"The End is Near!" proclaims the ubiquitous sign of the doomsday prophet. In the case of Lent Madness 2013, our sign-wielding friend would be correct. Welcome to the Faithful Four. After weeks of learning and voting and debating, the saintly field has been whittled down from 32 to four spiritual heavyweights: Frances Perkins, Hilda of Whitby, Luke the Evangelist, and Oscar Romero.
As we like to tell our five-year-olds when they join their first soccer team (that’s football for our friends across the pond), “there are no losers, everybody’s a winner.” Of course we’re lying. Thus, while we can sing the praises of these saints, only one Golden Halo will be awarded.
Today Frances Perkins takes on Hilda of Whitby; tomorrow Luke the Evangelist battles Oscar Romero; and on Spy Wednesday the championship round will take place. For the Faithful Four, we let our remaining Celebrity Bloggers loose as they answer the question “Why should Saint XX win the Golden Halo?” In other words, they’ve been charged with letting us know why their particular saint is so awesome. In this match-up, Heidi Shott is advocating for Frances Perkins and Laurie Brock for Hilda of Whitby. Tomorrow Laura Toepfer is writing for Luke the Evangelist and Megan Castellan for Oscar Romero.
To make it to the Faithful Four, bracket Cinderella Frances Perkins made it past Damien of Molokai, Martin Luther King, Jr, and Jonathan Daniels. Hilda of Whitby bested Samuel Seabury, Ignatius of Antioch, and Harriet Tubman. Here's your chance to send one of these inspiring women off to vie for the Golden Halo.
Don't forget to watch Maple Anglican's video previewing today's match-up.
Frances Perkins
In his 2010 essay in The Anglican Examiner, “Frances Perkins: Architect of the Gracious Society,” Donn Mitchell begins by recounting how Perkins once answered a provocative question.
‘Don't you think it's wrong for people to get things they don't pay for?’
‘Why no,’ Frances Perkins responded. ‘I find I get so much more than I pay for. Don't you?’
The woman who had conceived, birthed, nursed, and nurtured the New Deal's crowning achievement — the Social Security Act -- the Social Security Act — was revealing the theological perspective that informed her long career advocating, shaping, and ultimately implementing social policy. She knew she had not paid for the earth she walked on or the parents who had raised her. She had not ‘earned’ the breath in her lungs. All life was an unearned gift from God, as she saw it.
Perkins with President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
What we ‘got,’ in her view, was a function of grace, not merit or its inverse correlate, sin. A godly society, therefore, would be a gracious society. Just as God had endowed humankind with the basics and then allowed them freedom to develop their capacities to create and contribute, so the community should graciously guarantee basic provision for its individual members while allowing maximum freedom to make their way in the world.
Plaque at St. Andrew's, Newcastle, Maine
We talk a great deal about the theology of abundance and the theology of scarcity in the Episcopal Church. Often it’s used to transform our old notions of stewardship or to get members thinking about capital campaign gifts. The transformation is local -- our own hearts or perhaps, on a truly miraculous scale, the collective heart of a congregation.
But Frances Perkins took her belief in the theology of abundance to an astonishing level. Through incredible hard work and determination and in the midst of a political and social climate that is unimaginable for a late-boomer woman like me, Perkins extended her theology to the whole nation for the benefit of all its citizens.
Perkins with President John F. Kennedy (Bettman/Corbis)
The prologue of Kirstin Downey’s biography, The Woman Behind the New Deal: The Life of Frances Perkins, FDR’S Secretary of Labor and His Moral Conscience, begins with the ultimatum that Perkins gave to Roosevelt before she would accept the appointment to become his Secretary of Labor.
“On a chilly February night in 1933, a middle-aged woman waited expectantly to meet with her employer at his residence on East 65th Street in New York City. She clutched a scrap of paper with hastily written notes. Finally ushered into his study the woman brushed aside her nervousness and spoke confidently....
He wanted her to take an assignment but she had decided she wouldn’t accept it unless he allowed her to do it her own way. She held up the piece of paper in her hand, and he motioned for her to continue. She ticked off the items: a forty-hour workweek, a minimum wage, worker’s compensation, unemployment compensation, a federal law banning child labor, direct federal aid for unemployment relief, Social Security, a revitalized public employment service, and health insurance.”
Sloane, the girlfriend in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, might have been just as astutely describing Perkins as Ferris when she said, “You knew what you were doing when you woke up this morning.”
Frances Perkins knew what she was doing.
I wasn’t thinking about Perkins, years ago, when I wrote an essay called “Cleaning the Fridge,” but now it seems obvious. “The people we revere most are simply human beings choosing from among the options laid out before them and then doing the work they’ve been given to do. Most of them would avoid the hard and unpleasant stuff given the chance. Most, like Melville’s Bartleby, ‘would prefer not to.’ But the difference between our saints and the rest of us is they do the hard things anyway.”
Frances Perkins -- lay woman, public servant, doer of hard things because they needed to be done. She knew God imbued her with the strength, talent, and experience to do them, and, like another saint in the bracket, she knew she could do no other.
-- Heidi Shott
Hilda of Whitby
Hilda (or, more correctly Hild of Streaneschalch) is not known for one spectacular moment. Some saints are. That one moment where they make such a devoted decision out of love we are left in awe. She is not known for a profound body of literature, as are other saints. In fact, nothing of her own writing exists. Most of what we know about her was written by Bede. She is not known for anything other than perhaps hosting a synod.
Or at least that’s what I thought when I began my Lenten relationship with Hilda. Almost forty days and several rounds later, I am in awe of this woman who is not known for anything spectacular other than her profound ability to encourage others.
She might not have left her own writings, but when a young monk named Caedmon who
Abbess Hilda receiving Caedmon
cared for animals at Whitby had a dream about composing song, Hilda encouraged him to write. In doing so, she helped birth what would become English poetry. She might not have been a great queen or powerful politician, but her compassionate wisdom grounded in the Gospel encouraged kings and rulers who sought her advice. She might not have been a pope or priest or bishop, but she created a community where equality of property, study, and communal prayer encouraged education and parity in a double monastery. Five of her monks became bishops; two are revered as saints.
She might not have even carried the day at Whiby, that synod she hosted. Yes, the Roman date of Easter and monastic hairstyle won, but Hilda continued to encourage. She encouraged Christianity to remain unified, despite differences. She encouraged obedience to the vote that carried the day, even though she personally disagreed with the outcome. She stood with unified dignity in a way our modern church leaders could emulate as we struggle with decisions that can be divisive.
However we view saints, they are (hopefully) very human people who lived their lives in very remarkable ways. And while I will always be impressed with Hilda’s turning snakes to stone, I am in awe of her extraordinary ability to encourage others and to create a community where that encouragement could thrive. I am humbled by her example of desiring a unified, faithful community over her own position.
Hilda’s life is a holy example that speaks to us today as we wrestle with a changing church, with new understandings of theology that can be challenging and divisive, and with the temptation to nurture our own egos rather than encouraging lives lived in the radical love of Christ. She reminds us that this place is nothing new for the church. Her life speaks with calm love to us all. And her ministry of encouragement -- all of those spectacular moments she wove together in her days -- is still urging us on to live our lives in love, service, and community.
Thanks be to God.
-- Laurie Brock
Vote!
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153 comments on “Frances Perkins vs. Hilda of Whitby”
While I hope this is not too grandiose, I see my vote as a witness, and the question is audience. A vote for Hilda is a witness to the Church in need of her spirit of encouragement and unity. A vote for Frances is a witness to a society that seems in danger of neglecting the common good. If Hilda wins the Golden Halo, I'm not convinced that the rest of the Church will pay that much attention. However, if Frances wins, given the attention Lent Madness receives in popular press during March Madness, I dare to hope that her concern for all, especially for those who may seem to some to be least deserving, may influence public conversation about Social Security, health care, and student debt. I voted for Frances.
Thank you.
My thoughts exactly. Her legacy lives on in social programs that are under attack now and must be preserved. They help those that need our protection the most. VOTE for Frances!!
Interesting take, and likely quite true. Thanks for sharing.
ARGH! Of all the tough choices, today's is the WORST for me! As a laywoman, my heart is with Frances Perkins, who showed all of us the truth of Mother Teresa's insight that we are all called to be holy whatever our vocations. And yet, as a lay member of a religious order devoted to liturgical scholarship, I am profoundly grateful for Abbess Hild's example of encouragement of others' godly gifts and her unselfish support for unity in the Church. Both of these holy women show us the multifaceted face of the God Who is Love. I have learned SO MUCH from this year's Lent Madness! With a lump in my throat and tears of sisterly love for both of these saints, I cast my vote for ...
I intended to vote for Francis but inadvertently voted for Hilda. Holy Spirit? Or tiny print on my phone ? It being Holy Week, I'll go with the advocate and comforter.
I'm puzzled by the comments "who is a saint?", "Frances isn't a saint", etc. For the purposes of Lent Madness, anyone the organizer has included is qualified to compete. You can ask the question elsewhere, but her you certainly cannot. I would also submit that matches between recent, historical, and legendary candidates are unfair the the more recent. We keep the best stuff from the past and forget the less pleasant or confusing bits. This leads me to favor the more recent hagiotestants in Lent Madness, so go Frances!
This. Is going. To be. CLOSE. Hilda!
As we enter the final phase, let's not be too hasty to vote for the youngest, the newest, or the most modern. Just because they are "contemporaries" does not mean they have a greater insight or greater spirituality, perhaps in Perkin's case it was just a better relationship with modern media. We seem caught up in the importance of and significance of our own times and places and events and cannot look into the past for the contributions these saints made to our beliefs and spirituality today. Go Hilda.
Among my friends, I am known for asking obnoxious questions, so here are two:
What would the church (and the world) be like if Hilda had peacefully but strenuously resisted the Roman swallowing up of Celtic practice?
What would the world (and the church) be like if Frances had not taken what the church taught her and used it to reshape a world in turmoil?
I guess Episcopalians value unity more than Baptists do. My vote for Frances.
What a choice. Do I vote for unity in the Church or living into baptismal vows to respect the dignity of every human being. I chose Frances whose work is still being dismissed as undesirable way to help people.
Today I vote for Hilda of Whitby, manager of Christian houses, encourager of poets, proponent of unity in the midst of controversy over non-essentials, a role model about whom I intend to continue learning. But I also give thanks to God for Frances, and for the work she did which enables me and so many others to live in some comfort in retirement.
Have you ever wished to see what the score is before voting? Rest assured, at least at this point, knowing how others are voting will help you not one bit. So stop agonizing and enjoy a wonderful matchup between two worthies.
Seriously considered not voting today. Both women of faith, determination, clear vision, willingness and energy to "overstep their bounds" as their times would have it. Finally went with Hilda. I mean, it's one thing to have overstepped your bounds as a woman of the 20th century, but of the 7th century? Wow! (Besides, Mother Ruth, CHS, founder of St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's School, my alma mater, is still sitting on my shoulder, pinching me hard, and I need to make her stop!)
Again, a difficult choice, but I have to vote for Frances, since I do believe that she worked hard at what she believed in. That does not take away from Hild, but Frances has it for me.
"They lived not only in ages past, there are hundreds if thousands still. The world is bright with the joyous saints who love to do Jesus' will....for the saints of God are just folk like me and I mean to be one, too." (I Sing a Sing of the Saints of God, verse 3, Lesbia Scott)
Thank you, Lent Madness, for illumining all these wonderful people this Lenten Season. What a marvelous journey. Saints can be from the long ago past or the present; from Biblical times, the dark ages, the medieval period, or our own time. They can do their work from a monastery, on the streets among the poor or in the halls of government. They can be martyrs or live long productive lives. They can be quiet encouragers, firebrands or strong advocates. Let's never limited the definition. Just folk like us: followers of the Way.
Amen!
Right on! And thank you for reminding me/us.
I'm not certain that hymn is even in the hymnal anymore -- though I remember singing it frequently in youth choir at St. Patrick's (Thousand Oaks, CA) in the 1970s.
I sing a Song of the Saints of God (Hymn Tune Grand Isle) is Hymn 293 in the Hymnal 1982. I've heard it sung at several funeral recently. Want it for mine.
#293 in the 1982 Hymnal. Definitely still in use! Now you have me humming it.
I Sing a Song of the Saints of God from The Hymnal 1982 #293
Frances Perkins was not a politician, but a woman who spent her entire life working for the disadvantaged. She worked in the settlement house movement. She fought for policy change after the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. She was a wife and mother who was the sole provider of her own family. And yes, she gave us Social Security. She also gave us unemployment insurance, laws against child labor, the minimum wage, and the 40 hour work week.
None of this lessens St. Hilda. But please don't write off someone who gave her life to helping the poor as a "politician" especially as she never held elected office and started her career before women could even vote.
Old VS New. The Holy Fool goes with Hida.
As I have been voting all along, and I have been reading comments all along... I restrained from convoluting the pool. However, today I must because I am disheartened by the above comment "not to let Mount Holyoke take away our Lent Madness". A very important fact about Frances Perkins has been left out, and perhaps her greatest strength. Frances Perkins IS NOT AN ORDINARY MOUNT HOLYOKE ALUMNI, but she is the MATRON of sorts for the FRANCES PERKINS PROGRAM, a program which allows women over the age of 24 (including our oldest graduate this year, 60+) to complete their college education. It bothers me that this is completely glossed over. We are given an amazing second chance and assistance to achieve both our personal and professional goals in honor of a woman who truly embodies the ideals of the program. To be recognized as a FRANCES PERKINS SCHOLAR is not a mark of being a non-traditional undergraduate student, but one of ACCOMPLISHMENT and STRUGGLE. Every woman who has been through the program since it was founded in 1980 did so by overcoming tremendous challenges. Some of us could not afford college, others had multiple responsibilities that prevented us, and all still struggle while here. However, we embody the very reasons Frances fought for workers rights and became the Secretary of Labor. Our graduates go on to achieve great things in their lives. In addition, ALL FRANCES PERKINS SCHOLARS have been active in their communities both prior to application, during matriculation, and after graduation. Currently, there are FP Scholars working with PLEN Women and Public Policy, Working in Washington to help developing communities, serving the medical communities AT THEIR OWN COST in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, there was one woman who recently served as a UN Delegate for the COmmission on the status of Women and now has been awarded a Fullbright Scholarship studying Urban Planning and Development in New Zealand. So I am sorry if I take offense to the idea that Frances does not inspire as many people as Hilda. I feel not only that are we inspired and motivated by Frances Perkins, but she is the reason that we are allowed a chance to move forward, chase our dreams, and achieve greatness not for ourselves but for a better tomorrow.
Thanks for posting this - it is great information.
Thank you Millie! Excellent write-ups today. Frances for me. Encouraging others is fine but I vote for the woman of action. We could use more like her in the times we face now - coming up with creative and thoughtful solutions to our real problems. Followers of the Way.
On a lighter note, I hope that I have such difficulties choosing who to cheer for when four Big Ten teams are in the "other" final four. Of course, on the women's side, it is Notre Dame all the way. From a lay person who has time for both brackets this Holy Week.
Grace Burton-Edwards you swayed me to the side of Frances. A great post. Thank you.
Love Hilda's defense of Celtic approach to Christianity but without Frances I and many of my friends might be living in hovels or even cardboard boxes. My vote goes to Frances
Meryl Streep to play both women in screenplays written by Laurie and Heidi. Thank you both for making the decision so though provoking and difficult. What is Celtic Christianity. At a time when all Christians get lumped together .... And why didn't Frances succeed with health care?
She started the move to health care since Social Security and Medicare go together.
Both are worthy of support, but my vote goes to Hild, for her love of learning, her gift of encouragement and her willingness to work for unity at great personal cost. And also as someone wrestling with the mess the C of E has made of women bishops, because of the crozier she holds in the icon from round 1. She would make a worthy bishop and her gifts are much needed today.
It's amazing really that we should be considering the merits of both St Hilda and Frances Perkins in the same breath. I wonder if the 20th century woman could have had her voice heard were it not for the 7th century abess and those she encouraged? My vote goes with St Hilda!
Wish I could vote for both.
Frances Perkins attained more than I would or could hope in my life. However useful to contributions of Frances, Hilda gave something else: she offered her humility in service in a way that encouraged others to excel.
I revere Hilda for so many reasons, but this is frightening time to be a disabled American who struggles economically
What everybody said. But from my admittedly limited perspective, in the United States of 2013, when "Don’t you think it’s wrong for people to get things they don’t pay for?" is not just a quaint question from ancient history, Frances's vision of the gospel seems more immediately needed.
Jonathan Daniels was robbed. MLK too!
# losing faith in Episcopeeps!
I agree - MLK ouster was a surprise to me too. I was certain the Halo final would be Luke vs. MLK (not my preference, necessarily, but that's what I predicted).
I won't say "robbed", though. This is LM - there is no robbing here, only voting... in a world where God sometimes chooses the unexpected to go on to do extraordinary things...in a season where people's (flawed?) voting can go on to yield some very unexpected results... (cf "Crucify him!").
Will someone please tell me what Spy Wednesday is?
A Lent Madness event or a day in Holy Week I have missed all these years ?
Oh, and I had to go with Frances though I deeply admire the peace and encouragement Hilda provided this world. Perhaps she encouraged Frances.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Wednesday
Thank you, Sr. Mary Winifred! In all my *** years in the Episcopal Church, this is the first time I've heard of Spy Wednesday.
Likewise! I learn so much through Lent Madness....
Thank you, Sister Winifred!
I'm voting for Hilda, because I think her example of humility and encouragement is desperately needed today. It's easy to break into camps and attack each other. It's much harder to find a way to live together after the fighting is over.
I can imagine Hilda telling Frances, with her big ideas written on a scrap of paper, "You go for it! You demand to be able to do these things, or you refuse the job." Hilda would have encouraged Frances to do the good work that needed to be done ... which is why I voted for Frances. Because she knew what needed to be done, and she got it done. Not from a political standpoint, but because she cared for people, and knew she could make an incredible difference in people's lives. Go, Frances!!!