Well, we hope you enjoyed your first foray into the round of Saintly Kitsch. If you didn't, that's a shame since we're all kitsch, all the time here at Lent Madness for the rest of the week.
Yesterday Frances Perkins continued her Cinderella-like run through the bracket defeating Jonathan Daniels in heavy voting to earn a spot in the Faithful Four where she'll face either Hilda of Whitby or Harriet Tubman.
Today it's another trailblazing woman facing off against another modern martyr. Florence Li Tim-Oi made it to the Elate Eight by stomping on Chad of Lichfield in the most lopsided match-up of Lent Madness 2013 and then sailing past Gregory the Great. Oscar Romero emerged victorious in his two previous battles soundly defeating Elizabeth Ann Seton and trouncing Lucy.
Along the way we heard from at least a few Kitsch Kranks -- if we don't, we start to get worried. Among the comments were
"The kitsch thing is distracting...you're trying too hard to be funny."
To which we respond: Kitsch, like Lent Madness, is serious business. Also, we're never funny. We leave that to circus clowns and cats making funny faces on Facebook.
Yesterday's match-up also had someone "quit" Lent Madness for the first time:
"I give up. Obviously PC has governed both the brackets and the voting. When Christ's own apostles are beaten out by simply good people, the humor and fun goes out of the game. I'm glad, however, Jesus was not one of the 'contestants.' He would have lost to a feminist, ecologist, or chicken-raiser. It was fun for a while, but I quit."
First of all, both members of the Supreme Executive Committee use Macs so the statement "Obviously PC has governed both the brackets and the voting" is impossible. Secondly, there are two untouchable in Lent Madness -- you will never see Jesus or Mary in a bracket. Finally, we prefer our saints to be hell-raisers (like John Donne) not chicken-raisers (like whatever you're referring to).
Finally, check out Maple Anglican's Lent Madness video of the day as the Archbishops preview today's match-up and answer viewer mail.
Florence Li Tim-Oi
This much beloved daughter of Lent Madness was baptized as a student and took the name Florence, in honor of Florence Nightingale. She was the first woman ordained to the Anglican priesthood on January 25, 1944. This is her beautiful icon.
The Celebrity Bloggers prayerfully celebrate and thank Florence for her witness and courage as she paved the way for women’s ordination by her faithful ministry and witness. However, Florence has no saintly kitsch. None. Nada. And believe me, if the Celebrity Bloggers and the Supreme Executive C
ommittee couldn’t find kitsch, it simply does not exist.
So, bewailing the lack of anything resembling kitsch or even things oddly funny (we found a calendar, but it was just, well, a calendar), the snark triumvirate of Fr. Tim, Megan, and Laurie combined their respective superpowers and give you the best we have: Famous Flos.
Florence, Italy. The birthplace of the Renaissance, the home to the Medici family (which weren’t all that honorable like our Florence, but they did support many starving artists), and the place where the monk who lambasted immorality and greed (especially in the church) Savonarola was killed and Machiavelli, the political thinker, wrote The Prince.
Florence, Kentucky. It has this awesome water tower.
Florence Jean Castleberry is noted for her servant ministry. Born in Cowtown, Texas, to Edsel and 
Velma, she dropped out of school at 16 and subsequently married three times before finding her true calling as a waitress at Mel’s Diner. She became a confident and spiritual director of many patrons and fellow waitresses alike, most notably Alice. Flo (as she was known) eventually returned to Cowtown and bought a roadside juke joint, naming it Flo’s Yellow Rose. Her main liturgical response to many men and women is, “Kiss my grits.” Flo’s alter-ego, Polly Holliday, is an active member of the Episcopal Church.
Florence Henderson is best known for her role as Mrs. Brady. She was married before and had three daughters, but her former husband was apparently abducted by aliens, as he was never mentioned in the series. Mrs. Brady married Mr. Brady and this group would somehow form a family. That's the way we all became the Brady Bunch. The Brady Bunch, The Brady Bunch. That’s the way we became the Brady Bunch.
You’re singing the theme song now, aren’t you? It will be in your head all day long. You’re welcome.
Florence Nightingale Also a saint, this Florence was born in the afore-mentioned Florence, Italy in the early 19th 
century. She became a nurse and volunteered to serve as a nurse during the Crimean War. Her strict approach to cleanliness and sanitation drastically reduced the death toll in field hospitals, and her leadership and innovation elevated nursing into a profession. Nursing Florence, we might add, has kitsch, like this Andy Warhol-esque tote bag, because…why not?
Yes, yes, we KNOW about Florence + the Machine, about the Jefferson’s maid Florence, and a few others, but we do have day jobs. Sort of.
-- Laurie Brock
Oscar Romero
The RELICS: There are first-order relics. When Romero was killed, he was celebrating mass at the cancer hospice where he lived. His vestments have been preserved, and can be viewed in San Salvador, (or online, at the Romero Trust, here). His body, on the other hand….
So we know Romero was killed by a death squad member. But we don't know who. And lo these thirty years later, we still don't really know for sure. (Though, there 
be many theories). After his death, his funeral was held on Palm Sunday, March 30 (appropriate.) It was a huge event, with thousands flocking to the cathedral, and TV crews broadcasting it around the world. During the service, the army threw smoke grenades into the crowd, then opened fire on the mourners. Over 40 people were killed by the end. The service was never finished, and Romero ended up hastily buried under the cathedral. When Rome recognized that there was a case for canonization, Romero was re-buried in a nicer (read: an actual) grave. As the government feared, this site has become a place of pilgrimage for many, including Pope John Paul II, and President Obama.
Less Upsetting Kitsch:
The MOVIE: Romero, with Raul Julia, made in 1989. Gomez Adams, as you have long wished to see him! (The whole thing can be viewed in really bad quality on YouTube. Or, if you wish, it is also available on Amazon, as are all things, save salvation). It is very heartfelt, and quite moving.
Fortuitously, the casting of Raul Julia means that the saint Romero is name-checked in Mystery Science Theatre 3000: Overdrawn at the Memory Bank, a movie 
ALSO starring Raul Julia. Yes, even Tom Servo and Crow know and appreciate the good archbishop.
The MUSICAL! And not just any musical: a children's musical. Here, at long last, is an activity for that bored Sunday School class! Awesomely, when you buy the rights, the music or the backing track, the proceeds all go to development projects in El Salvador.
There are SONGS! Namely, the Martyrs' Project has a rather good song, with lyrics entirely taken from the Archbishop's sermons and prayers. The video is here (scroll to the bottom), and is also comprised of footage of that time of war.
There are STATUES. Like at the National Cathedral and Westminster Abbey. While the Roman Catholics may be late to the game in even officially proclaiming Romero a martyr, we Episcopalians have no such compunction. Martyrs are martyrs, y'all.
And, of course, there are T-SHIRTS, BUMPER STICKERS, MURALS....
In all seriousness, Romero's face has become as recognizable in Latin America as Washington's or Lincoln's is to us here in the United States. He truly does live on in the Salvadoran people.
Vote!
[poll id="71"]
119 comments on “Florence Li Tim-Oi vs. Oscar Romero”
It's odd and a little sad-making to read "PC" in today's posts. Many years ago a (lapsed Catholic) friend of mine noted that "PC" was nothing more than what used to be called politeness or civility (such as calling or referring to people as they wished to be called or referred to with the term they preferred). Now it's become a weapon (blunt instrument) in disagreements or arguments. After deliberation, I have to go with Abp. Romero, who has become a beacon of hope for millions in Latin America. He reminds us whose we became in our baptism and how to live as servants of the Kingdom. That said, for me Florence Li-Tim Oi is a striking example of what Hegel (had he been Anglican) might have called "the cunning of the Holy Spirit": she was chosen to be a trailblazer in a widening and deepening of our understanding of the sacramental ministry at the heart of our common life. My thanks to the SEC (by which I do not mean the Securities and Exchange Commission) for once again enlightening us on the cloud (of witnesses) sourcing of our Christian formation! And in your prayers don't forget to give thanks for her whom readers of "Pogo" will remember as Florence the Deadly Nightshade!
You are right about "PC". It's like "Liberal" being treated as a bad word. The forces of darkness are at work, trying to get us to marginalize everybody but those who would take over society for their own benefit (the "I've-got-mine-to-H*ll-with-you" element) by calling them "losers". Don't get me started!
Back to the subject at hand, this is a very tough choice for me, but it is truly inspiring to learn more about the "great cloud of witnesses".
Another tough choice. But as much as I want to keep supporting good women, very good women, martyrdom for others sways my vote.
I'm just goin' wit' da FLOW.....OK, that's the clue to my vote today. It's really sad when one's view is so rigid and seen with blinders on that an injection of humor can't even creep in. Lent MADNESS is still the name of the game...bringing some lightness into the sometimes "gloom and doom" focus on Lent that turned many against it as children/youth/young adults. So maybe we weren't dedicated enough...but LENT MADNESS has made a lot of converts and taught us a lot about those worthy of emulation during these 40 days. Although they obviously don't want it, I'll keep the truly insulted and disgruntled in my prayers and hope happiness will be their lot in life. I'm now gettin' my coffee in my 2012 GOLDEN HALO/Mary Mags cup, PC or no PC. Hey, I got a sense of humor and am goin' wi' da FLOW !!!!!
Though you hit my buttons with the Raul Julia/MST3k connection to Archbishop romero, I had to give it to the pioneering (and absolutely kitschless, which is a plus) Florence.
Here's a possible answer to the chicken-raiser mystery: Florence was made to feed chickens:
http://www.litim-oi.org/commemorations.html
Stained glass window from St. George's Episcopal Church in Dayton, OH.
I don't think you all tried very hard for Florence's kitsch . .. hope that's not why she's losing!
Oh Scott...when I read the article about Oscar I just had to alert Stephen. You'll understand why in a moment. It's all my fault.
Some Li-TimOi merchandise: When my class (2005) at General Seminary commissioned the writing of the icon that you feature, we were all given notecards by the artist (I am pretty sure that it was Sr. Ellen Francis of the Order of St. Helena.) Last time I checked, you could write to them and purchase note cards of Sr. Ellen Francis' icons.
As you say about the movie Romero it is available at Amazon.com as are all things "save salvation." That said, my book about Saving Salvation is there: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_16?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=saving+salvation&sprefix=Saving+Salvation%2Caps%2C1134
Ha! Well, that will teach me to underestimate Amazon. Well played, good sir. Well played.
Oh this was the hardest choice yet for me. After I voted for Florence I was glad to see that she is (so far) the underdog...at least my vote will help narrow the gap. The best honor for both will be if it's a tight race.
PS. Love the chickens in stained glass.
PPS. The information on Romero was so great and inspiring.
From I native Ohioan whom I trust:
FYI: The "Florence Y'All" water tower you posted is in Florence, Kentucky, not far from Cincinnati. Located near a shopping center, the tower originally said "Florence Mall." The tower was completed before the mall, however, and legal issues arose regarding advertising a nonexistent mall. The mayor's solution was to change the M to Y', and it has stayed that way since 1974.
Megan, love the write-up! I love the ROMERO film. Have seen it multiple times. It is hokey but somehow still so moving. This one was hard, but Romero still tugs on my heart that much more strongly.
That was rather sobering kitsch for Oscar Romero. I was going to go for Florence, even if she did stick it to that nice Chad of Lichfield. But after following the link to the Romero Trust I changed my mind. The relics are rather gruesome but viewing them makes Bishop Romero much more real. I have enjoyed learning about Florence and appreciate her dahlia. And how cute is the photo of her sister at 95. 95?!
Oscar Romero's name appears on one of the small, white, wood crosses standing amidst the rose bushes near the front door of Mission Santa Clara, California.
A simple reminder of modern martyers.
http://www.scu.edu
Lent Madness made me nuts again and while I wanted to vote for Romero for his evident love of the people, I'm finding myself bothered more and more by the skeletons falling out of the Vatican's closets. So you would think I would throw a sympathy vote to a man evidently betrayed by his own. Instead I will stay with my Anglican roots and all the other reasons I have given earlier for voting for Florence. Yep. It's Flo Y'all for me ... Still.
For those of you who speak Spanish, here is a song that came out for the 25th anniversary of Romero's martyrdom, Profetas by Amor et Verdad. It talks first about Isaiah, the John the Baptist and, finally, Romero. The refrain states that prophets cannot be silenced for the message of God that burns in their hearts.
http://www.myspace.com/music/player?sid=29471468&ac=now
In 1984 I was one of several students from General Seminary who attended the 40th Anniversary celebration of Florence Li Tim Oi's ordination at West Minster Abby. She did so much, and was mistreated by her church. But she did not become bitter. I admire her greatly.
A priest with a Nightingail link--now that's a calling. Florence all the way.
After quite a long and trying day (learned that a university classmate died unexpectedly last night) and though I attended chapel today where we remembered the good Archbishop (and thanks to @LentMadness for the re-tweet of my TwitPic [http://twitpic.com/ccysua] of the program cover, btw) and having read all the comments above, in the end I feel I must cast my vote for the beloved daughter who was the first Anglican women to be priested and who endured much at the hands of the Chinese government and sadly from her own Communion. I'm so glad that God blessed her with the opportunity to emigrate to Canada and once again openly serve the people of God in the manner to which Bishop Hall ordained her to do. (And that good Bishop, who bravely listened to the Holy Spirit, really should be in running for the Golden Halo next year!)
Has anybody else considered that the Curia may have appointed a bishop from South America as Pope in order to increase Romero's advantage? Worth investigating, I think.
ps: Keep the Kitsch Koming.