The Round of Saintly Kitsch continues as José Gregorio Hernández faces James Holly in a battle of the J's. Which J will advance to the Faithful Four? That's up to you. To get here, José defeated Constance of Memphis and Emma of Hawaii, while James took down Lydia and Kateri Tekakwitha.
In yesterday's Elate Eight action, Teresa of Avila trounced Juliana of Liege 75% to 25% to become the fist saint to nab a spot in the Faithful Four.
José Gregorio Hernández
Images of Dr. Jose Gregorio Hernandez are ubiquitous across Venezuela–miniatures, prayer cards, candles, rosaries, statues, murals, and more.
These images tend to be modeled on the most famous photo of the good doctor, which accompanied his initial biography in the Round of 32. So they mostly look like this.
But perhaps you’d prefer to sport your devotion to el medico del pobre a little bit more subtly…
Or Dr. Hernandez may just be a man for all seasons, and you’d appreciate a print for your wall with this summer-y get-up. He’s looking quite vaxxed and relaxed, if you ask me.
Did you look at the bracket on Lent Madness Eve and wonder, “Who is Jose Gregorio Hernandez?” 
This book is here to help you!
There are many excellent documentaries on Dr. Hernandez’s life. This is not one of them! But listen to the groans of the hospital patients around 1:40–they are giving it their *all* for the saint they adore. Remember that time is a flat circle when “el general” lectures his doubtful wife that the flu pandemic is real and very, very serious, and tells his daughter that she ought not to run around kissing people. And watch a shiny new car slowly cruise the streets of Caracas, much like Jaws cruised the beaches of that town in the movie Jaws.
But things like this remind us that one man’s kitsch is another man’s faithful work. About an hour and a half in, when two parents cry their hearts out that their daughter is dying, only for her to be healed by the gentle touch of el santo medico, it is genuinely affecting! Affecting enough for this to be a good movie? You be the judge.
Just as devotion to Jose Gregorio Hernandez can stretch the bounds of orthodoxy, so did this sick groove defy the conventions of traditional salsa music! Tap your toe to its irresistible rhythms, and ponder the way Christ is drawing all people to himself through the lives of His saints in heaven and on earth, even circuitously.
You may be hoping for Dr. Hernandez’s gentle face on a commemorative mug, looking a bit more golden and halo-y…in the meantime, sate yourself with this more adorable rendering. Sip your coffee while you ponder life’s more difficult questions–what would it take for you to fully give yourself away to others, like Jose did? Would you let people pay you with your own money? How can you fight to dismantle barriers to health care in your own community and around the world? How do you, in your own life of discipleship, promote the dignity of every human being?
-- Eva Suarez
James Holly
You’ll notice a pattern for James Theodore Holly’s saintly kitsch: print, print, and more print. Let’s get into it.
There appear to be exactly four images of Bishop Holly: one of him young, one of him older facing right, one of him older facing left, and one of him older and standing. You can purchase a framed picture of him on eBay - or get it free in the public domain for your saintly shrines. With this photo you get an idea of much of what pops up when you search James Theodore Holly. That’s right - lots of holly. LOTS. 
This portrait of Bishop Holly with Frederick Douglass and F.E.W. Harper shows that at the time, Bishop Holly was held in high regard as an abolitionist. 
St. Edmund's Episcopal Church, Chicago honored Bishop Holly with a glass window.
In 1904, W.E.B. DuBois wrote Credo, in which DuBois states many beliefs, beginning with his belief “in God who made of one blood all races that dwell on earth.” Although they had never met, Bishop Holly wrote Dr. DuBois a six-page response to Credo. Read Credo and Bishop Holly’s letter - and be prepared to use the zoom function on your computer. Dr. DuBois’s magazine The Crisis reported Holly’s death in March 1911 on the front page.
You might consider books kitsch, and in the case of Bishop Holly I believe it is meet and right so 
to do. You already know of his book which was heavily quoted in the last round. Several books about or by Bishop Holly are out of print, but digitized copies are available for online reading. You can still find print copies of Facts about the Church’s Mission in Haiti by Bishop Holly and James Theodore Holly in Haiti by William Louis Wipfler. Or, click the links to read them online.
Another book you’ll find is Black Separatism and the Caribbean, 1860 by Bishop Holly and J. Dennis Harris from a bookstore called Bolerium Books, purveyors of rare and out-of-print books, posters, and ephemera on social movements.
Now, I can’t say if this is directly connected to Bishop Holly, 
but I did find a James Theodore font. Compare this font to Bishop Holly’s letter to Dr. DuBois and judge for yourself whether or not the creator of this font was inspired by The Episcopal Church’s first African American bishop.
UPDATE: At 10:54 a.m., the Lent Madness team noticed someone voted for José Hernández 21 times. We blocked that address and added 21 votes for James Holly. We're watching another address carefully. Please vote once only, and invite your friends to vote! But don't cheat.
66 comments on “José Hernández vs. James Holly”
A very tough choice for me today as I voted for both saints in previous rounds. However, the photo of Holly with Frederick Douglass & Frances Ellen Watkins Harper did it for me, along with Holly's response to DuBois. I taught Harper's "Iola Leroy" several times and urge folks to look it up (rather than my going on about it when this post needs to be about Holly!). There was so much happening in Black literature and history, and getting into print was part of that activity. So -it's Holly for me.
Today’s write-ups were wonderful! Jose, hands down has the best kitsch of Lent Madness by far and away, but all that blew away once I zoomed in to read Holly’s letter to W.E.B. DuBois. His handwriting was sublime, truly deserving of a font for posterity. And, his content reveals a lovey man who is clearly a disciple on a mission.
Jose and James seemed to approach their walk with God in similar ways: they appear to have modeled their walk on Jesus. Whereas I’m more content to live my day-to-day with (I’d say…) an ample amount of devotion, these dudes used their day-to-day as a springboard to attempt the most radical thing for God. It’s as if Jesus was right next to them inspiring some crazy Kingdom possibility and saying, “let’s do this crazy thing….”
This has me thinking about how I might alter how I live my faith walk.
In the end, I voted for Holly, what an inspirational man.
Note to SEC, can you take some inspiration from Jose’s awesome mug?
Enjoying and appreciating your thoughts and words here.
It's so sad that cheating has been such a big part of Lent Madness this year. Why on God's green earth would someone cheat in a contest like this? We don't get anything if our chosen saint wins or not.
If this keeps up, Lent Madness may go the way of all flesh.
I hope that the order of the descriptions is reversed in the voting area doesn't throw anyone off.
I picked Holly today because among the kitsch there was actual content to help one decide.
I have not been enjoying the Round of Saintly Kitsch presentations. I know it is all for fun in the midst of great competition, go Kansas go! However, for me it offers little insight into the lives of these wonderful saints.
Hmm... I actually enjoy this round if only for a little more levity as we usually get into more and more difficult decisions as the contest narrows...
However, your words sparked an idea... I wonder if our dear celebrity bloggers would be able to shift and tweak *even more* to not just present the kitsch they find but use/describe it in such a way to give us that more insight you and others are craving. I think maybe some already try that but with all the "I don't like this round" comments I wonder if there would be even more they could do towards that more specific focus?
(I mean, I realize that could be asking a lot depending on saint and kitsch but, from what I've seen, no reason our CB crew wouldn't be up for that challenge. I can see them excelling at it!)
Very tough match between two men who both gave their all to lift up people in staggering poverty and need. I went with Bishop Holly. I'm glad to have learned about the amazing doctor in Venezuela, but he is well honored and venerated in his home country. Haiti has continued from its inception to struggle and strive with way too little assistance and diplomatic recognition from the wealthier rest of the world. A Haitian Golden Halo couldn't hurt.
My vote for Bishop Holly is similarly a recognition of the struggles in Haiti and the powerful blessing Bishop Holly was to the people there. I did wonder how and why these two powerful, exceptional saints of Color wound up head to head so early in the winnowing process.
Both celebrity bloggers did a great job today! Lots of humar. Thanks.
This is a hard one. Both of these saints dedicated their lives to work that continues to be so relevant today. It seems that either one would be worthy of the Golden Halo. I need to go back and pull up some further information on these men in order to determine which one gets my vote today!
I have to add that it saddens me to hear that people are still cheating by casting multiple votes. If they can't be honest in something like this, it makes me really stop and wonder about things that must be happening out in the world. The very people that I thought could be trusted--my fellow members of the faith--are showing me that honesty is not a value that they possess or deem important.
This would be a very difficult decision between these two honorable, Christ-loving-and-serving men if I, like our dear Richard the Chalice Bearer, hadn't previously decided to back José as long as I can...
It's the "chronic illness warrior" in me with lots of bad experience with the healthcare system and a few amazing experiences with humble, helpful and giving doctors like José. 😉
Not even the questionable kitsch could induce me not to vote for Jose. It's Jose all the way today.
Could not vote for James Holly today. I kept pressing the choice button. The first time 100 times, so I refreshed the page and tried 50 times, still nada. Most days I’ve had to press 30-35 times and it eventually responds.
Two days ago I couldn’t even open the page to see the write ups. The website is a disaster. I wonder if people are really cheating or if it’s a website glitch.
Try a different web browser! Like Firefox, Chrome, or Opera.
I started having trouble even getting the site to load anything but a white page in Safari on my iPhone 14 Pro Max, so I downloaded Firefox from the App Store and the site works perfectly in Firefox for iOS as it does in Safari on my MacBook Air.
I was unable to vote the first time, so I logged out altogether and came back. Then I could vote. Whew!
Hard to choose between two such amazing men, but James Holly got my vote.
I understand and appreciate monitoring of votes. Sad some feel compelled to do it. However, I don’t understand how you justify allocation of 21 cheating votes to the other “saint”. Hardly equitable in my opinion.
It's not that the other saint gets a boost, but that adding the same number to the other saint cancels the effect of the bad votes. So -21(cheating votes) plus 21(compensatory votes) = 0.
Tough choice today.
I'm not wild about the kitch-fest for this round. I find it distracting from the qualities of the individuals that make them worthy of consideration
Fellow commenters, keep commenting! Torn as I am, your statements help me decide. I shall support all medical professionals today.
Another hard one! I voted for James Holly.
I had a rector who would say, There is no such thing as original sin: they have all been tried. I guess cheating on behalf of a saint, while perverse, is simply one more example of the sin we are all mired in. At least it's not the several thousand votes cast from one computer for St. Bridget! *Rueful grin. Rummages in the fridge for an IPA.*
Why would anyone cheat in voting forexamples of Christ-like living?
José Gregorio santo venezolano
Y médico que en vida ayudó a sus enfermos y después de muerto continuo ayudando, el pueblo Venezolano.
After his death José Gregorio made at least two operations on patients who were without other medical hope.
I am so disheartened by the continued “ballot stuffing” this year. I really wish people would stop cheating. Thanks to you, Scott & Tim, and others who may be helping for working hard to keep it going.
I tried to vote for Jose Hernandez at 9:16pm AK time, but it would not let me.