Odo of Cluny vs. Mechtild of Magdeburg

We continue our march through the Saintly Sixteen this week as Lent Madness rolls on! In this round of Quirks and Quotes we'll continue to get to know our merry band of saintly souls in ever deeper ways. Don't forget, you can always return to the first round to refresh your memory of the basic bios by clicking the Bracket Tab.

Today it's Odo of Cluny taking on Mechtild of Magdeburg. To get here, Odo snuck past Theodore the Studite while Mechtild trounced Isaac the Syrian. Also, if you're in the market for a baby name, or need to suggest one to your daughter-in-law, we think "Odo" or "Mechtild" will soon wind up on the most popular list. Get ahead of the curve!

Whoever wins today will join Stephen and Florence Nightingale (who made it past Henry Beard Delany on Friday 53% to 47%) in the Elate Eight. Onward!

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Purple Friday 2016 - All the Hot Deals!

Purple Friday bannerHere at Lent Madness, we love the color purple. Why? Because it screams penitential fun! Or at least it puts us in the mood, regardless of the season, for everyone's favorite online Lenten devotion. This is why, once again, we're excited to offer you some hot Purple Friday deals.

While people have been queued up for days outside the Lentorium in anticipation of this year's massive Purple Friday sale, you can cut the line by shopping right here on the Lent Madness website. The prices are unbelievable!

Here are some of the bargains on Lent Madness stuff. And check around the Forward Movement site, because there are bargains a-plenty on other stuff too, including Tim's holiday classic Dog in the Manger: Finding God in Christmas Chaos. Some items are discounted up to 50%!

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Insane Bargains at the Lentorium!

St Barbara on bargainsDid you know St. Barbara is the patron saint of warehouses? It's true! She didn't do so well in Lent Madness 2015, having lost to Thomas Ken in the first round in the epic Barbie vs. Ken battle that people are still talking about. Anyway, we sure hope we're still on St. Barbara's good side, because Forward Movement is moving from one warehouse to another. We could use St. Barbara's intercession as we pack up truckloads of stuff and set up in a new spot!

Forward Movement's logistical hassle is your gain! The warehouse move has occasioned a massive sale, including some bargains on Lent Madness items. Sale items are discounted up to 50%! Check out the whole sale, with over 60 items on sale!

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said cheap grace isn't worth much. But we wonder if even Bonhoeffer would love these cheap prices on fantastic resources. Here are a few examples of stuff that true Lent Madness fans will want to purchase.
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Nominations Open!

NominateWelcome to Nominationtide! For one full week, the Supreme Executive Committee will be accepting nominations for Lent Madness 2017.

Please note that the ONLY way to nominate a saint is to leave a comment in this post. We will not accept nominations via social media, e-mail, carrier pigeon, brick through a window at Forward Movement headquarters, or singing telegram.

As you discern saints to nominate, please keep in mind that a number of saints are ineligible for next year’s “saintly smackdown.” This includes the entire field of Lent Madness 2016, those saints who made it to the Round of the Elate Eight in 2015 and 2014, and those from the 2013 Faithful Four. Below is a comprehensive list of ineligible saints. Please keep this in mind as you submit your nominations.

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For the Golden Halo: Julian of Norwich vs. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

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We embarked upon this Lent Madness journey over five weeks ago on “Ash Thursday.” With your help we have narrowed the field of 32 saints down to just two: Julian of Norwich and Dietrich Bonhoeffer (who edged Sojourner Truth yesterday 52% to 48%). Who will win the coveted Golden Halo of Lent Madness 2016? Only 24 hours and your voting participation will reveal this holy mystery.

Regardless of the ultimate outcome, we’ve met some truly remarkable saintly folks along the way. Perhaps you learned about some saints you’d never heard of 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 a few things, were inspired by saintly witnesses, and had a lot fun along the way.

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Sojourner Truth vs. Absalom Jones

The Elate Eight continues today as Sojourner Truth takes on Absalom Jones. Unfair? Of course! It's Lent Madness after all.

To make it to this point, Sojourner sojourned her way past Soren Kierkegaard and Frances Joseph-Gaudet while Absalom sailed past Matthias before sneaking by Joseph.

Yesterday, Constance became the first Lent Madness 2016 participant to reach the Faithful Four, defeating Vida Dutton Scudder 61% to 39%. It's safe to say that, in Constance, we truly do have a Cinderella of this year's bracket! She'll face the winner of Albert Schweitzer and Julian of Norwich in the Faithful Four.

And speaking of brackets and Cinderellas, don't miss our saintly analysis of the NCAA college basketball tournament in Lent Madness meets March Madness. The march to the Faithful Four continues!

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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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Post a Mug Shot, Win a Saint!

Francis at GCHow would you like to own a real, live (well, cardboard) saint? The Supreme Executive Committee is holding a contest to give away 2015 Golden Halo winner Francis of Assisi. Think about it. How awesome would your life be if Saint Francis joined you at the breakfast table every morning? Or appeared in next year's Christmas card? Or participated in the annual Bring Your Saint to Work Day?

This is the same cardboard cutout that graced the Forward Movement booth at the Episcopal Church's General Convention last summer in Salt Lake City. The same cardboard cutout that people formed lines in front of to take selfies with. And you could own him! And take selfies with Francis every single day! With no pesky lines!

How, exactly can you enter this once-in-a-lifetime contest? It's easy, really. And the odds of winning Lent Madness mugsare MUCH better than Powerball. Simply take a picture with your Lent Madness mug and post it to social media. Double hashtag it #LentMadness #MugShot to insure we see it on our Twitter or Facebook page.

If this is too confusing and you have no idea what a hashtag is, please do NOT contact the SEC for tech support. We're busy. It's Lent. And we run the world's most popular online Lenten devotion. So you can either ask the nearest teenager for advice or simply e-mail your photo to press@lentmadness.org.

Don't have a Lent Madness mug? That's an easy fix. There are a variety of them available in the Lentorium. (Note: Though technically not a mug, the SEC has graciously granted dispensation to use a Brigid of Kildare pint glass).

KJS with mugThe deadline to submit entries is March 14. At which point the SEC will make a decision and award Francis to the winner. What is the criteria? Well, the whim of the SEC. But we're looking for the most creative mug shot, however you may define it. And if you can get a mug shot with an actual celebrity, that would be especially impressive.

So go take your mug shot today and who knows? St. Francis of Assisi may just show up in your mail box (some assembly required, live animals sold separately).

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Clare vs. Denis

Let's just state right off the bat that there is no room for nepotism in Lent Madness. Saints related to members of the Supreme Executive Committee are ineligible to compete for the Golden Halo.

Therefore, just because Francis of Assisi won the coveted Golden Halo last year, there was no funny business going on that led to Clare of Assisi's inclusion this year. The SEC was not coerced by the Assisi mafia. In fact, Clare only made it into the bracket by winning a play-in round against  Chad of Lichfield held during the Episcopal Church's General Convention last summer.

Anyway, today Clare faces off against Denis. Please don't lose your head over this battle.

Yesterday, in a VERY tight contest, Columba eked out a victory over Kateri Tekakwitha 51% to 49% in the closest battle to date in Lent Madness 2016. Columba will face Meister Eckhart in the Saintly Sixteen. Sadly, we also saw our first case of voter fraud. At 11:02 pm EST, two addresses, in Vermillion, SD and Medford, OR were blocked. 125 votes for Kateri Tekakwitha were recorded from these two locations, and we do not know of groups participating in Lent Madness in those cities. Not enough votes were cast to affect the outcome, but we have blocked the addresses to prevent further votes. Remember, vote only once per person or be cast into the outer darkness of Lent Madness! Also, Jesus does not approve of cheating.

And finally, if you missed yesterday's edition of Monday Madness, Tim and Scott share suggestions on how to be a Lent Madness evangelist in your congregation. Using a Lent Madness mug in place of a chalice may or may not be one of their tips.

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Meister Eckhart vs. Drogo

Another day, another mystic, as the great thinker Meister (please don't call me 'Mister') Eckhart faces off against Drogo, 12th century saintly soul and patron saint of coffee. WARNING: Don't even try to make your choice without first drinking a hot, steaming cup of coffee -- as long as this action will in no way ultimately influence your vote.

Yesterday in a tight, emotionally-charged contest, amid heavy voting, Julian of Norwich prevailed over William Wilberforce 52% to 48%. Julian will face the winner of Roch vs. Gertrude in the next round.

The SEC also released their weekly Monday Madness video in which a contest(!) was announced. Watch now to learn how you can own the cardboard cutout of 2015 Golden Halo winner, Francis Assisi (as seen at the Episcopal Church's 2015 General Convention).

And finally, if you need to add some extra Lent Madness commentary to your day, tune in to Priest Pulse's recent interview with one half of the Supreme Executive Committee (Tim). We suggest listening to it while on the treadmill, for that extra motivation, or during your commute, to make it speed seamlessly by.

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