2012 Golden Halo winner Mary Magdalene prepares to welcome her successor.
Well, friends, we began this Lent Madness journey over five weeks ago on “Ash Thursday.” We started with 32 saints and have now whittled the field down to two: Frances Perkins and Luke the Evangelist.
While there's been lots of talk about modern saints vs. "bedrock" saints and the "fairness" of it all, in the end the Faithful Four was very well balanced. We had a 20th-century lay woman, a 1st-century evangelist, a 20th-century martyred Salvadoran bishop, and a 7th-century abbess. Wow!
Regardless of the ultimate outcome, we’ve met some truly remarkable holy people along the way. Perhaps you learned about folks 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 some things, were inspired by saintly witnesses, and had a lot fun along the way.
Of course we literally couldn’t have done this without our stellar “Celebrity Bloggers” to whom we offer sincere gratitude. Laurie Brock, Megan Castellan, Penny Nash, Heidi Shott, David Sibley, Laura Toepfer, Neil Alan Willard, Chris Yaw. The unsung hero of this whole operation is former Celebrity Blogger and current Bracket Czar Adam Thomas. And we can't forget the ever mysterious Maple Anglican who brought us the inimitable shenanigans of Archbishops Thomas and John (watch today's video highlighting our final match-up here). You all rock!
Finally, thanks to all of you who participated by voting, commenting, drinking coffee out of Lent Madness mugs, filling in brackets, talking about saints at coffee hour, and allowing us to play a small role in your Lenten journey. We’ve loved having each one of you along for the “madness” and on behalf of the Supreme Executive Committee we wish you a blessed Holy Week and a joyous Easter.
Oh, wait, there’s one more thing before we set our face toward the Triduum. Cast your vote for either Frances Perkins or Luke the Evangelist — the 2013 Golden Halo hangs in the balance! The polls will be open for 24 hours and the winner will be announced at 8:00 am Eastern time on Maundy Thursday.
Frances Perkins
"The technique of administration in a democracy is not easy…The statute law and the natural law, the law of God, must be somehow or other blended together, and fairness and decency and patience must prevail."
Frances Perkins, 1939
Luke the Evangelist
"Do not be afraid; for see -- I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people."
Luke 2:10
Vote!
[poll id="76"]
207 comments on “For the Golden Halo: Frances Perkins vs. Luke the Evangelist”
Lent Madness had become a part of my Lenten rule. You have helped me realized that Lent does not have to be solitary. Yet, this community has called me to moments of solitude and reflection. A pastor from my 20s, the Rev. Dr. Kenny Smith, always remarked that we could "disagree without being disagreeable." That is a characteristic of this community that I do not take for granted. As Carol Burnett sang, "seems we just get started and before you know it . . . Comes the time we have to say "so long." I await the call of the Supreme Executive Committee to convoke in 2014. Until then, Godspeed.
Sentence two should read "You have helped me realize . . ."
A big THANK YOU to the SEC, CBs and all the commenters and post-ers for this wonderful Lent Madness! It has been an adventure and has enriched my thought processes and my faith journey.
Today I vote for Frances Perkins for the Golden Halo. I can have Luke any time I open a Bible and his halo sparkles. I am glad to know that there have been and still are people of faith working in the halls of government. May Frances wear the Golden Halo!
Joining in the thanks to all the good folks at LM. You gave us a lot to think about and gave me (a first-time LM follower) a new perspective on what a saint is--even though I've sung "I sing a song" all my life.
Another difficult choice. Last year's Golden Halo went to a Biblical female, so I can't simply go against both categories. Voting for Frances, because like Oscar Romero, she lived what Luke taught. And because I learned about someone I had never known.
Well said, Mainecelt! I agree. Luke has been honored for centuries and will continue to be (deservedly). The work Frances Perkins did is still under fire today--she needs the Golden Halo more! The way she was able to accomplish God's work within the framework of our flawed human system of government was miraculous!
Never before, in 5 decades of Lenten observations, have the concepts of "fun" "enjoyment" or "eager anticipation for next year" ever infused the season. Thank you -- all of you, in your various roles -- for making this a truly memorable Lent. See you next March!
It's all been said by the comments above! And I agree. Thanks for a wonderful experience in taking our faith very seriously and ourselves not so much!! All 32 (and many more) deserve a golden halo and of course they have them. As another great humble person once said, "God bless us, everyone."
Thank you! Thank you for the conversations, the knowledge, the thoughts, and the prayerful insights. I cast my final vote for St. Luke, and, with that, I wish each and every one of y'all a blessed Holy Week and a joyful Easter season!
Set out to vote for Luke...after all , I have a cradle Episcopalian' s allegiance to St. Luke's Kalamazoo for my formative years. However, next year's Frances mugs will generate so much conversation in its unexpectedness. Maybe some current bureaucrats will bump into it and pattern their civil service after Secretary Perkins' example.
To expand...should Frances win the golden halo, a plan to use the event as a teachable moment: Each of the 5000 FB friends of LM buys 10 mugs. The Forward Movement publishes a lovely collection of the CB' s Frances essays. These 50,000 gift packages are sent to bureaucrats in DC and across the land. Should grant funding be available, purple WWFD bracelets can be made, to replace all those tarnished "livestrong" bracelets. "And the world is a different place".
mkahn--simply brilliant suggestions. Could you please run for political office?
Nope....just a suburban housewife:-)
You're Welcome Catharine
Hope, hope, hope we don't have to wait until LM 2014 to hear from The Archbishops again! 2014 nominations commentary? LM withdrawal therapy?
Go Perkins. A great person, a great MHC alum, and a great American.
The gospel-writers we have always with us, but Frances Perkins breaks new ground for many of us Episcopalians. In the cosmic scheme of things, Luke is undoubtedly more important, but the delight and surprise of learning a new saint who goes where few women have gone before is important too. There's no way I'd vote AGAINST any of the people we've learned about this Lent. But everybody expects Christians to honor gospel-writers. Who expects a bureaucrat? I'm for surprising our neighbors with a delightful choice.
It's really hard not to vote for one of the four evangelists, especially this one.
But today is the 4th Wednesday of the month, which means my Social Security "check" slid into my account via auto-pay around 5 a.m. this morning. Without this—and despite a M.A., good health, a solid work history, and careful planning—I'd be out on the street, at least in a few years. So I must vote for Frances Perkins.
On behalf of the 17,000 U.S. Department of Labor employees, thank you SEC and everyone who has voted! This has been a terrific opportunity for so many people to learn about our much beloved Secretary. And in our centennial year, no less! BTW: she’s catching up! DOL employees on the east coast obviously (and smartly) waited until lunch break to vote!
It has indeed been a terrific learning opportunity, for which I am grateful. As a Canadian, Frances Perkins was unknown to me before this contest but problems she worked to address exist worldwide and are ongoing. I voted Luke, but I would not begrudge FP the win. She is a great example of Christian faith in action.
I love Luke for all kinds of reasons, but it's so easy to say these days that discipleshp is merely being a bible reader, person who prays and supports the church (institution) with time talents and tithes.... Discipleship is about more than that, its about allowing your lives to be transformed from the inside out or the outside in.... and it's about how one lives one's life when one is not at church, how one responds to all the people of Gods world and not just the ones who are like you... so I'm voting for Frances...
It's hard to believe that a politician, even a very good one, is beating an evangelist.
Why? She beat the martyrs and St. Hilda, Social Security checks are delivered today, AND there are 17000 DoL employees -- something would be seriously wrong if she didn't win today!
Voted for Luke, but promised my sister (a government employee) that I'd buy her a Frances Perkins Golden Halo coffee mug.
You are so funny Sr. Winifred! I was looking for your comment. I knew there had to be one. Yup, we love this LM even though we may not always agree with the outcomes. I definitely felt like one of those people who always pick the losing side this year. Just glad there are so many great souls to choose among. Ha!
And I had looked for you, Conny! Have a most blessed Easter!!
Frances was not a politician. She was an evangelist in thought, word and deed - through her whole being.
Thank you to all who contributed to LM - we love you all.
Go Big Lobster!!
Like the Pope's not a Catholic! Whatever, she's going to win, so maybe this will be known as the year of the oxymoron -- a saintly politician wins the Golden Halo. . . it could be worse.
Actually the Pope is Roman Catholic. (Not all Catholics are Roman.)
And not all catholics are Catholic! Have a blessed Easter everyone - no matter what part of the catholic (universal) church you call your spiritual home!
I'm well aware of that . . . it's just an expression.
Lent Madness has inspired me with details about old friends from seminary courses and new heros and heroines whom I had never met! Truly we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses!!
As a newer member of OSL I must vote for Luke but Frances is a worthy competitor!
It is neck to neck. Does the SEC have a carefully thought out plan about what to do in the event of a tie? Will they have to share one crown or will they each get their own Golden Halo? Is there an emergency tie-breaker voter waiting in the wings?
I would love to have a Frances Golden Halo mug on my desk at work! (Her "performance" in this competition has already sparked many conversations in my largely unchurched workaday world.) I do love Luke, but he's got many stained glass windows out there already.
But don't worry, Crusty Old Dean, the mug is not why I'm voting for her. I don't have your or Derek Olsen's theological language, but I was drawn this blog post that landed on the Lent Madness FB site yesterday, so I'll just use this:
"But what Perkins and Brigid accomplished economically was in many ways very similar. Brigid seems more “Numinous” due to the way the Irish wove her story and her historical distance. But while we can certainly debate how we should go about “making saints” and what the criteria should be, I think “the ”numinosity" is in the eye of the beholder. For me, Frances Perkins is pretty numinous . . . . For the people of St. Monica and St. James, Frances Perkins is not just a New Deal bureaucrat, but is a living, breathing saint who worshipped with their predecessors and put the incarnational theology of their Anglo-Catholic liturgy into concrete social action. She is the very embodiment of all that our Anglo-Catholic tradition teaches. I’ve never forgotten that night when I heard of liturgy and action meeting in one person."
Read it all at:
http://www.aiyailuvatar.org/2013/03/the-numinous-frances-perkins.html
Thank you, Tim and Scott, for a really fun Lent that let me draw in my family and friends. Thank you, CBs, and especially Heidi Schott for your championing of Frances. Thank you, commenters, for your enlivening, sometimes aggravating, and enlightening posts. Blessed Triduum to all.
Lent Madness 2013 has been a hoot! Loved every minute of it, even the heart-wrenching choices we had to make. Thanks, all....well done! Looking forward to the Madness in 2014.
Frances Perkins today, partly because she was born "Fannie Coralie". If LM winds up a dead heat, both wear a Lent Madness Golden Bowtie instead of halo (besides - I don’t recall any pictures of her without a hat. No sure how the halo-thing goes with that.)
Thank you for a great Lent observation!
I am going to miss you all, and thanks to everyone who has lifted up the season of Lent to new and astonishing heights.
Can't you guys come up with something mid-season, like who is your favorite Day of the Dead? You know ALL SAINTS day?
Looooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuk!
What a difficult choice! I just reread the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles. The 1st century was a dangerous yet inspirational time for Christ's followers. Where would we be today if they had not persevered? Francis Perkins too did amazing work and was dedicated to making the world a more just and fair place. Where would we be today if she hadn't worked so hard to make the New Deal a reality?
Looooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuk!
I had a dream last night and the only really clear part was hearing the word "lobster" and with that I cast my vote for the lady from the land of lobsters.
What a blessing it has been to learn about LM this year via my beloved college MHC and to vote for one of my all-time favorite heroes FP. Yes, I joined in the fun because of the MHC-FP connection, but as a retired UMC pastor found this 'mad' exercise as inspirational and educational as many other Lenten disciplines and definitely the one that has produced the most laughs (not a bad thing in this day and time!). I am 'converted' regardless of who wins the Golden Halo and look forward to next year with eagerness. Thanks to all who worked so hard to do such wide-ranging research (loved the kitsch, too!) . . . I am going to evangelize for LM among my UMC friends for next year. Shalom!
I knew nothing of Frances Perkins till this year's Lent Madness. I'm SO impressed by her that now I'm reading her biography of FDR. Lent Madness is about learning new things which is why I'm for Frances (and because both of parents were helped by Social Security which she helped to start).
Okay - this is getting ridiculous and WAY too political. You all have had your fun with Frances Perkins (who I agree was terrific). But now quit it and vote for Luke - whithout whom Frances could not have happened.
OK, if a New Deal bureaucrat wins over a genuine foundational proclaimer of the faith, then this is a scam. Get with it people!
Not a scam. Just democracy!
Amen Laura T.
Mainecelt, you said it. I love Luke. But like so many others, I did not know about Frances before this year's wonderful Lent Madness. And she so profoundly deserves to be known! Frances has my vote. Thank you, SEC and bloggers and commentators and everyone, I give thanks for your enrichment of my life.
What a wonderful Lent Madness this has been. I've voted for Francis Perkins in most of the rounds but am throwing my lot in with Luke for the final. But really, either way is okay because the whole point of this exercise has been to have some fun and learn about those forebears whose lives of faith inspire us. I doubt eith Francis or Luke care if they "win." We are all winners for getting to know them better.