🚨 SPECIAL GUEST PICKER ALERT 🚨
Apparently this matchup was just too saintly for us to handle alone… so we called in reinforcements 😅
Today’s Lent Madness episode features a celebrity guest picker none other than the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion, Bishop Anthony Poggo! 🙌 A huge thanks to the good bishop for dropping in and lending some holy wisdom to the madness.
And what a showdown he stepped into…
🔥 The Archbishop who stood fearlessly against Idi Amin
vs.
🔥 The priest who walked straight into a leper colony
It’s Janani Luwum vs. Damien of Molokai, courage meets courage, sacrifice meets sacrifice. No easy votes here, folks.
Meanwhile, yesterday gave us another heart-stopper: Joan of Arc pulls off her SECOND buzzer-beater of Lent Madness, advancing 53.20% to 46.80% 😱⚔️
Who joins Joan in the next round?
That part’s up to you… 🗳️
This matchup sounds like a Southern football rivalry… but it’s actually a global showdown: Orléans vs. Georgia. 🇫🇷🇬🇪
That’s right… Joan of Arc vs. Nino of Georgia.
Will Nino send Joan packing on a midnight train? 🚂
Or will the People’s Champion charge ahead with sword and shield? ⚔️
Two nations’ favorite daughters. Two fearless defenders of the faith. One coveted spot in the Elate Eight.
And waiting there? None other than Peter, who just edged out Thomas by two percent in an apostolic nail-biter.
Who advances? That part is up to you. Vote now.
Nino of Georgia
There’s no shame in admitting you hadn’t heard of Nino before this year’s Lent Madness. I mean, I hadn’t, but now I’m basically an expert, and I’m fully convinced that this is one of the most overlooked and under-celebrated holy women in history.
Everything about Nino’s story is larger than life. She was born in Cappadocia but was raised by nuns in Jerusalem and it was there, in childhood, that she fell in love with Jesus and religious life. Because she was a superstar, she was chosen to go to Rome. There, she made such a name for herself as an evangelist that the anti-Christian emperor pursued her until she was forced to flee to Armenia with a crew of 35 virgins (or so, some accounts say 37!). She baptized all the virgins herself.
In Armenia, another king wanted to get rid of her. (Imagine having one king try to get rid of you, let alone 2?!) And so she fled again and finally reached the land with which she would always be associated, the Kingdom of Iberia which is the modern-day country of Georgia.
If you try to google Nino, you might be confused, since the word is often associated with the child Jesus. The “Santo Nino” is revered by Filipino Catholics, an image of the baby with arms outstretched. But Saint Nino of Georgia’s name is more ancient than a romance language’s association with the child. Some research suggests a link to the Sumerian word "Nin," which means "Lady" or "Mistress." This root is found in the names of ancient deities like Inanna (Nin-ana), hinting at a "great mother" or divine teacher connection.
And Nino is certainly great. Once she reached Georgia, buoyed by a visitation from Mary the Godbearer, she converted hundreds of people to Christianity, until she finally reached the Queen Nana and her husband King Mirian, a third king who wanted nothing to do with her! But with this one, Nino’s religious power prevailed. Seeing his wife healed through the waters of baptism and her new Christian faith, he came to Nino and asked to be baptized.
Nino had fulfilled the mission from God she received at Mary’s visitation: convert the people of Iberia. To this day, she is the “Enlightener of Georgia,” and the Orthodox Church has given her the title “Equal to the Apostles.” But did you know that there is an Episcopal Church in Tbilisi, Georgia? And a Georgian Episcopal Mission in Brooklyn, New York, both indirect legacies of Nino’s influence on the Christian landscape in Georgia.
The best part about Nino, though, is that once she had converted an entire country (to-do list, done!), she retreated to the mountains and spent the rest of her life chilling with other nuns, her OG crew. Now that’s retirement!
Just before the turn of the 4th century, a young girl was born to a Greek-speaking Roman family in Cappadocia. The baby, Nino, would go on to receive the title “Equal to the Apostles” from the Orthodox Church for her role as the “Enlightener of Georgia” -- the woman who converted an entire country.
Nino had prominent parents in Roman society and so was raised by a nun in Jerusalem, immersed in the rhythms of early Roman Christianity. Perhaps because she showed promise as a future religious herself, the Patriarch of Jerusalem, who was also her uncle, helped her make her way to Rome. There she met and served the lady Hripsime, who had caught the eye of the Emperor Diocletian, a notoriously anti-Christian figure. To avoid his pursuit, with the help of Nino, Hripsime and her companions fled to Armenia. Along the way, Nino baptized the whole crew of women. These “35 virgins” went on to preach the word of God throughout Armenia.
They did not escape the notice of nobility in their new location, however, and soon King Tiridates III called for their beheading. Hripsime was martyred, but Nino made her way out and over to the Kingdom of Iberia, the modern-day country of Georgia.
There, she had her famous vision: Mary the Godbearer extending a cross of grapevines, with the instruction that Mary would be her shield in the work of converting the people there to the saving faith in Jesus. Nino received the grapevine cross and tied it with her own hair. Today, the “grapevine cross” is distinct for its drooping arms.
Nino traveled all over the Kingdom of Iberia converting people to Christianity. Eventually, she encountered Queen Nana, who had long suffered from debilitating illness. Nino healed her, and baptized her. Her husband, King Mirian, initially rejected his wife’s conversion, until his own miracle occurred. After being struck blind on an excursion, he prayed to the God of his wife and begged for healing. With his sight restored, he, too, was baptized, and became the first Christian King of Iberia, securing the role of Christianity in the kingdom. Nino, seeing that she had fulfilled the instructions from her vision, she retreated to the mountains, where she spent her remaining days living a monastic life.
Today, Nino is a Georgian national hero, whose faith laid the groundwork for the Georgian Orthodox Church. The name Nino is still to this day the most popular name for women in the country.
— Julia Offinger
Joan of Arc
Let's get the wondrously ridiculous part out of the way up front: Joan of Arc is the only person in recorded history to be condemned and canonized by the same institution. The Catholic Church burned her as a heretic in 1431 and declared her a saint in 1920. Now, the Church did eventually come around…it just took 489 years.
In the meantime, she has accumulated a patronage list that covers a surprising amount of ground: France, obviously, but also soldiers, prisoners, and, perhaps most fittingly, people ridiculed for their piety. If you have ever been the person who said grace at a restaurant and caught a sideways look, she is apparently your girl.
Something her accusers probably wished they hadn't pressed her on: Joan never actually killed anyone in battle. She went into combat carrying her banner rather than a weapon quite deliberately. She refused to take a life. She was shot with an arrow between the neck and shoulder and still returned to the field to lead the final assault, all with a banner as her beacon. When asked whether she preferred her banner or her sword, she had an answer ready:
"Better — forty times better — my banner than my sword!"
Then there is the matter of that sword. Before her first campaign, Joan sent men to a church in Sainte-Catherine-de-Fierbois with instructions to dig behind the altar. Her voices had described it to her: ancient, rusted, marked with five crosses. To everyone’s great surprise, it was exactly where she said it would be. When the rust was cleaned away, the five crosses appeared. For the skeptics in the room, evidence suggests she had never been to that church.
Her trial transcripts are one of the great documents of the medieval period — and one of the more remarkable examples of a teenager refusing to be outmaneuvered by grown men, much less a room full of hostile clerics. When pressed with a question designed to trap her, she replied:
"Children say that people are hanged sometimes for speaking the truth."
And when she left her village for the first time to seek the king, she said not "I am not afraid" which is the version that gets stitched onto throw pillows. She said something with considerably more edge to it:
"I do not fear the soldiers, for my road is made open to me. It was for this that I was born!"
She was nineteen when she died. She never learned to read or write. Everything we know of her in her own voice comes from the transcript of a trial designed to destroy her. That her voice comes through so clearly anyway is, in its own way, a kind of miracle.
Who needs a March Madness bracket when today’s Saintly Sixteen matchup is basically a championship game? 🏀
First, Happy St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️ We wish everyone a wonderful feast day… though sadly Patrick didn’t make the cut in this year’s Lent Madness bracket. But today we do have two #1 seeds going head to head in the Apostles & Allies region, and the prize is a trip to the Elate Eight.
In one corner: The Rock. The man with the keys to the kingdom and a chair with his name on it in Rome… St. Peter. 🔑 In the other: The Apostle to India, the man stuck with the most unfair nickname in history… St. Thomas (who asked one honest question and has been hearing about it ever since). 🤨
It’s PETER vs. THOMAS.
Watch today’s video for our surprising picks, read the blogs for an incredible breakdown of myths and legends, and cast your vote to see who joins St. Benedict, who just sent Anthony the Great back to the desert 77.22% to 22.38%, in the Elate Eight. 🏆 #LentMadness
It’s officially the Saintly Sixteen's Monday Madness as we power through the entire second round this week! In today's video we’ll crown two new Canons of Comments, share stories of how these saints have shaped our faith, and gear up for today’s GREAT matchup.
It’s St. Benedict of Nursia vs. St. Anthony the Great.
Can Padre Alberto’s favorite saint work and pray his way to the Elate Eight after already knocking off a "Great," Basil? Or will the Father of All Monks remind Benedict how monasticism was done before it was cool? Rule of St. Benedict vs Desert Father energy. Monastery life vs cave life. Schedule vs solitude.
Only you decide. Watch the video, read the blogs, and vote! 🏆
Day 2 of the Saintly Sixteen is underway, and yesterday’s matchup certainly shook things up. Martin Luther hammered Richard Hooker and his famous three-legged stool, after already knocking John Wesley and the Quadrilateral out in round one. The question now: can anyone stop Luther?
And just like that… we’re onto the Saintly Sixteen. Round 2 of Lent Madness begins NOW.
The Memphis Martyrs punched the final ticket to the dance, and frankly the Memphis Grizzlies could learn a thing or two from Constance and her companions after they dominated the Martyrs of Uganda to close out the first round 75.25% to 24.75%
But enough warm-ups. The second round tips off with a matchup that may cause some serious Episco-Lutheran tension. It’s Richard Hooker vs. Martin Luther.
Forget full communion… today it’s denomination domination. Does Luther have a three-legged stool to stand on? Does Hooker have 95 theses, but a trip to the Elate Eight ain’t one?
Read the blogs, watch the video, and cast your vote. Only one reformer is rolling on. 🏆
The Hospitallers are celebrating today after Blessed Gerard just eeeked out a win over Julie Billiart 53.85% to 46.15%, making the Order of St. John proud and proving once again that medieval hospital administrators still know how to win a close one.
But now we arrive at the final matchup of the first round!
Today it’s Constance and Her Companions vs. the Martyrs of Uganda.
Constance and her companions come to us from Memphis, where these brave sisters nursed the sick and cared for victims of yellow fever, ultimately giving their lives in service to others.
Across the bracket stand the Martyrs of Uganda, a remarkable group of young Christians, both 🏴Anglican and Roman Catholic🇻🇦 who refused to abandon their faith and paid the ultimate price for their witness.
Care for the sick vs courage before a king. Martyrs of Memphis vs Martyrs of Uganda.
Only one can claim the final ticket to the Saintly Sixteen. Read the blogs, watch the video, and cast your vote! 🏆
We are inching closer to the Saintly Sixteen, and yesterday’s matchup delivered a holy heavyweight bout. In the end, Fr. Damien of Molokai punched his ticket to the next round, edging out Brother Roger of Taizé with 55.22% to 44.78% of the vote. Caring for those with leprosy clearly still packs a saintly punch. 🥊
But today’s matchup gives us a completely different kind of showdown.
In one corner stands Julie Billiart, the joyful founder of the Sisters of Notre Dame, who spent her life teaching the faith, and forming young people. If holiness had a motto, hers might be: Trust in God… and maybe start a school while you’re at it.
In the other corner is Blessed Gerard, the founder of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John of Jerusalem, the medieval order that cared for sick and weary Christian pilgrims making the dangerous journey to the Holy Land. His legacy lives on today through the Roman Catholic Order of Malta, the primarily Anglican, Order of St John, as well as the St John’s Eye Hospital Group serving those throughout the Holy Land today. Hospitals, hospitality, and a little bit of crusader-era grit? Not a bad résumé.
So what will it be today? The joyful teacher of faith or the founder of the original pilgrim ER?
Read the blogs. Watch the video. Cast your vote. Only one will move one step closer to the Saintly Sixteen. 🏆
We’ve reached the final week of the Round of 32, and we’re starting it with two of our favs✨
First up is Brother Roger of Taizé, martyred just 25 years ago. He founded the community of Taizé where Christians from every denomination could join in community, pray, and worship together as brothers & pilgrims! You’ve likely heard their form of chant and worship, and if you haven’t, give it a listen on Spotify today! What began with Brother Roger using this as a refuge for people fleeing Nazi persecution has grown into a global pilgrimage site welcoming tens of thousands of young people every year. In fact, Fr. Michael and youth from NYC made the journey themselves… and rumor has it a video might be dropping soon. 👀🎥
In the other corner stands Fr. Damien of Molokai, the priest who didn’t just care for people suffering from leprosy, he chose to live among them. Eventually he even bore the disease himself. Damien didn’t simply admire Jesus’ call to love the outcast, he lived it in the most radical way imaginable. 💛
Two extraordinary witnesses. Two very different ministries. One impossible choice.
Read the blogs. Then cast your vote. 🗳️
P.S. Marina the Monk give it everything she had, but the knight proved too strong. Joan of Arc marches on to the Saintly Sixteen. ⚔️
Week 2 of Lent Madness closes out in style and it’s only fitting that today’s matchup inspired not just blogs and devotions, but an entire theatrical production and movie trailer! 🎬🔥 Be sure to watch today’s Daily Saintly Showdown video for the full drama.
First, let’s talk about yesterday. The Allies showed up in force and it was the twin physician saints Cosmas and Damian narrowly defeating the original clergy power couple Priscilla and Aquila with 53.60% to 46.40%. The healers advance! 🩺✨
But now… the moment many of you have been waiting for.
Today’s showdown feels a bit like David vs Goliath. On one side, the warrior saint who led armies and inspired a nation. On the other, the quiet, disguised monk whose life of humility became one of the most fascinating stories in Christian tradition.
It’s Joan of Arc vs Marina the Monk. ⚔️🕊️
And of course the SEC is never biased… but we might gently encourage everyone to at least read Marina’s story before immediately running to vote. Trust us, it’s worth it.
So read the blogs, watch the video, learn the stories… and then cast your vote in today’s saintly showdown! 🏆
