After consulting their ecclesiastical Magic 8-Ball, the Supreme Executive Committee of Lent Madness has determined that there will indeed be a Lent Madness 2025. This was no sure thing as the first reply came back "Reply hazy, try again." Well, the SEC followed this directive and the Lent Madness public has been rewarded with what next appeared: "It is decidedly so."

All of which is a long way of saying, Welcome to Nominationtide! Yes, for the next seven days, we will be accepting saintly nominations as we seek to discern which 32 saints will make it into the 2025 bracket.

The nominating period will remain open through Monday, May 13, at which point this brief exercise in Lenten democracy will cease and the SEC will return to their regularly scheduled benevolently authoritarian ways.

Nominationtide, the most underrated of liturgical seasons, never begins at the same time other than the vague "sometime after Easter Day." This is partly because Tim and Scott have day jobs and partly because "whim" is one of their ecclesiastical charisms. Nominationtide is the most moveable of moveable feasts. But it's here! And the world rejoices!

To insure your SUCCESSFUL nomination, please note the Nominationtide Rules & Regulations, which reside in an ancient illuminated manuscript tended to by aged monks who have been set aside by saints and angels for this holy calling.

1. The nominee must, in fact, be dead.
2. The nominee must be on the official calendar of saintly commemorations of some church.
3. We will accept only one nominee per person.
4. You must tell us WHY you are nominating your saint. A brief paragraph (or even a long one) will suffice.
5. The ONLY way to nominate a saint will be to leave a comment on this post.
6. That means comments left on Facebook, X, attached to a brick and thrown through the window at Forward Movement headquarters, or placed on giant placards outside the residences of Tim or Scott don’t count.

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 2024, those saints who made it to the Round of the Elate Eight in 2023 and 2022, and those from the 2021 Faithful Four.

Needless to say Jesus, Mary, Tim, Scott, past or present Celebrity Bloggers, and previous Golden Halo Winners are also ineligible. 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).

For the sake of "transparency," the rest of the process unfolds thusly: Tim and Scott will gather for the annual Spring(ish) SEC Retreat at a secure, undisclosed location/coffee shop to consider the nominations and create a full, fun, faithful, and balanced bracket of 32 saints. Then all will be revealed on All Brackets' Day, November 3rd.

Time to nominate your favorite saint! But first, look over this list.

The Saints of Lent Madness 2024 (ineligible)
Thomas Cranmer
Thomas the Apostle
Henry Muhlenberg
Albert Schweitzer
Adomnan of Iona
Joseph Vaz
Piran of Cornwall
Cornelius the Centurion
Rafqa of Lebanon
Claire of Assisi
Henry Whipple
Jackson Kemper
Pachomius
Cyprian of Carthage
Canaire
Barbara
Kassia
Casimir
Lazarus
Joseph of Arimathea
Rita
Zita
Brigid of Kildare
Julian of Norwich
Gertrude the Great
Gertrude of Nivelles
Ambrose of Milan
William Byrd
Polycarp
Andrew the Fisherman
Hyacinth
Rose of Lim

Congratulations to 2024 Golden Halo winner Julian of Norwich! In the final battle of Lent Madness XV, Julian defeated Albert Schweitzer to take this year's crown. Both of these last remaining saints, one modern and one ancient, captured the imagination of the Lent Madness voting public, but only one can wear the golden headgear. And that is Julian of Norwich, 14th century English writer and mystic.

Julian joins previous Golden Halo winners George Herbert (2010), C.S. Lewis (2011), Mary Magdalene (2012), Frances Perkins (2013), Charles Wesley (2014), Francis of Assisi (2015), Dietrich Bonhoeffer (2016), Florence Nightingale (2017), Anna Alexander (2018), Martha of Bethany (2019), Harriet Tubman (2020), Absalom Jones (2021), José Hernández (2022), and Jonathan Daniels (2023).

To celebrate Julian's victory, perhaps you'd like a commemorative mug? You can enjoy your favorite warm beverage (the SEC recommends fair trade single-origin coffee, though they understand these also work well with tea) while remembering this epic season of Lent Madness 2024. Order your own mug today at the Forward Movement website! They're just $18 and should ship sometime in the early summer, if not before.

Would you like to nominate a saint for Lent Madness 2025? Tim and Scott will be opening up the week-long nomination process (aka Nominationtide) in the coming weeks. While many are called, only 32 are chosen. Stay tuned for details!

Finally, blessings to all as we head into the Triduum and enter into the death and resurrection of our Lord. It’s been a privilege to have you join us on our Lenten pilgrimage. Happy Lent!