Well, friends, we've come nearly to the end of Lent Madness 2023. It's hard to believe we kicked things off over five weeks ago on “Ash Thursday” with 32 saintly souls. With your help, the field has been whittled down to just two: Joanna the Myrrhbearer and Jonathan Daniels. Who will receive the coveted 2023 Golden Halo? Only the next 24 hours and your (single) will tell.

Regardless of the ultimate outcome, we’ve met some truly remarkable holy people along the way. Perhaps you learned about some folks you’d never heard of before or maybe you renewed acquaintances with saints who have long offered inspiration. Of course the entire notion of placing saints in a bracket is absurd — each “contestant” has already earned a crown of righteousness in addition to a “golden halo.” But at the heart of Lent Madness is the abiding conviction that encountering those who have come before us in the faith enriches and enlivens our own walk with the risen Christ.

In the process of this whimsical Lenten devotion we’ve all made some new online friends, encountered a community of believers who take their faith but not themselves too seriously, learned some things, were inspired by saintly witnesses, and hopefully had some fun along the way.

Of course we literally couldn’t have done this without our amazing Celebrity Bloggers, to whom we offer sincere gratitude: Laurie Brock, Megan Castellan, Anna Fitch Courie, David Creech, Neva Rae Fox, Heidi Haverkamp, Miriam McKenney, Emily McFarlan Miller, David Sibley, and Eva Suarez. Thanks to Bracket Czar Adam Thomas for his stellar behind-the-scenes work in keeping the bracket updated daily. You all rock!

Thank you to Richelle Thompson and everyone at Forward Movement for putting up with our shenanigans and producing a terrific Saintly Scorecard this year. Special gratitude goes to Ashley Graham-Wilcox for helping get words and images into the website each day.

Finally, thanks to all of you who participated by voting, commenting, drinking coffee out of Lent Madness mugs, filling in brackets, talking about saints with friends, liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter, and allowing us to play a small role in your Lenten journey. We’ve loved having each one of you along for the “madness” and on behalf of the Supreme Executive Committee we wish you a blessed Holy Week and a joyous Easter.

Before we invite you to cast this final vote, we should note that Emily MacFarlan Miller has ably shepherded Joanna the Myrrhbearer through the bracket, while Eva Suarez has done the same for Jonathan Daniels. We’ve asked them for a single image and one quote either by or about their saint. We’ve already heard a lot about Joanna and Jonathan, so now it's time to make your final choice. If you want to refresh your memory, you can click the Bracket tab and scroll down to view the previous write-ups.

The polls will be open for 24 hours and the winner will be announced at 8:00 am Eastern time on Maundy Thursday. Now go cast your vote — the 2023 Lent Madness Golden Halo hangs in the balance!

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Who will face Joanna the Myrrhbearer for the Golden Halo? That's the question of the day, following Joanna's victory over Martin de Porres 58% to 42%, as Chief Seattle faces Jonathan Daniels.

To get to the Faithful Four, Chief Seattle defeated Botulph, John Donne, and Bertha of Kent, while Jonathan bested Rutilio Grande, Josephine Bakhita, and Florence Li Tim-Oi.

In case you missed the last in-season episode of Monday Madness, you can watch it here.

Vote now!

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We interrupt this Holy Week for a special program, the last in-season episode of Monday Madness. Tune in to watch Tim and Scott hold forth on the Faithful Four. They also discuss the mysterious day that comes after Tuesday in Holy Week but before Maundy Thursday. Hint: it involves both espionage AND voting.

Of course, it wouldn't be a true Monday Madness episode without some sales talk, and to fulfill this requirement, Scott and Tim mention the Easter books they've written. If you want them in time for Easter maybe try Amazon (Scott's book or Tim's book), but you can also order from Forward Movement (Tim's book or Scott's book). Or get instant gratification on your Kindle (Scott's book or Tim's book) right now, this very moment!

Lastly, and more importantly, they urge you to attend services at your church for the Three Holy Days: Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Eve. After all, that's what this is really all about.

Welcome to the Faithful Four! From an initial field of 32 saints, we are down to a holy four: Joanna the Myrrhbearer, Martin de Porres, Jonathan Daniels, and Chief Seattle.

Today it's Joanna vs. Martin. To get to this point, Joan defeated Monica, Augustine, and Blandina, while Martin made it past Maximus the Confessor, Leoba, and JS Bach.

So, what happens in this round? Well, throughout Lent Madness, our saintly heroes have battled via basic bios, quirks and quotes, and even kitsch. In this round, we let our remaining Celebrity Bloggers loose as they answer the question “Why should Saint XX win the Golden Halo?” In other words, they’ve been charged with letting us know why their particular saint is so awesome. We have also invited them to share their two favorite images of their saints.

The Faithful Four continues today and tomorrow and then, on Spy Wednesday, 24 hours of voting begins to determine the winner of the 2023 Golden Halo.

The end is near! Vote now!

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Today we have the final battle of the Elate Eight as Johann Sebastian Bach faces Martin de Porres. In 24 hours the Faithful Four will be set! One of these two saints will join Joanna the Myrrhbearer, Jonathan Daniels, and Chief Seattle (who defeated Bertha of Kent yesterday 55% to 45%) as one of the last four saints standing in Lent Madness 2023.

To get to this round, Bach bested Harriet Monsell and Richard Hooker, while Martin defeated Maximus the Confessor and Leoba. (Note to Kitsch Kranks: click on these links to view the write-ups from previous rounds).

After Palm Sunday weekend, we'll be back on Monday morning to close out this year's tournament just before the start of the Great Three Days.

Vote now!

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In the penultimate matchup of the Elate Eight, Chief Seattle takes on Bertha of Kent. To make it to the Elate Eight, Chief Seattle took down Botulph and John Donne, while Bertha sent Olga of Kiev and Edmund packing.

Yesterday, Jonathan Daniels easily advanced to the Faithful Four by defeating Florence Li Tim-Oi 68% to 32%.

Vote Now!

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The Elate Eighty continues as Jonathan Daniels face Florence Li Tim-Oi. The winner will join Joanna the Myrrhbearer in the Faithful Four following her overwhelming victory over Blandina 78% to 22%.

To get to the Elate Eight, Jonathan defeated Rutilio Grande and Josephine Bakhita, while Florence took down Nicolaus von Zinzendorf and Enmegahbowh.

Vote now!

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Welcome to the Elate Eight! From 32 saints, we've whittled the field down to an octet of saintly souls. Today, Joanna the Myrrhbearer takes on Blandina, and from here we'll see Jonathan Daniels vs. Florence Li Tim-Oi, Bertha of Kent vs. Chief Seattle, and Martin de Porres vs. Johann Sebastian Bach.

The Elate Eight is also known as the Round of Saintly Kitsch. After basic biographies, quirks and quotes, what else could there be? Now, there are always some folks who take offense at this approach — we call them Kitsch Kranks. Please remember that this round is not meant to belittle or demean our saintly heroes but to have some fun and gaze in wide wonder at the breadth of devotional practice. So kindly relax and enjoy the spirit of the Madness as we push ever onward toward our goal.

To get to this point, Joanna defeated Monica and Augustine of Hippo, while Blandina bested Simeon Bachus and Brendan of Clonfert.

Vote now! (after watching Monday Madness)

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Everyone's talking about their brackets these days, and so are Scott and Tim. They're back this week to help you transition into the Elite Elate Eight. They also offer pastoral counsel if you find the format of the Elate Eight challenging.

Of course, it would hardly be an episode of Monday Madness without some wanton commercialism. This week, in light of the impending arrival of the Easter season, Tim and Scott both mention that they've coincidentally each written an Eastertide book. Tim's book is a lighthearted look at Lent and Easter, Dust Bunnies in the Basket: Finding God in Lent and Easter. Scott's book is a set of reflections, Easter Triumph, Easter Joy: Meditations for the Fifty Days of Eastertide. You can buy them from your local bookseller, Amazon, or Forward Movement directly. Both are also available as ebooks, naturally.

That's a lot for one episode, and we have left out a mention of their weather discussion. Watch to see it all!

Welcome to the FINAL matchup of the Saintly Sixteen. With the conclusion of today's battle between Martin de Porres and Leoba, the Elate Eight will be all set.

In case you missed it, on Friday Chief Seattle sent John Donne packing 60% to 40% to set up a matchup with Bertha of Kent.

Look for the Elate Eight edition of Monday Madness later today. Assuming Tim and Scott get to it, which we assume they will?

And in the meantime, go vote!

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