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”
Dear SEC - Next year (there WILL be a next year) can we have "like" buttons on the comments?
This has been another wonderful LENT, thanks to you and your Celebrity Bloggers! A blessed Easter and a restful Easter-tide to you all!
(Like)
Who could have predicted it?? Frances Perkins is almost certain to win the Golden Halo. And, to all those detractors who complain about Mt. Holyoke alumnae (of whom I am one) voting for her: how many women do you think have been touched by the lives of other saints while engaging in this contest? And isn't that a good thing?
I vote for St Luke who trekked around after Paul and gave us a gospel and an early church history. He also wrote from a particular viewpoint which favoured the sick, the needy and women. His words may well have influenced Frances Perkins. Her work in USA was good . His work for the World was wonderful.
As a British and Canadian subject who has lived in the Far East, I have seen the influence of the Gospel on Luke on new Christians. He has influenced me to work with the sick and to have compassion as Jesus did. He may well have written some of Paul's dictated letters too. We don't know enough about him but , just reading how he writes about Mary the mother of Jesus up to Mary Magdalene in the garden, reveals his concern for giving prominence to women. Luke was great and his words are still!
Thanks for your wonderful comments!
I am NOT that girl...who can't take a joke, or doesn't know that this is tongue-in-cheek fun, or hasn't enjoyed learning about the modern 'saints' as much as the traditional ones. And I don't keep a hard and fast rule that martyrs must always win out over people who lived their faith boldly, but died of natural causes. And I even tolerate the still questionable kitcsh round. And I'll admit that maybe it's Holy Week crankiness talking, but I'm going to be REALLY disappointed if someone who worked in government wins over one of the four Evangelists! I may take it as a sign of the general decline of organized religion!
PS...I personally have been an honorable civil servant for nearly two decades, so I reserve the right to hold this opinion. LOL
My first year with Lenten Madness. What a blast!! I learned a lot, enjoyed the comments, and discovered some blogs that were really fun to read. I'm not a sports fan so my type of brackets contest was fun. Thank you all for the creativity, humor, insight and chance to learn. I even saw a coment from a cousin (by marriage); Bill and Diane Loring are you out there? Thanks--Who will win the Golden Halo????
OK, I'm ready to call the winner, but am more freaked out that I won't have Lent Madness to rush home to after work!!!!!!!!! I saw the tiniest bit of info on the video Monday about 50 Days.org and I hope we get more info on that. I would also like to get going NOW on nominations for next year but have no idea as to how to get in touch secretly with the SEC. Thanks gals and guys for the great work and MANY laughs through Lent. I'm singing "I Sing a Song of the Saints of God" all through the tridiuum!!!
Frances Perkins, author of a failing governmental bureaucracy, is beating Luke, author of the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles???
I don't want to live on this planet anymore.
Social security isn't working? Huh?
I nominate Matthew for the LM 2014 saint roster (backed by IRS?) in order to heal the 'government employee vs gospel evangelist' rift that has manifested this year. He has a foot in both camps.
I second that nomination!
Maybe Luke is famous and well known enough. Until LM I didn't know that Frances was even Christian. How powerful is it to know that the mind behind FDR social net, that is with us today, was a Christian woman?
A social/political reformer, however dedicated, against the writer of Luke & Acts-- the eloquent evangelist who (IMO) showcases most clearly God's love of the poor and marginalized? Not a chance. Frances may have been all about fairness, but Luke's Gospel message of justice is foundational.
Thanks SEC and Celebrity Bloggers. Another great year. I really love you guys and the much-needed lift you give us every Lent. I was really torn this last vote. I got blown out of the water in the first round when Johnny Baptizer lost...but Frances Perkins captured my heart as the embodiment of my own struggle for a place among the Saints. Luke's Gospel led me toward the light, but the example of Frances Perkins will lead me onward. Blessed be God for ever.
Voting for Luke as I prepare to preach on his account of the women discovering the empty tomb. Thank you to everyone for a great and informative Lent. It's been good to learn about saints in another continent and the impact they have had on many lives, but I feel today that I have to vote for the saint who has profoundly changed my life whilst giving thanks for Frances and all those who have benefitted from her labours. (We could do with a Frances in Britain today...)
Ah, the frustration with pure democracy: the tyranny of the majority. This reinforces my belief in the electoral college for presidential elections. My only consolation is that perhaps the "Big Maine," Mt. Holyoke Alumni Assoc (not officially a Super PAC or Super Pax), and Big Labor/aka Teamsters and Labor bureaucrats 😉 will return next year for another battle for the Golden Halo. Even better, if all realize that they have their own personal halo and take it out to examine it, polish it up a bit, let God take the dents out, etc. Blessings on you all! I have found this year's saints truly inspiring. I am already suffering from LMW. Please tell us how we can submit our own nominees or brackets for 2014!
Amen. We are beggars when it comes to God's grace, but it is through that overflowing, generous grace we come to believe and become saints - sinner-saints, yes, but saints nonetheless. Just think of how many Mt. Holyoke students or others considered what it means to be a saint perhaps for the first time. were seeds planted? I think God loves to use the "silly" and "lowly" such as Lent Madness and the many of us who play along and share their faith through comments or videos (such as maple Anglican).
Thank you, SEC and celebrity bloggers, for a wild and entertaining way to reflect upon the many lives devoted to God in their effort to point to more love, and more light in the world. I have really had fun with this and it has sparked some conversation in the parish hall after service. I look forward to next year's round of madness.
Luke got my vote. I love his version of the Gospel for its women, and promotion of all people. Plus, the selected quote reminds me of that hilarious scene in the Vicar of Dibley when Dawn French is playing the angel and her not-so-bright shepherds keep prompting her during the "dramatic pause"! Thank you again for much levity during Lent.
Many thanks for all those who provided such excellent writing, thoughtful and fun, for this massive Lent Madness production. There have been so many wonderful comments posted too. As others have said, I wish there was a "like" button for them, because so many have stated my thoughts so well. My final vote went to Luke with thanks for his wonderful insights about Mary.
I'm sitting here, my Lent Madness 2012 mug in hand for the last time this year, reading the results about an hour before voting ends and not quite believing that Frances Perkins has come all the way and is about to win the Golden Halo for 2013. Talk about Cinderella....
I have had such fun with Lent Madness this year. I think I even got a few non-church people hooked on LM--and thinking about their faith. This is "stealth spiritual formation" at its best. Thank you SEC, celebrity bloggers -- and thanks to Maple Anglican for bringing us the wisdom of the Archbishops--I loved their weekly, then daily, play-by-plays. And thanks also to those who commented regularly--I feel like I know you...
I am seriously worried about the effects of LMW this year....at least I have the mug and the memories of this special sort of madness to carry me through all the seasons until Lent rolls around again...