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
114 comments on “Happy Nominationtide!”
St Clare, sister of St. Frances, an awesome saint and founder of a great religious order in her own right.
I gotta nominate my namesake, Bernard of Clairvaux. My Dad did a dissertation on him in the final year of his history degree, and was so taken with him that when I came along ten years or so later I got named after him.
St Bernard is sometimes regarded as the last of the fathers. He was one of the first monks at Citeaux, and after ten years or so was sent out to be the founding Abbot of the daughter monastery at Clairvaux. He wrote hymns (Jesus the Very Thought of Thee is credited to him, and perhaps Jesus thou joy of loving hearts), mentored Kings and Popes, and preached the Second Crusade.
I would like to nominate Frederik Howden, Jr who was an priest and a chaplain of the Armed forces. He held the rank of Captain in the NM State Guard. He was chaplain to the 200th Coast, Artillery when it was federalized and sent to the Philippines in Sept. 0f 1941. At the fall of Corregidor to the Japanese April 1942, he was made prisoner of war with his fellow soldiers. He was forced to endure the Bataan Death march. He wa in several prison camps where he ministered to his fellow prisoners and was known to give his rations to those he felt needed them more tha he. Fr. Howden died of dysentry and starvation induced pellagra on Dec. 11, 1942. Several members of my congregation were in the Bataan Death March so his ministry and sacrifice has a special meaning to those of us in New Mexico
I would like to nominate Stephen Hawking please .although he was diagnosid with ALS in his 20s, he became an extraordinary scientist as well as an inspiration to many people with disabilities worldwide !
I would like to nominate Claire of Assisi. Yes, she INSISTED on being poor - and even needed a few popes in her corner to make it happen - but she was pretty cool about following the teachings of Christ. She was also mentored by a Golden Halo winner - Francis of Assisi.
I nominate Hildegard of Bingen. This medieval woman was a Benedictine nun and Abbess, who was a preacher, a teacher, physician, musician, artist, and all around polymath. She loved the Lord God and taught especially about the Spirit and the Trinity. Her insights are still valuable today and one of her favorite words,”viriditas” relates to the greening of the world by the Holy Spirit. At a time when most women were relegated to servitude, she exercised all the gifts God gave her and even went on a preaching tour when she was in her 60s. She wrote some of the first musical theater music ever written. I could go on for a long time about why she is my favorite saint.
Reply to M. Gallison who nominated Frances Perkins: she is ineligible because she has already won the Golden Halo.
I nominate Saint Dominic (Santo Domingo; 8 August 1170 – 6 August 1221), also known as Dominic de Guzmán. He was a Castilian Catholic priest and the founder of the Dominican Order. He is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientists, and he and his order are traditionally credited with spreading and popularizing the rosary. My oldest grandchild is an astrophysics major and I have become interested in astronomy (as any grandmother would). Certainly, we are turning space-ward and it’s reassuring to have this saint watching over us.
I would like to nominate St. Hieronymus aka St. Jerome, the author who created the Vulgate Bible, Latin translated from the Hebrew. He is a doctor of the church know for biographies of the apostles and other writings on living a moral, Christian life.
For about the seventh time, I nominate Dr./Sir Wilfred Grenfell who is commemorated on the calendars of the Church of England, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Episcopal Church USA. As a medical student in England, he asked himself what Jesus would do if he were a doctor and decided Jesus would take medical care to those who had none. He gave the rest of his life to providing medical care to the people, Native and settlers alike, of Labrador and the Great Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland. He traveled by dogsled in winter and hospital ship in summer to the remote communities which lacked access by road. A gifted speaker and fundraiser, he was able to build hospitals and nursing stations. He encouraged women's crafts so that families had a source of income besides the fisheries. He was a devout Anglican in spite of the establishment in St. John's criticizing him for holding religious services. Since there was no Communion involved, he was within his rights as a layman to do this. He had three funerals, in Boston where he had many supporters, in St. John's, and in St. Anthony, which was his base, and where his and his wife's ashes are interred in a large boulder on a hill behind his home. As a bonus, there is wonderful kitsch. My favorite is a painting he made of a Christmas feast in the Labrador forest, with himself and Lady Grenfell at the head and foot of a long table and animals and birds in the seats on each side. In the middle of the table is a flaming plum pudding, and everyone is raising a hand, paw, or wing in a toast. I have sent Christmas cards of this, as well as his painting of the Nativity with the Holy Family depicted as Inuit. He is depicted in the Physicians window in the National Cathedral in Washington. I am an American who lived in Newfoundland and Labrador from 1990-2015 and think this would be a nice gesture toward our Canadian friends and neighbors at this particular time! His memory is still revered and his name kept alive in Grenfell College and Grenfell Regional Health Services.
I nominate St. John of Beverley (died 7 May 721) who was an English bishop in the Kingdom of Northumbria. He was known for his intelligence, humility, and service. Among other things he ordained Bede a deacon and then priest! Bede said that for a time John was resident at Whitby under Hilda. John was actually super popular in the Middle Ages, although these days not so much. In fact, Henry V credited John of Beverley with his victory at Agincourt. Julian of Norwich herself was a fan. He is credited with many healings and miracles. One of the things I find most compelling about John is his desire for prayer, solitude, and meditation, coupled with a desire to serve those in need. To that end, he would regularly go to a small chapel in the wilderness for quiet on a regular basis with a few of his disciples. He had a spiritual groundedness to him. During these times he would invite those less fortunate to join them so he could care for them. He eventually bought the property and founded a monastery, around which the town of Beverley grew.
I nominate St. Columba whose mission to inspire harmony and love between all living creatures, man and animals, is a lesson to us all in these times of global conflict.
I would like to nominate Saint Columba aka Colmcille, the patron saint of Derry, who founded the abbey on Iona and is recognized as one of the twelve Apostles of Ireland. He spread Christianity in what is now Scotland, and there is even a legend that he banished a beast to the River Ness, which would become a massive mythical (or not) creature, the Loch Ness Monster. He was also a poet and a high school and college, Iona, in New Rochelle, NY, is minutes from where I lived for years.
I would love to learn more about one of the lesser known Apostles, St. Bartholomew. My son's middle name is Bartholomew -- such a classic, strong name. But I hardly know anything about the Bartholomew of the Bible, and Lent Madness would be such a great way to learn! (Pst... Bart Simpson of the Simpsons might make some great kitch??)
I nominate St. Gertrude, the patron saint of cats. As a not-too-crazy cat lady, St. Gertrude gets my vote!!!!
I nominate St Michael, he is the patron saint of soldiers and police officers. They may not be looked upon with favor these days but they help keep us safe. That’s why I’m nominating St Michael.
Nominate Charles F. Menninger, Karl A. Menninger, and William C. Menninger. Episcopal Feast Day March 6th (Pioneers in Medicine, with William W. Mayo and Sons).
The Menningers made significant contributions to the humane treatment of mental health issues through the Menninger Foundation and the Menninger Clinic in Topeka, KS, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year. They moved psychiatry and psychiatric treatment from what was essentially a custodial care model to a scientific model based upon the notion that such illnesses are treatable and even curable.
The Menningers founded what grew into the largest psychiatric training center in the world, emphasizing research, education, and social outreach. They developed a systematic classification of mental disorders, which ultimately became the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the diagnostic gold standard still used today.
All the Menningers, but Dr. Karl in particular, made systematic use of psychiatric techniques in their ministry to souls. The Menningers frequently addressed the nature of the relationship between mental health and religion and incorporated specific premises of religious faith in their treatment practices and in the way they organized their clinics. Dr. Karl’s books Sparks and Whatever Became of Sin were models for pastoral counseling and included a strong call for clergy to reassume spiritual leadership, which he cited as essential to the mental health of the community at large.
Olga Michael, canonized June 19, 2025, by the Orthodox Church. Born 1916, died 1979. She married an Orthodox priest, bore 13 children of whom 8 survived to adulthood, was a midwife and a teacher of subsistence living practices and greatly admired for her love of others and her devotion to God. She is the first female Orthodox Saint from North America and worthy of wider recognition. As for a miracle, when she died in November 1979 it was reported that unseasonably warm weather caused ice in the river to thaw so that travelers could attend her funeral using boats.
My nomination is St. Carantoc, the 6th century (7th?) abbot in Wales (and elsewhere). I nominate him because, when I was teaching at a theological school in the Anglican Diocese of Botswana, I was asked to preach on his feast day at the St. Carantoc Church in Francistown. I had never heard of him. My search for information led to what became my favorite story, of his taking his "portable altar," some said made of stone, in a boat across the Bristol Channel. He had been led to believe that he should build a church where he and the altar landed. Not surprisingly, the weight of the stone altar sank the boat, which made the church's location problematic. Carantoc proceeded on to shore, and built his church there. ... I never could find anyone there in the northeast of Botswana who could tell me why the parish was named for this saint. Still, the celebration of his feast day went forward, and my sermon seemed well-received, and ever since, I have felt an affection from this obscure saint.
I nominate Saint Rocco (Roch). He was born in Montpellier, France in the 14th century. After losing his parents, Rocco renounced his wealth and dedicated his life to the poor and the sick, particularly during the plague outbreaks in Italy. He is often depicted with a dog, which is said to have brought him food while he was ill. Rocco is revered in Italy for his compassion for the sick and his miraculous healing powers. He is the patron of the sick, especially from pestilence, and of dogs. His feast days are August 16, and also September 9. San Roch is also the name of a football club in Scotland. My grandfather, born in Italy, was named for San Rocco.
I would like to nominate St Porphyrius of Gaza. St Porphyrius is said to have built the church named for him in Gaza around 400 CE, making it one of the oldest churches in the world. St Porphyrius became the first bishop of Gaza and ministered to a small community of Christians facing extreme violence. He is associated with supporting young children and child birth, and also supported a young woman who chose a life of prayer and devotion rather than marriage, made possible by providing financial support to her grandmother and aunt to enable them to lead an independent and dignified life.
I nominate the Martyrs of Lubeck, guillotined together within a few minutes by the Gestapo in Hamburg Germany 10 November 1943. They are Lutheran Pastor Karl Friedrich Stellbrink and Roman Catholic priests Johannes Prassek, Eduard Muller, and Hermann Lange.
More information and links to other relevant sites can be found on Wikipedia
St Christopher, ignobly demoted and disregarded by our Roman neighbours, should (once again, I suspect, be reconsidered). After all, any saint that comes in iconic form with a dog's head must surely be considered by everyone but followers of Bastet.
Thomas Cranmer who gave us the BCP and its many blessings. I believe the first copy was 1549. Yes, he had his moments of trying to survive Bloody Mary, but it the end he was a martyr for his beliefs and faith. We can’t even estimate the number of Christians who have found solace and prayers in the BCP. I have friends who rely on it even though they are Baptists. It is a treasure we take for granted.