After a bruising match-up between two heavyweights, I think everyone's ready to get back to a bit of Lent Madness "normalcy." Yesterday's match-up had emotions running high as Martin Luther King, Jr. took on Martin Luther. This was like Kentucky squaring off against Duke in the first round or Borg taking on McEnroe in a Wimbledon qualifier. It wasn't fair; it was mean; it was diabolical; it was Lent Madness.
In the end, Martin Luther King advanced in heavy voting 55% to 45% sending his namesake to the heavenly showers. We were happy to welcome many of our Lutheran brothers and sisters to Lent Madness and we encourage you to stick around! Who knows? Maybe we'll have an Oktoberfest-themed play-in round next year.
Today we have a 7th-century Celtic saint taking on the first woman ever ordained in the Anglican communion. The SEC is paying special attention to issues of voter irregularity in case supporters of "Hanging Chad" of Lichfield try any funny business. We expect heavy, if controversial, voting from Broward County, Florida.
In case you missed yesterday's edition of Monday Madness, Tim and Scott reveal some interesting news about the timing of the pope's retirement and announce a rare joint appearance coming up later this week.
Chad of Lichfield
Chad (or, in Celtic spelling Ceadda), was one of four brothers who lived lives in service of the Church. Chad was a native of Northumbria, and was a pupil of St. Aidan of Lindisfarne. Chad’s eldest brother, Cedd, was Abbot of a large monastery at Lastingham. Upon his brother’s death in 664, the abbacy passed to Chad. The Venerable Bede recounts that Chad was “a holy man, modest in his ways, learned in the Scriptures, and zealous in carrying out their teaching.”
Around the time he became Abbot of Lastingham, the Bishop of Northumbria died, setting in play a strange series of events in which Chad would ultimately become intricately involved. Oswiu, the King of Northumbria, chose Wilfrid, a Northumbrian noble, to become Bishop. However, due to an outbreak of the plague in England, Wilfrid found himself unable to find the three bishops necessary to ordain him; undeterred, he sailed for France to seek ordination.
The Venerable Bede notes that during Wilfrid’s absence, the King of Northumbria became impatient with the vacancy and decided to take further action. Impressed by Chad’s holiness, the King appointed him to take Wilfrid’s place as Bishop of Northumbria. Chad encountered the same problems in tracking down bishops as Wilfrid did; ultimately, he traveled to Wessex, where he was irregularly ordained bishop by two British and one Welsh bishop – none of whom were recognized by Rome. Bede recounts that Chad diligently set himself to the work of administering his see.
By the time Wilfrid returned from France, the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus, denied the legitimacy of Chad’s appointment, and announced his intention to install Wilfrid to Chad’s see. Theodore instructed Chad to step down from his position as Bishop of Northumbria. In an act of profound humility and obedience, Chad did so without hesitation or reserve, and he returned to his abbacy at Lastingham.
Later that same year, the King of Mercia requested a Bishop. Remembering Chad’s example of humility and holiness, Archbishop Theodore recalled Chad from his retirement to Lastingham, and had him re-ordained as a bishop. Chad’s humility was most acutely seen when he refused to use a horse to travel his diocese, preferring to follow the example of the apostles by walking. Archbishop Theodore ultimately ordered Chad to use a horse for his longer travels, and Bede recounts that the Archbishop once went so far as to lift Chad into the saddle on one occasion.
Chad ran his new diocese as diligently as he had administered his former one, establishing a Monastery at Barrow. Two and a half years after his re-ordination, Chad succumbed to the plague in 672. Bede recounts that Chad was “mindful to his end of all that the Lord did.”
Collect for Chad of Lichfield
Almighty God, for the peace of the Church your servant Chad relinquished cheerfully the honors that had been thrust upon him, only to be rewarded with equal responsibility: Keep us, we pray, from thinking of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, and ready at all times to step aside for others, that the cause of Christ may be advanced; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
-- David Sibley
Florence Li Tim-Oi
Born on May 5, 1907, in Hong Kong, she was named Li Tim-Oi by her father, which means "much beloved daughter." She took the name Florence when she was baptized as a student, because she came to respect the example of Florence Nightingale so much. From the time she was born, Florence Li Tim-Oi was encouraged to believe and to live into her essential, God-given worth.
At that time, women were allowed to be ordained 'deaconesses,' and it was at one of these ordinations in 1931 that Florence first felt a call to the ordained ministry herself. She pursued a theological degree in Canton, and was ordained to the diaconate in 1941. Upon her ordination, the local bishop assigned her to a congregation all her own in Macau.
Macau was, at the time, a Portuguese colony that was filling up with Chinese refugees who were fleeing from the war in the Pacific. Florence had her hands full, but she was on it. She fed those who needed food, started a huge Sunday school for the kids, educational opportunities for the adults, and ran the congregation by herself. This was great news for the congregation, but soon presented an eccesiological conundrum for the bishop. Because of the war, no priest could get to Macau to celebrate the Eucharist.
So, after pondering this puzzle for a bit, and flying over to the US to talk this over with Reinhold Niebuhr, the local bishop, Ronald Hall, came to a conclusion, and in January, 1944, Florence became the first woman ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican Communion. She literally had to sneak through the Japanese army’s encampment to attend her own ordination.
She served as a priest in Macau until the war ended in 1946, and word got around in the Communion about what had happened. Consternation ensued. To keep the peace in Dodge/Lambeth, Florence relinquished her license to officiate, but she never, ever renounced her vows.
For the next thirty years, she lived as a Christian priest in secret, living the gospel in silent deeds. She went to help a parish near the Vietnam border, as a lay minister. She started a large maternity home trying to ensure the survival of infant girls. When the Communist takeover hit China, she was under constant suspicion by the authorities. At one point, the Red Guards made her cut up her own vestments with scissors. She was removed from her parish and made to work on a chicken farm. She was sent to re-education camps and brainwashed.
Finally, she resumed ordained parish ministry in 1981 when she moved to Toronto. She died in 1992, but not before she saw women accepted as priests in other corners of the communion.
Collect for Florence Li Tim-Oi
Gracious God, we thank you for calling Florence Li Tim-Oi, much beloved daughter, to be the first woman to exercise the office of priest in our Communion: by the grace of your Spirit, inspire us to follow her example, serving your people with patience and happiness all our days, and witnessing in every circumstance to our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the same Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Vote!
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144 comments on “Chad of Lichfield vs. Florence Li-Tim Oi”
Soft spot for Florence because my grandparents were missionaries in China for 40 years, and were incarcerated by the Japanese for four years during the war. My grandmother nearly starved to death. The Chinese suffered even crueler fates at the hands of Japanese at that time. God bless her for a courageous ministry, and kudos to that Bishop, for breaking ground and ordaining her!
Did you know that there was once a third Archbishopric in England? From ca. 787 until 803 Lichfield also had an archbishop -- mainly for political reasons as Mercia (a separate kingdom then) didn't like being dependent on a foreign primate -- but still a bit of a plus for Chad.
As a female priest, raised up from and serving in the Diocese of San Joaquin, I rejoice in the life of Florence, who serves as an icon for women's ordination. That being said, I have a soft spot for Chad after visiting Lindisfarne (Holy Island) and Northumbria. Both are wonderful saints of God! My vote is for Florence.
An extraordinary couple. The ancient and the modern, the then and now. I had never encountered either of these marvelous people--and their stories triggered all sorts of pictures/ideas--How rich we are.
similar stories but different centuries. This was close for me but the story of the vestments being cut up with scissors clinched it. My vote went for Florence. What a gracious woman she was!
The Anglican Church could use some more bishops like St. Chad...
. . . and the Episcopal Church more priests like Florence Li Tim-Oi.
Speaking of Bishops I'd like to urge people to buy Bishops Blend coffee from ERD as a way to give during Lent to others. It's really great coffee and it helps these fair trade coffee growers to make a living. Just go to the Episcopal Relief and Development site and follow the links.
So many women have served so well and have never been recognized either for their humble offering of self nor their saintly virtue; even more were never allowed to be ordained to both affirm their ministry and serve as a platform from which their service could further extend to the lives of the faithful. My vote is with Florence.
I go with Flo--in part because of Niebuhr's involvement. Back to my years growing up in the Riverside Church's youth program, with Union Seminary students as our Sunday-School teachers...and thus Niebuhr's influence strong!
Florence+ would have had the sense to get on the darned horse! And although both were humble, Florence+ didn't make a show of it!
I'm feeling a bit sorry for Chad right now...
I think Chad took the whole humility thing too far. There's something of Uriah Heep about him.
Sympathy vote for Chad....
Hope you made sure it was a decisive vote - we don't want any "hanging" Chads in Lent Madness
Having recently visited Lindisfarne in Northumbria, walking in the steps of St. Aidan, and being a descendant of the fine folks in that area, I felt the urging to support Chad. But reading for the first time about Flo - my heart goes out to her. Imagine being the first woman ordained to the priesthood in the Anglican communion - an issue that still isn't resolved! She served our church well, and gets my vote.
I do believe Flo is a winner! What courage and love of God and mankind. She obviously had a good start from a father who named her with his love.
When I worked at the Episcopal Church Center is 1983 I took on the task of gathering all the documents in the building pertaining to the struggle for women's ordination as the news releases,letters and all the other ephemera were rapidly disappearing into shredders. In one file cabinet I came upon material regarding Tim-Oi. I was flabbergasted, 30 plus years before the Philadelphia 11, why had we never heard of her before? The night before Barbara Harris was consecrated Bishop there was a gathering in Cambridge, Barbara was there, Tim Oi and most of the Philadelphia 11 as well as many amazing lay and ordained women who worked tirelessly for women's ordination and consecration. At some point I chatted with Tim-Oi and we traded business cards, I know my card has gone the way of all things, but I will treasure hers forever.
This is so hard! I so wanted to vote for Chad both for his humility and for his Celtic origins, but Tim-Oi just called to me!
I had the great privilege of meeting and interviewing Florence Li Tim-Oi at Lambeth 1988. This is the first match-up that's been easy for me!
These are, indeed, two inspiring saints. Chad, as patron of pedestrians, is a particular favorite of mine. We here in Asheville have experienced some horrific accidents as more people try to walk along streets originally designed only for car traffic. If St. Florence Li Tim-Oi walks all over St. Chad, as seems likely, then we invited Chad to spend the off-season here in North Carolina where brackets of all sorts and conditions have been conquered for years.
Sorry, J., but any saint who was ordained on my birthday wins. Y'all in WNC will just need to look both ways. peace, V
LOST fans will understand: In the words of Sawyer, "that's just chad."
http://youtu.be/MHOkThJFkE0 at 1:45
While I am quite Celtish, in mind & appearance, & I find Chad so admirable, I had to vote for Flo! For some reason, I was not familiar with her and I am thankful she is in the brackets this year. Such an amazing woman, strong in faith, heeding the Lord's call, willing to endure the dangers of the Chinese rule to serve Him. Obviously, humble, stepping down when male priests became available, not that she was not more than qualified. God bless Flo!!
I feel kind of bad for St. Chad. It's hard to beat someone who was arrested and punished with forced labor for the faith.
Voting for Florence in memory of Deaconess Mary Dawson, a missionary to China, who also was a Japanese POW in WWII. Deaconess Dawson was a faithful member of our parish. She always wore a black habit. I remember her joy filled smile when my wiggly baby wiggled his foot out of his sleeper. Of course, she was delighted to see babies and children in church. (I was sooo relieved!)
Is Chad the only contender not even able to crack 1,000? Sheesh! Also, I notice folk still trying to protest by continuing to say "It's not fair!" Is there some part of MADNESS that's still unclear? The issue of "fair" is just not part of this whole kit and kaboodle! Lighten up! The worst is yet to come! Whoops! I mean better! Honest! I kid you not!