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.
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
75 comments on “Happy Nominationtide!”
I would like to nominate Pauli Murray for Lent Madness. Pauli, a friend and mentor to me, was an amazing, multi-talented person, accomplished in several fields. She was the first African American woman to be ordained in the Episcopal Church. As priest-in-charge at my home church when I was a college student, she/they were supportive and caring, as well as intellectually challenging.
I nominate Mary Sumner, founder of the Mothers' Union,with the object of supporting mothers to raise their children in the Christian faith, commemorated on August 9th, by the Church of England and members around the world. 2026 will mark the 150 anniversary of the start of the Mothers' Union in Winchester, now spread around the world, various accolades of MU - God's secret army, the largest lay lead mission organisation, over 4 million members in 83 countries. MU seeks to demonstration our faith in action, ending poverty, ending inequality, ending injustice. Members bring hope and practical support to millions of people through parenting, literacy and community development programmes. Members circle the world in prayer everyday at noon. For more information see http://www.mothersunion.org
Not a single saint, but what about a Tournament of Champions? If I counted correctly, we have 16 Golden Halo Winners and thus 16 more final opponents. Winners in chronological order versus runners-up in reverse order perhaps. Will we see a rematch? Or some seemingly sure winners upset by someone they did not go again before? Maybe we'll even find some new kitsch (my favorite round). Thanks to the Supreme Executive Committee and Happy Nominationtide!
The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, the first person of color designated female to be ordained to the priesthood in the Episcopal Church--also a writer, legal scholar and attorney, a fearless leader in the Civil Rights movement, as well as the fight for equal rights for women. In personal life, they struggled with gender identity, and would likely now be recognized as trans; despite the constant stresses of this personal struggle, Dr. Murray's life was dedicated to the work of bringing about equality for everyone.
Please accept the nomination of St. David, patron saint of Wales. Actually, I do not really know anything about St. David, other than yellow daffodils always(!) come to mind. Since last summer, something else in Wales has been frequently on my mind and St. David gets the occasional mention (along with a daffodil somewhere on camera). It's the story of the Wrexham football club purchased by actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds during COVID and their Emmy-winning documentary Welcome to Wrexham. Sports, smorch, it's the focus on a community, the people in the community, the disasters suffered, the positives shared, the emotion of the story is what gets me and (for me) tissues are frequently grabbed. I've one more connection .. again, actually learning about St. David will be wonderful, but my mind immediately goes to daffodils and then to the wonderful late Dean Emeritus Robert Willis of Canterbury Cathedral. Daffodils would sometimes feature on the Garden Congregation videos and I do so miss those moments with Dean Robert in the garden. So, for the sake of a cheerful bright yellow spring bloom, can Lent Madness bring St. David into the light for me and everyone else?
Maximilian Kolbe
I am nominating this saint because in the most horrible of conditions, in a Nazi concentration camp, he gave his life so another might live. I'm not sure if there is a greater sacrifice in this life than to lay down one's life for another. He found himself in prison because he was in resistance of the terrible acts he was seeing around him. He could have played it safe and said nothing & done nothing. He did not-he resisted and paid the painful price for it. Pope John Paul II declared him the "patron of our difficult century". In 2025, we are living again in a difficult century, with many opportunities to resist terrible behavior and make hard sacrifices. This saint can be an example for us now, as he was during his lifetime.
I nominate Tārore of Waharoa.
Tārore is the child protomartyr of Aotearoa New Zealand, and the story of Tārore and her book (te Rongopai a Ruka, the Gospel of Luke in te Reo Māori) plays a critical role in the spread of Christianity among the Māori people.
More information can be found in this article by the former Archbishop and Primate of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia, the Mist Rev’d Sir David Moxon.
https://www.waikatotaranakianglicans.nz/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Bk2TaroreofWaharoa.pdf
I nominate Joan of Arc. She was quite a gal! Plus I busted visited Rouen and the site of her demise.
I nominate Joan of Arc. She was quite a gal! Plus I just visited Rouen and the site of her demise.
I would like to nominate St. Roch. He is the patron saint of dogs and dog lovers. He was born in France to wealthy parents but in his 20s chose to travel to Italy to help treat people with the plague. While there he contracted the disease and isolated himself near a village to die. A dog from the village found him and would bring him a roll from his master’s table each day and lick his sores. Roch was healed of the plague. He returned home and was put in prison because he was thought to be a spy. He died in prison on August 16 1327, which is his feast day.
I nominate Frederick Douglass. He fought for the rights of people of color, women, and immigrants. These people are now under attack.
I would like to nominate Blessed Carlo Acutis (soon to be Saint) for Lent Madness 2026! Carlo was a young person who was absolutely devoted to the Holy Eucharist. He called it the "Highway to Heaven". He was so devoted that he created websites that documented many of the Eucharist miracles. Carlo was diagnosed with Leukemia and died at the age of 15. Carlo is a great inspiration to everyone. HIs love of the Eucharist and how it can transform and shape our lives is inspiring.
The UCC has no list of saints. But we do have an award given in her honor at General Synod. Rev Antonette Brown Blackwell. First woman ordained...ever. 1853. If there ever was a year needing dark horses and marginalized voices...
I would like the nominate St. Mark the Evangelist, the author of what was likely the earliest Gospel written and primary source for the two other Synoptic Gospels. Without him, would we even have the core account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus?
I nominate Perpetual and Felicitas, martyred in the amphitheater in Carthage, North Africa, in the year 202. Perpetual left a written account of the imprisonment of herself, Felicitas, and three other men. She was brave beyond comparison when forced, after the birth of her son in prison, to be, along with Felicitas, attacked by wild animals. The bull attacking Perpetua tossed her about but she was in such a state of spiritual ecstasy she did not feel the pain. Finally forced to be beheaded, the inept soldier pierced her neck but missed. She had to guid the sword for him to succeed.
Perpetual and Felicitas are women of such spiritual depth they deserve to be nominated, perhaps even win the golden halo. Their faith in the face of death is something we in our 21st century First World countries cannot even imagine.
I nominate Blessed Irma Dulce, a Brazilian Franciscan sister canonized by the Catholic Church in 2019. Her mission was to the very poor in Bahia, Brazil. She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1988. I learned of her from her niece, who lives in my community. Irma Dulce was greatly moved by the plight of the poor when she encountered them in her teen years and then dedicated her life to care for them.
I would like to nominate St Symphorian. He was an early martyr who is rarely remembered and has few churches dedicated to him - I only know of him because one of those churches is near where I live in England and my son was Confirmed there.
I nominate Dorothy Day, a Servant of God. She is an inspiration for so many in these times of social unrest. She saw the dignity in every person through her care of the poor and needy, she sought peace, and she wasn’t afraid to speak out against injustice. I am including a quote from Pope Francis, which spells out better why she should be included among the many other saintly people in Lent Madness. From the Catholic worker.org-“Pope Francis singled out Dorothy Day as one of four Americans he especially admired: “In these times when social concerns are so important, I cannot fail to mention the Servant of God Dorothy Day, who founded the Catholic Worker Movement. Her social activism, her passion for justice and for the cause of the oppressed, were inspired by the Gospel, her faith, and the example of the saints.” Even though she is Catholic I believe her ministry to others transcends any particular faith. Please consider Dorothy Day for Lent Madness!
I nominate Macrina of Caesarea, monastic and teacher, 379.
She did not leave any written legacy but was such an influencer of her time which included her 3 brothers, that they all became bishops of the early church. Her brother Basil was a hard nut to crack but she preserved and brought him back into the fold. Her brother, Gregory is Nyssa, wrote of Macrina as an example of practical theology of Christian holiness. Quite a gal!
I nominate Macrina of Caesarea, monastic and teacher, 379.
She did not leave any written legacy but was such an influencer of her time which included her 3 brothers, that they all became bishops of the early church. Her brother Basil was a hard nut to crack but she persevered and brought him back into the fold. Her brother, Gregory is Nyssa, wrote of Macrina as an example of practical theology of Christian holiness. Quite a gal!
I would like to nominate Josephine Bahkita. She was kidnapped from her home in Sudan at the age of 7 or 8, and sold into slavery. She suffered greatly for years at the hands of many “owners”before being introduced to Christ in Italy. She said she finally came to know the God she knew was there in her heart all along. She is a modern saint, canonized by Pope Paul II. She is a model of patience and forgiveness, rising above horrific circumstances by God’s grace.
Saint Barbara
Saint Anne (mother of The BVM)
Saint Joseph (stepdad of Jesus)
St Catherine of Siena. She was a deep thinker, deeply dedicated and deeply humble.
I nominate David Pendleton Oakerhater, the first native American Saint for the 2026 Bracket. While attending nursing school in Syracuse decades ago, I attended Grace Epsicopal Church. It is his National Shrine and has a lovely stained-glass window depicting him. He was baptized at Grace in 1878 and ordained Deacon there in 1881, A Cheyenne, imprisoned in Florida (perhaps not unlike conditions there at present), after his release and ordination returned to his native Oklahoma and established schools, missions and a church. He was declared a Saint in 1985, and his Feast Day is September 1st. He was also declared a hero of the faith, an honor he shares with Martin Luther King Jr. and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I sincerely believe he deserves to be added to the 2026 Bracket.
I nominate Saint Oscar Romero. A defender of the poor and marginalized, he spoke of human dignity, and spoke out against violence. In this time of dehumanization of immigrants, whose crime is fleeing violence only to find it with ICE agents, it is also our duty to speak of human dignity, and against the violence in the current ICE arrests.
I would like to nominate Fred Rogers. He was a Presbyterian minister, but more importantly was the model and guidance he gave to multiple generations of children. Children looked up to him and respected what he had to say and therefore he should be credited with providing such a good example for so many children. He promoted generosity, consideration of others and kindness. He is well remembered and a Lent Madness nomination would be a great way to honor all that he did for children.
Frances Perkins, has a saint day in Episcopal Church. Advocate and policy maker that implemented and funded many social justice programs that are still in place. Determined, tenacious and principled.
I would like to nominate Moses the Black. His story is a great story of redemption through Christian kindness in 4th Century Egypt. He was a violent outlaw. He hid from the authorities at a monastery. They was so impressed by the kindness of the monks that he was baptized and became a monk. He died defending his monastery against violent outlaws like he had been. Such a great story.
I nominate St. Josephine Bakhita. She was Sudanese and endured kidnapping by the Arabs as a child. The effects of the trauma left her speechless for years. She also endured daily physical abuse, torture, and emotional and physical torment to find herself at the baptismal font at an Italian church. She declared herself truly a Daughter of the King and became the convent’s gatekeeper. She became a nun and devoted herself to God and the poor. Bakhita means fortunate in Arabic, a name chosen by her kidnappers, mocking her, when she was captured and speechless. Later in life she said that she would change nothing because everything led her to the Lord.
I nominate Pauli Murray for her commitment to civil rights, gender equity and identity. Given our current climate it is important to recognize Murray’s fearless advocacy for all people at a time when others who were marginalized did not support women, black or brown people.