The Saintly Sister Showdown was not for the faint of heart! When the votes were counted, Clare of Assisi proved too strong for Benedict’s sister. Clare marches on with a commanding 68.77% to 31.23% victory over Scholastica, and the pride of Assisi claims her spot in the Saintly Sixteen! 🌹✨
But that was yesterday…
Today the Apostles & Allies region brings us a matchup of holy duos! 👥🔥
On one side, the miracle working healer brothers Cosmas and Damian, famous for treating the sick and asking for nothing in return. On the other, the New Testament power couple Priscilla and Aquila, the original ministry team who taught, traveled with Paul, and helped build the early Church. ⛪
Two pairs. Four saints. One spot in the Saintly Sixteen.
Which duo will dance their way forward?
You decide! Read the blog, watch the video, and cast your vote! 🗳️
Cosmas and Damian
One “occupational hazard” of being a Lent Madness Celebrity Blogger is when you start researching your appointed saints only to discover the phrase “little is known about the lives of [insert saint name here].” However, despite discovering that dreaded phrase, there is much to learn about twin brothers Cosmas and Damian.
Cosmas and Damian were born around 270 CE in Arabia to a Christian mother (later sainted herself) and a pagan father. Their mother Theodota raised Cosmas and Damian and their three other brothers in the Christian faith. Cosmas and Damian grew up to become skilled doctors. They became known for performing their work without a fee. The brothers operated as doctors living by the command Jesus gave in Matthew 10:8: “Freely have you received, freely give”. This mode of operation, guided by their Christian faith, was what contributed to Cosmas and Damian evangelizing those whom they were treating.
Their actions spoke louder than their words. Cosmas and Damian reportedly developed cures for a variety of ailments, including blindness and paralysis. Much after their death, a 15th-century Italian physician said that Cosmas and Damian should be credited with the creation of opopira, a mix of sugar, water, and honey, that was used in their curing of paralysis. When Diocletian became Roman emperor, he enacted reforms that led to many Christians being targeted, including Cosmas and Damian, because Diocletian wanted to eliminate Christianity from the Roman Empire. Cosmas and Damian were given an opportunity to denounce their Christian faith. When they refused, they were tortured and sentenced to death, enduring being hung on a cross, stoned, and arrows being flung at them, and ultimately death by beheading, along with their three other brothers. Their remains were first buried in Constantinople, which is in modern-day Istanbul, Turkey (any fans of They Might Be Giants out there? #iykyk) but what are reported to be their skulls are now in Madrid, Spain after making stops in Rome, Italy and Bremen, Germany. Well-traveled for sure!
Upon their death, veneration of Cosmas and Damian spread quickly in both the Eastern and Western churches. Churches bearing their names exist in many countries, and they are celebrated with feast days in both Orthodox and non-Orthodox Christian denominations, including the Anglican church, in late September. They are the patron saints of physicians, surgeons, pharmacists, twins, blind people, and others. There are many artistic renditions of the twin brothers where they are pictured holding various medical instruments, which you can look up on your own, or vote these twins through to further rounds to see these pieces of art of these faithful twin brother doctors.
— Kathryn Nishibayashi
Collect for Cosmas and Damian
Merciful God, we thank you for your servants Cosmas and Damian, who freely shared your word and gave healing and comfort to your people. Give us grace to follow their example of compassion and faithful witness, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Priscilla and Aquila
Just about every Christian has flirted with this question: If I were in the early church, would I have had the courage to spread the Gospel even in the face of death? When we pose this question, we often think of the apostles themselves. What would I have done in the shoes of St. Stephen? St. Paul? St. Peter? But the early church was spread not solely through the words of the apostles. It also grew through the acts of other Christians, many whose names were lost to history, who offered their own gifts in the name of Jesus, and who were instrumental in the formation of our faith. We are fortunate to have a record of two of these giants of the faith, Aquila and Priscilla.
Priscilla and Aquila are mentioned 6 times throughout the New Testament, with half of those being in the book of Acts. They are first mentioned as exiles from Rome after Emperor Claudius’s decree expelling Jews, and Paul meets them in Corinth. From Corinth, they travel to Ephesus, where they subsequently plant their ministry and seemingly remain there for the rest of their lives. We know from scripture that they were massively important to the apostle Paul, as he maintained correspondence with them for the rest of his life. They were tentmakers by trade and trusted to teach the word of God to the community around them. Because of their teaching, Apollos was able to travel to Achaia and cultivate a prominent ministry. Priscilla and Aquila were fearless and devout in their faith, using the gifts God had given them to further assist the church wherever they were, and truly embodied wholehearted devotion and fire from the Holy Spirit that was, is, and will continue to be active in the church.
The gifts God bestows upon his people are vast. Priscilla and Aquila are scriptural proof that the work of God on earth does not happen in a vacuum, and even the most prominent among us rely on the help, prayer, and effort from those surrounding them to carry out the work of our Lord. Going forward in this Lenten season, let us reflect on the gifts we bring to the holy table, but more importantly, how we can use those gifts to help those around us best use their own for the betterment of the Church.
— Danny Pettit
Collect for Priscilla and Aquila
God of grace and might, who gave to your servants Aquila and Priscilla gifts of zeal and eloquence to make known the truth of the Gospel: Raise up, we pray, in every country, heralds and evangelists of your kingdom, so that the world may know the immeasurable riches of our Savior Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
66 comments on “Cosmas and Damian vs. Priscilla and Aquila”
Easy for me: Priscilla and Aquilla. Were they also martyrs? If so, a double plus.
The twin doctors who believed healing was more important than making $$$. What a refreshing idea!!
I'm a They Might Be Giants fan and love that tune! seriously, though, I voted in respect of good doctors (and other medical personnel) everywhere.
FYI, TMBG did a cover of the song, which was written in 1953. 🙂
Interesting move to include pairs in the bracket. I wonder why St Thomas isn't the patron saint of twins? I was torn but cast my vote for Priscilla and Aquila, in part because we know the names of so few of the women who played significant roles in the early church, and in part because we hear about so many consecrated virgins and it's good to celebrate a married couple.
Thank you for helping me to decide today. A rough choice against the Twin Healers but I am ready to vote for a partnership that did not end in torture & martyrdom.
Noticed that also. I don't think any nominations in previous years have been of multiple people. Even Constance in 2016 was nominated without her companions, who are listed with her on at least one calendar.
Pairs are sometimes pitted against each other, as in 2019 when Martha and Mary of Bethany met head on in the first round. Perhaps put Priscilla against Aquila next time they are eligible?
I ended up voting for Priscilla and Aquila because they were real people. Cosmas and Damian have multiple stories about them with different birthplaces and different early lives and different deaths. There may well have been twin brothers who worked as healers but everything about them is so mixed and ambiguous I couldn't vote for them.
The docs were surely impressive! To think their mom raised five boys. She certainly taught them to use their healing gifts from God…. and for free! My favorite four letter word. Talk about practicing social justice!!!
All this being said I have to go with Priscilla and Aquila. They were ordinary people and tent makers, not sure if that was a glamorous or prestigious vocation. Sounds like intense labor and yet they spread ‘the word’. They must have been exhausted at the end of the day! And yet their love and devotion to Christ propelled them. I wonder if Paul was their spiritual director or teacher.
All four are extremely impressive! I would love to have a cup of coffee with them and lick their hearts and minds!
Correction and pick their hearts and brains- not lick
Haha. I thought you were referring to a Golden Halo mug with P & A on it under your lips!
I identify with Priscilla & Aquila as my 47 year partnership was blessed, with sometimes My Carmen in the first position, and sometimes I led.
Seemed to have done more.
Makes more sense
As the son, grandson, and nephew of doctors, I had to vote for Cosmas & Damian.
Didn’t learn much about P and A from the blog, so I voted for them in hopes of finding out more.
I think it was St. Paul who testified to seeing the "face of Christ" in Priscilla and Aquilla as they were martyred. When I was in seminary, we were told that such an account helped some men accept women's ordination (if it's good enough for Paul . . .) It's unfortunate it still took 1976 years for it to pass General Convention.
I voted for the married couple who spent their lives working as tentmakers, and at the same time, giving their entire lives to building up a local church. I voted for them in honor of all the lay women and men, "ordinary" prople, who have, over the centuries, given their time and talent to serve their own Christian community. I am glad to know that St. Paul kept in touch with them his whole life.
2026 seems to have the hardest choices. Today is another one. Who knows why? I went with Priscilla and Aquila.
Since the role of women was/is usually ignored, Priscilla and Acquilla must have played a huge role in the formation of the early church to be mentioned six times. In voting for them, I'm also voting for all the women who sustained house churches and founded the early church, but whose names are forgotten. My doctor daughter has a Dr. Jose Hernandez Golden Halo mug - that's enough holy doctors for now.
I prefer to vote for individuals rather than groups or pairs of saints. Today I vote for Damian who was chosen as the patron of Damian Ministries in the 1980s, spreading awareness and help during the AIDS epidemic.
Father Damian of Molokai? Different Damian, but worthy indeed.
Nominate him next year! He has been in the Round of 32 twice, 2013 and 2019. Neither year saw him advance.
Father Damian has been Saint Damian for some years now. He was another doctor who worked for no pay, living with the lepers until he contracted the disease himself and still continuing his work thereafter. Looking forward to seeing him try again another year.
I'm surprised that the ladies are pulling ahead. Never heard of them, and not terribly impressed by their friendship with Paul. Oh well, show me your friends and I'll tell you who you are.
I believe Priscilla and Aquila were a married couple, not two ladies.
Why is it so hard to vote? I tap the circle 2-3 dozen times before it works!
I have the same trouble. Have to hit “vote” 5 or 6 times to get it to take. The “vote” and “results” buttons are too close together.
Voted for the brothers, due to the TMBG reference. Also, not much info on the ladies. Not sure what people look for when voting for this. The ladies don't have much info, yet are winning the vote.
As a twin myself, I had to go with the brotherly twins. But their skill and generosity as doctors really got my vote. Medical care for free - a real miracle!
As a twin, I had to vote for the twins.
Cosmas and Damian because they provided free healthcare for those needing relief from their pain and suffering.
Aquila & Priscilla get vote today to honor my parents.
I had not heard of Cosmas and Damian until now. What an amazing life they led, dedicated to healing and "being the hands and feet of Christ," using their unique gifts to treat patients, develop cures and also to evangelize. Priscilla and Aquila were so important to the spread of early Christianity as well. But today my vote goes to the twins.
I believe Priscilla is responsible for the writings we name the Letter to the Hebrews.
I heard that too.
That's my personal theory as well.
Priscilla and Aquila! With her name first before her husband's, just as Paul mostly did. Teacher, proclaimer of the Gospel, leader of a congregation, respected by Paul as an equal partner in ministry -- I agree with those scholars that she very likely was counted as a priest, or maybe a deacon, in the early Church. Some scholars also think she might be the unnamed writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews. The priest at my field work parish back in seminary was inclined to agree with these conclusions, and was also (not a tentmaker, but) a maker of beautiful embroidered vestments. Priscilla was one of four sainted women he embroidered on a deacon's stole -- which I got to wear just a few days after my ordination to the transitional diaconate!
You had me at “universal healthcare.” I voted for Cosmas and Damian. In the last few days the U.S. has lost $3.5 billion in destroyed radar outposts, thrown away however many billions in impotent but fantastically expensive Patriots and THAADs at garage sale Shahed missiles, and seen three F-15’s destroyed. So much winning. Those billions in taxpayer dollars could have gone to healthcare, education, public transportation, and modernized infrastructure. And nearly 200 schoolgirls and their teachers would still be alive. First rule of medicine: do no harm! So I vote for Damian and Cosmas on behalf of all who labor to make human life on this earth better.
My vote went to Priscilla and Aquila because they were important to Paul, who is so often accused of being a misogynist.
The match ups this year are incredibly difficult. I voted for Cosmos and Damian just to keep it all even. Priscilla and Aquila are wonderful too. Both pairs feel like real people one might emulate.
I started reading, convinced that I would vote for the physicians who healed for free- what could be more saintly than that? But in the end, as a person who has always felt more at home as a team player or supporter, I had to vote for Priscilla and Aquila.
Today the ladies get my vote. I visited Ephesus last spring and it was the highlight of my trip. Such a magnificent city! Priscilla and Aquila show us that steady and ordinary work is blessed. Go ladies!
Aquila was Priscilla's husband, not sure wjy "ladies" plural?!