After a day in which two ascetics battled it out in the wilderness, John Chrysostom emerged victorious over Margaret of Cortona 53% to 47% -- despite a late push by Margaret -- to advance to the Saintly Sixteen. He'll face the winner of Mellitus vs. Ephrem of Nisibis.

Today we return to the Biblical quadrant of the bracket as James the Greater faces Nicodemus. For those who followed the Supreme Executive Committee's shenanigans at last summer's Lent Madness Day at General Convention in Austin, Texas, you'll recall this included a play-in match between James the Great and James the Less. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Greater lived up to his name, leaving the Lesser to wallow in saintly ignominy.

Finally, in case you missed yesterday's edition of Monday Madness, for which you should do some serious penance, you can still catch it here.

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It's Monday, and that means it's time for another epic episode of Monday Madness, in which Tim and Scott bring you Oscar-worthy* weekly updates on Lent Madness action.

As the name would indicate, the Supreme Executive Committee is extremely humble. In today's episode, which they filmed on their knees, they leave their comfort zone to share some big news about the record-breaking 2019 Opening Day numbers, including most page views ever (39,000) and most votes ever (nearly 11,000). They also celebrate the Lent Madness Twitter account crossing the 5,000 follower threshold. Speaking of which, are you following @LentMadness on Twitter? You should be.

For an unprecedented two weeks running, they don't mention the Lentorium, but don't let that stop you from making a visit.

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Welcome back for the first FULL WEEK of Lent Madness 2019. If you're just joining in the fun, we're glad you're here! There's plenty of madness to go and we're delighted to have people jump aboard the purple Lenten train at any point in the season.

Over the weekend, in the only Saturday battle of the season, Ignatius of Loyola strode past Tikhon of Zadonsk 65% to 35% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen, where he'll face the winner of Dominic vs. Marina the Monk.

Today we make our first foray into the Miscellaneous quadrant of the bracket as John Chrysostom faces Margaret of Cortona. Perhaps we should have had a play-in round to decide, once and for all, whether the correct pronunciation of "Chrysostom" should have the accent on the first or second syllable. But however you pronounce it, this should prove an intriguing battle to kick off your Monday.

And don't forget, later today, in order to make your Monday complete, Tim and Scott will be releasing another epic episode of everyone's favorite penitential viewing experience: Monday Madness. Stay tuned! (or just binge-watch old episodes).

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Welcome to the one and only Saturday matchup of Lent Madness 2019. Grab your coffee, cook up some Eggs St. Benedict, read about some saintly souls, and cast the third and final vote of the week. But first, an update on yesterday's battle: William Wilberforce forced his way past Agatha Lin Zhao 59% to 41% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen, where he'll square off against the winner of Hannah Grier Coome vs. Richard Allen.

Don't forget, our online bracket is updated and filled in with the latest results each morning by Adam Thomas (along with his inimitable headlines) on our Bracket Page. This will come in especially handy in later rounds when you need a quick reference guide to refresh your memory on the brilliant earlier write-ups provided by our Celebrity Bloggers. If you're curious about when your favorite saint will be competing, you can scroll down on the bracket page to check out the invaluable and handy Matchup Calendar.

Today we take our first stab at the Monastics & Martyrs side of the Bracket as Ignatius of Loyola faces off against Tikhon of Zadonsk. And we should note that, in a Lent Madness scheduling quirk, Distinguished Celebrity Blogger Megan Castellan has had a saint doing battle on the first three days of this new season - Mary, Wilberforce, and Tikhon. Whew!

So, go vote, don't forget to set your clocks ahead an hour tonight, go to church on Sunday, (where you'll tell everyone at coffee hour to join in the fun over at Lent Madness), and we'll see you bright and early Monday morning as John Chrysostom squares off against Margaret of Cortona.

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Congratulations! You survived the very first day of Lent Madness 2019. Which is more than we can say for Mary of Bethany, who was bounced by her sister Martha 58% to 42%. Martha becomes our first saint to qualify for the Saintly Sixteen, where she'll face the winner of James the Greater vs. Nicodemus.

You should also congratulate yourself for having participated in a record setting day in the annals of Lent Madness history. Yesterday's sibling matchup received nearly 10,500 votes, with over 500 comments, and more page views than we've ever had on a single day (almost 39,000, for those keeping score at home). And, despite a few shaky moments, you didn't crash the server!

Today, in saintly action it's William Wilberforce, the 18th century English abolitionist and reformer, squaring off against Agatha Lin Zhao, Chinese Christian and educator.

Don't forget that tomorrow is the ONLY SATURDAY MATCHUP of Lent Madness 2019. After Ignatius of Loyola faces Tikhon of Zadonsk, voting will strictly take place on the weekdays of Lent, giving everyone a needed breather from the intensity of everyone's favorite online Lenten devotion.

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After a full year of holy anticipation, Lent Madness returns for another season of saintly thrills and spills! Whether this is your tenth year engaging in the annual saintly smackdown or your first, we're delighted you'll be spending a portion of your Lenten journey among us. Along the way there will be debates, ire, angst, rejoicing, laughter, and holy trash talking. Just remember, it’s all in the spirit of this holy season specifically set aside to grow closer to God through our relationship with Jesus Christ.

To experience the fullness of the Lent Madness experience, the Supreme Executive Committee encourages you to do several things. First, like Lent Madness on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter. Second, subscribe to the Lent Madness e-mails so you never miss a vote. You can do this by going to the home page of our website and entering your e-mail address (near the top right). Third, you can support the ministry of Lent Madness by heading over to the Lentorium and purchasing Lent Madness swag.

But mostly, we encourage you to read about the 32 saintly souls participating in this year's edition of Lent Madness, faithfully cast your (single!) vote on the weekdays of Lent, and add your comments to the great cloud of participating witnesses that gathers as the online Lent Madness community each year.

Lent Madness 2019, or Lent Madness X as we've been calling it, kicks off with a battle between two Biblical heavyweights as we settle, once and for all, the age old question: Mary vs. Martha. And before you say it, of course it's not fair! It's not called Lent Madness for nothing.

So, hang onto your halos, friends, and prepare yourselves for another wild ride of saintly action. Away we go!

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Dear friends in Christ,

On this one day a year, even Lent Madness pauses to reflect on our life, our blessings, and our mortality. The entire season of Lent is an invitation to recommit to following Jesus. This day, Ash Wednesday, is a poignant reminder that life is short. We are meant to savor our earthly life and to live it well.

At the end of life, few people regret not having worked more, nor do they wish they had spent more money on stuff. In fact, end of life regrets usually revolve around love. “I wish I had spent more time with my family. I wish I had forgiven the person who wronged me. I wish I had been a more faithful Christian.”

Ash WednesdayWhen we kneel before the altar and hear the words, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” we are reminded that we are mortal. We should not delay our decision to repent, to live more fully, to follow Jesus more faithfully.

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Happy Celebrity Blogger Day! Sure, in years past we've had Celebrity Blogger Week (okay, week and a half). But the 10th year of Lent Madness calls for hyper-efficiency. Hence our incredible, super star Celebrity Bloggers are relegated to a single day. But what a day it is!

Not only are we highlighting the talented and faithful souls who will bring alive the saints of Lent Madness X, you get to eat pancakes while reading all about them. Plus the Supreme Executive Committee, in its benevolent wisdom, has conferred upon this momentous occasion the gift of its very own hashtag: #ShroveBloggerDay. Yes, this is one mashup you won't won't to miss. It's sure to go viral -- just kindly don't spill syrup on any of our Celebrity Bloggers. It's so...sticky.

Who are these semi-mysterious folks who toil under the bright lights of penitential celebrity status? Well, they'll sound familiar because, for the first time in Lent Madness history, the lineup is unchanged. That's right. The same amazing writers who brought you Lent Madness 2018 will bring you Lent Madness 2019. Not that they aren't free to go at any time. Really.

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In this week's edition of Monday Madness, Tim and Scott come to you live on the eve of Celebrity Blogger Day (a.k.a. #ShroveBloggerDay). Scott is at the chapel at Virginia Theological Seminary (what's he doing there? tune in to find out!), which features an almost-golden halo over the altar. Tim shows off his Ash Thursday Bounty, and there's STILL time in the episode to preview the kickoff of Lent Madness 2019, coming up later this week!

By the way, even though they didn't mention the Lentorium on air (a first in modern Monday Madness history), you can still shop there. Or you can head straight over to Amazon to get the Saintly Scorecard 2019 for your Kindle device. But if you don't want to spend money, no worries. Just visit the bracket page, print out your bracket, and make your picks for this year's action-packed line-up.

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Friends, it's time for a brand-new episode of Monday Madness, featuring what Lent Madness historians believe is the first-ever double video post! Yes, brace yourselves, settle in with a giant cauldron of popcorn, and enjoy TWO videos embedded in this single post.

This week on Monday Madness, Tim and Scott discuss their shock at having once again been passed over for an Academy Award. Still, they soldier on, sharing Lenten joy and sanctoral smackdowns the world over.

Despite their dejection and outright rejection, Tim and Scott are pleased to share what is perhaps the definitive recording of the Official Lent Madness Hymn. You may recall that the Lent Madness global viewing public chose among three options penned by Hymn Writer in Residence Sr. Diana. A new version of "The glory of these forty days" is now the Official Hymn of Lent Madness. We're grateful to organist & director of music David Sinden and rector Fr. Luke Jernagan -- and their whole congregation -- for offering this wonderful recording from St. Peter's Episcopal Church in St. Louis, Missouri. We're also pleased to see that at St. Peter's, as at churches in all of Christendom, nobody sits in the first few pews.

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