Meister Eckhart vs. Columba

Our trek into saintly Quirks and Quotes continues with Meister Eckhart taking on Columba. To make it to the Saintly Sixteen Eckhart somehow managed to defeat Drogo, the patron saint of coffee, while Columba snuck past Kateri Tekakwitha in the closest encounter (of the saintly kind) of Lent Madness 2016.

Don't forget, especially if you're just getting started in Lent Madness, that links to all the previous battles are available on the Bracket page (scroll down). In other words, what you read in this round isn't all that has been written about our saints. You can read the initial bios in additional to these write-ups and make a fully informed decision. To make this as user friendly as possible, you can even click the links in the first paragraph above to revisit the first round matchups of both Meister Eckhart and Columba. Yes, throughout Lent, the Supreme Executive Committee continues to lose sleep on your behalf.

Yesterday, Albert Schweitzer made it past Methodius 56% to 44% to claim his spot in the Elate Eight. He'll face the winner of Roch vs. Julian of Norwich.

And in case you missed yesterday's edition of Monday Madness, you can watch it here. Learn how to submit your Mug Shot (and view several examples) to have a crack at winning St. Francis of Assisi!

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Monday Madness: Mugshot Cameo Edition

In today's episode of Monday Madness, Lady Edith and Lady Mary both find love. Or not. Actually, Tim and Scott do make reference to Downton Abbey, but you'll have to tune into PBS to find out what happens to the Crawleys. But in this week's Monday Madness episode you CAN see some excellent examples of the #LentMadness #MugShot genre. This is the last week to get your submission in so that you can possibly win your very own St. Francis! Deadline is March 15, so hurry up and post your #LentMadness #MugShot.

As you wait for next week's episode of Monday Madness whilst mourning the loss of Downton Abbey, why not binge-watch every episode on LentMadnessTV? You can also spend hours wandering the aisles of the Lentorium, either in the nearest brick & mortar store or our world-famous online commerce destination.

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Methodius vs. Albert Schweitzer

Wake up! Lent Madness is back for another full week of saintly, halo-busting action. We begin with the third matchup of the Saintly Sixteen, where we continue to encounter saintly Quirks and Quotes, as Methodius faces Albert Schweitzer. To get to this round, Methodius beat his brother Cyril in the Slavic Smackdown® while Schweitzer grilled Lawrence.

The winner of this battle will join Constance and Absalom Jones (who squeaked past Joseph on Friday 52% to 48%) in the Elate Eight.

We do hope everyone successfully made it through another weekend of Lent Madness Withdrawal (LMW). This is not an affliction to joke about as many of the Lent Madness faithful have suffered deep emotional scars from the lack of voting for 48 hours. The Supreme Executive Committee keeps a slew of Lent Madness chaplains on call 24 hours a day over the weekends of Lent. We have the number around here somewhere...

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Absalom Jones vs. Joseph

The Saintly Sixteen continues with Absalom Jones taking on Joseph. In the first round, Jones defeated Matthias by the largest margin of Lent Madness 2016, 82% to 18% while Absalom Jones swept past Christina Rossetti by the second largest margin, 79% to 21%. Will this be a harbinger of a tightly contested race? Only time and your (single) vote will tell.

And, yes, the Supreme Executive Committee already knows this matchup is "not fair." But of course, that's the whole point of Lent Madness -- it's not about who wins, but about how much you learn and are inspired by these incredible holy men and women who have come before us in the faith. We assure you none of these saintly souls care one iota about winning the Golden Halo -- they've already won their crown of righteousness by virtue of their faithfulness. (Well, maybe they care just a little -- it affords them some pretty sweet heavenly street cred). The real "winners?" Everyone who takes the time to read, learn, and be inspired along this Lenten journey.

Yesterday, in the first matchup of the Saintly Sixteen, Constance defeated Helena 69% to 31%. She'll go on to face the winner of Clare vs. Vida Dutton Scudder in the Elate Eight. Today is the last battle of the week but fear not! We'll be back bright and early Monday morning as Methodius takes on Albert Schweitzer in the Lent Dome.

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Helena vs. Constance

Welcome to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen. Sixteen saints in Lent Madness 2016 have been sent packing and sixteen more remain as the struggleBundesstraße_16_de_number for the coveted Golden Halo continues. Get ready for some high stakes, thrilling saintly action over the coming days. Click the Bracket tab to view the updated tournament bracket and see all the upcoming matchups (you do know it's updated daily by our unsung Bracket Czar Adam Thomas, right?).

Round One consisted of basic biographical information about the saints. Since there’s no need to rehash previously covered ground, the Round of the Saintly Sixteen is made up of what we call Quirks & Quotes. Prepare for some little known facts or legends accompanied by quotes either by or about the saint in question. As you make your decision, you can always review the previous rounds by again clicking on the Bracket tab and scrolling down. Simply click the link to the previous battle and voila! All the earlier information is at your fingertips.

Yesterday saw the conclusion of the first round as Barnabas defeated Elmo 72% to 28%. Apparently Barnabas did not include Elmo as he sang the irritating song about being "a happy family." Who knew?

Today it's two women, separated by 1,600 years or so, squaring off to make it to the Elate Eight. To get to this point, Helena defeated Monnica in the Matronly Meltdown (the very first matchup of Lent Madness 2016) while Constance defeated Dominic. Ladies and gentlemen, start your Saintly Sixteen engines!

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Barnabas vs. Elmo

Barney vs Elmo

Ah, the last battle of the First Round is finally upon us. Barnabas vs. Elmo. Or, as the Supreme Executive Committee, has dubbed it, Barney vs. Elmo. It's a furry red and purple Lenten miracle!

Yesterday, on the Lent Madness version of Super Tuesday, Frances Joseph-Gaudet left John Mason Neale singing the blues as she handily defeated him 68% to 32% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen, where she'll face Sojourner Truth.

All the voting excitement of Super Tuesday didn't keep the Forward Movement staff from having a bit of fun, as you can see with our Barney vs. Elmo banner, fashioned by Michael Phillips in between designing book covers and websites. No word on whether he's putting his skills to work on a Tim vs. Scott meme.

Tomorrow the long-anticipated Round of the Saintly Sixteen begins. But first it's time to vote and put the final nail in the first round coffin (don't worry -- we firmly believe in resurrection).

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Super Tuesday meets Lent Madness

I Voted Lent MadnessAfter what has felt like an interminable lead-up, it's finally Super Tuesday. People in 13 states across America will be voting in presidential primaries today. To which the Supreme Executive Committee says, "Whatever. The Lent Madness faithful has been voting every day since Ash Thursday."

What you won't find in Lent Madness are any hanging chads (Though Chad of Lichfield has appeared in the Saintly Smackdown). Nonetheless, this is a day to celebrate the democratic process so we are sharing some Lent Madness-style slogans to serve as inspiration for those heading to the polls.

10. Feel the Burn(-ished Golden Halo)

9. It's Morning in America -- which means it's time to vote in Lent Madness

8. Putting Halos Fist

7. I'm with Hilary (of Poitiers)

6. All the Way With MLK

5. Halos We Can Believe In

4. John! (the Baptist)

3. It Takes a Village (to Make a Saint)

2. I Like Mike (the Archangel)

1. Make Heaven Great Again

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Monday Madness -- Super Tuesday Delayed Edition

Due to a glitch at Lent Madness HQ, we didn't get yesterday's episode of Monday Madness uploaded in time. We know you were crushed. But then, when it comes to Lent Madness, you get what you (don't) pay for.

In order to console you for that extra wait, Tim and Scott hereby offer you an extra-special and exceedingly rare Tuesday edition of Monday Madness. Watch now for the inside scoop on the Lent Madness take on Super Tuesday, tips about how you can win your very own St. Francis of Assisi, and a sneak preview of soon-to-be-released Pocket Lent bonus trading cards.

Will Scott read Tim's fortune using Pocket Lent cards like some sort of penitential fortuneteller? Or will Tim pull off a Pocket Lent card trade with Scott for three former Golden Halo winners and a saint to be named later? Watch the video, and all will be revealed!

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Frances Joseph-Gaudet vs. John Mason Neale

In the penultimate (we love that word here at Lent Madness) matchup of the first round, it's Frances Joseph-Gaudet facing off against John Mason Neale. Six names, two saints, only one will emerge victorious and advance to the next round.

Yesterday Vida Dutton Scudder skated to an easy win over F.D. Maurice, 72% to 28%. She'll face Clare of Assisi in the Saintly Sixteen.

Stay tuned for a special "Tuesday Edition" of Monday Madness in which Tim and Scott wax eloquent(ish) on a variety of Lent Madness topics. It will be epic, as usual.

And finally, if you live in a Super Tuesday state, make your first and most important vote right here at Lent Madness, before heading out to those other polls.

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Vida Dutton Scudder vs. F.D. Maurice

Congratulations on surviving another looooooooong weekend without Lent Madness voting to anchor your day, ground your faith, and generally infuse your soul with the will to live. The only lifeline we tossed out was a chance to win your very own life-sized cardboard cutout of 2015 Golden Halo winner Francis of Assisi. Learn how here.

Today's pairing involves two saintly souls whose lives overlapped for a period during the mid-19th century. Vida Dutton Scudder, an American laywoman and proponent of the social gospel tangles with F.D. Maurice, a British cleric and defender of Christian socialism. Both were writers and advocates for the poor and downtrodden.

On Friday, we capped off a week of blowouts with Dietrich Bonhoeffer triumphing over Athanasius 77% to 23% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen. Actually, it wasn't an entire week of lopsided results, as last Monday saw the closest battle of Lent Madness 2016 with Columba eking out a victory over Kateri Tekakwitha.

But enough of the recent past. A full week of voting is nigh upon us which will include our first foray into the Saintly Sixteen on Thursday as Helena takes on Constance. Time to vote!

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