop Henry Benjamin Whipple, first Episcopal bishop of Minnesota, humanitarian, and an advocate of Native Americans; Rev Dr Martin Luther King; Henri Nouwen; Dorothy Day; Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of Special Olympics and and advocate for those with intellectual disabilities; and Mahalia Jackson, the voice of Gospel music.
I agree with Dorothy L. Sayers
St. Blandina
Pope John Paul the First
Rev. Fred Rogers
Florence Li Tim Oi+
Pauli Murray
St. Hiram Hisanori Kano
http://satucket.com/lectionary/Hiram_Kano.htm
I nominated her last year and I shall nominate her again this: Susanna Wesley, mother of former Golden Halo winner Charles and his brother John, along with 17 other children. Without Susanna and her faithfulness, influence and fortitude I would be so bold as to say that there would have been no Methodist movement nor any of the myriad of Methodist denominations today. Susanna's influence in the lives of her children, her example of combining education, intelligence and faith while keeping things together for her parish priest Samuel on his several journey's out of his parish and into such places as the poor house, Susanna proved herself a woman of faith was who was way ahead of her time. She even helped influence the acceptance of by her son John of women as preachers and circuit riders. So, for all these and so many other reasons I again nominate SUSANNA WESLEY!!!!!!!!! http://www.historyswomen.com/womenoffaith/SusannahWesley.html
I nominate Aldhelm of Malmesbury, innovator in Christian thought.
I've learned a lot just reading the suggestions! Gotta love LM!