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!”
At the risk of stating the obvious, I'd just like to point out that if kitsch potential is a criterion, St. Bernadette should be a shoe-in. Nobody does it better than Lourdes.
In the spirit of this year's match-up between the Wesley brothers, and offering a chance to ponder the deep and lasting significance of two roughly contemporaneous church reformers, who helped open the blessings and joys and fullness of the Christian faith to the individual:
Jan Hus vs. John Wycliffe
As for brothers--why not Boris and Gleb?
With all the world focusing on Ukraine, how about St. Olga of Kiev? She was the first person in Ukraine to convert to Christianity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olga_of_Kiev
Queen Elizabeth I. Without her there would be no us (flip, but true!)
In honor of her 500th birthday next year, I nominate Teresa of Avila, or Santa Teresa de Jesus.
Cuthbert
Aidan
Columba
Julian of Norwich
Fred Rogers
St. Agatha
Teresa of Avila
Princess Elizabeth of Hungary would be a good addition to this list - my cousin just reminded me of her.
Polycarp
John Chrysostom
Dominic (founder of the Dominicans)
Mother Elizabeth Anne Seton
Kateri Tekakwitha
Ambrose
Augustine of Hippo
John XXIII
John Paul II
Albert the Great
Damian of Molokai
St. Benedict
Louis Pasteur
Gregory the Great
Walter Sullivan (past and late bishop of Richmond)
Thomas Aquinas
Patrick
Ignatius of Antioch
John Paul I
St. Francis of Assisi
St Lucia (it's Lucia not Lucy - Dec 13th)
I join those who would like to see Hildegard get another shot at the Golden Halo.
I also nominate John of Damascus (Dec 4) whose defense of icons and religious art echoes through the centuries.
I also encourage the SEC to consider following the example of our Orthodox brothers and sisters in adding some saints from the Hebrew Bible into the mix. (I'd commend Abraham and Isaiah, among others).
And if you cave to the pressure to add those who are not currently commemorated in a sanctoral calendar, then Jael gets my vote.
I nominate
1. The Venerable Bede
2. Roger Louis Schutz-Marsauche of Taize worship
3. Pandita Mary Ramabai
4. Fred Rogers
Dear Virginia,
Thank you for your support!
Peace out,
Madeleine
yes
Yes indeed!
Krister Stendahl, Harvey Cox, and Amy-Jill Levine come to mind as possible candidates for the Golden Halo.
A saint with a sure ladder to success (and perfect for my wife who works on that class of inventions at the USPTO): John Climacus or John of the Ladder on the Orthodox list of saints
"Die Lutheran" & the "Morning Star of Wittenberg": Katharina von Bora Luther - voting for her should be as easy as shooting fish in a herring barrel
Lutheran grudge match: Philipp Melanchthon (some controversy for being too ecumenical but liked by 90%+ of Lutherans) vs. Martin Chemnitz (beloved by confessional Lutherans, only on LCMS calendar)
A fighting Lutheran (sort of): Eivind Berggrav
My full communion pick (For Moravians and the ELCA): Jan Hus
Lutheran Redux (been there done that but still a favorite...for some):
Martin Luther
Irene the Great Martyr.
Gustavus Adolphus
Henry, Bishop of Uppsala, Missionary to Finland
Erik IX of Sweden
Nathan Soderblom, Archbishop of Sweden, 1930 Peace Prize
Dag Hammarskjold
Narcissa and/or Marcus Whitman, medical missionaries and martyrs in Oregon
Father Damien of Molokai, who aided the lepers, until he died as one
St. Hildegard of Bingen
Julian of Norwich
William Hobart Hare, Bishop of Niobrara and South Dakota
Margurite d'Youville--first Canadian born saint, and responsible for an awful lot of good in New France.
Dame Julian of Norwich
Teresa of Avila
Fred Rogers
Oscar Romero and the Martyrs of El Salvador
Francis of Assisi
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Agnes of Rome -- poor girl, who had to grow her hair really fast to cover her naked body -- and now has to suffer all those tourists gawking at her skull.
Phyllis Tickle -- theologian -- campaigning for Christianity to have a very much needed clean out of outdated ideas and emerge better for the next 500 years.
250+ comments and a sizable number of them clamoring for the inclusion of Fred Rogers as a 2015 candidate for the Golden Halo award. I still relish Eddie Murphy's take-off on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood as being much, much better.....as in "He-wo, boys and guls !" Well, SEC are you men or mice??? Has Madeleine B. finally worn you guys down? For shame Padres !!!
"He wo" Aleathia(couldn't resist that!),
I seriously doubt that I have worn the padre's down....I got a rather snarky email from Fr. Tim informing me that I was beginning to irritate him because of my persistence and please stop. I responded that hey, I'm sorry but once I tilt my lance it stays tilted! I choose my windmills carefully though. The SEC knows, or should know by now, that getting me to un-tilt my lance is remarkably easy. Just. Put. Fred. Rogers. In. The. Bloomin'. Bracket. Do that simple thing and I promise to un-tilt my lance. How hard is it??
this is for Aleathia...comparing eddie murphy's skit to the real mr. rogers is just wrong.
"He-wo" Linda(sorry, couldn't resist),
Sorry, I can't agree. Eddie Murphy is a very funny man! He is using the gifts that God gave him and I think that Fred Rogers would approve, in keeping with one of his most enduring messages ie: "people can like you just the way you are."
Peace out,
Madeleine
St Aelrod
Nelson Mandela
Brother Lawrence of Practice the Presence of God fame
Fred Rogers
Bishop Tutu
I nominate the following:
Francis of Assisi,
James the Apostle, Bishop of Jerusalem, and
Mother Teresa
Life is a bit too busy to try thinking about nominations, and I bet many good ones are in the long thread above!
Just an idea to the SEC for creating the bracket .. I've participated a couple times on a blog to choose a great city to visit. After nominations, a preliminary round determines the seeding. This year's contest's preliminary round post .. http://foxnomad.com/2014/03/04/best-city-visit-travel-tournament-2014-preliminary-voting/
It'd put the bracket czar out of work, but just an idea to toss around at the SEC convention. Cheers!
St. Barnabus, Julian of Norwich
Absalom Jones
St. Stephen
St. Andrew
Harvey Milk!
Yes! Harvey Milk!!! Why hadn't I thought of him!!!
Sir (Saint?) Thomas More ("The King's Good Servant but God's First") .
A Man for All Seasons portrayed him well as a strong spiritual leader, who was executed for refusing to endorse King Henry VIII's divorce from Katherine of Aragon in order to marry Anne Boleyn.
This is for Aleathia and Linda,
Back in the 80's, Fred Rogers was in New York appearing on the Letterman and had an opportunity to visit the SNL set. When he knocked on Eddie Murphy's door, they talked for a while and Fred told Eddie how much he enjoyed watching his alter ego! It's all there, you can look it up under "Eddie Murphy Fred Rogers"!
So. If Fred Rogers doesn't have a problem being spoofed, .....the defense rests. But only on this point ha ha haaaaaa!