Nominations for next year’s field of 32 saints are currently being accepted by the Supreme Executive Committee.
As always, we seek to put together a balanced bracket of saints ancient and modern, Biblical and ecclesiastical representing the breadth and diversity of Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
Inevitably, some will disagree with certain match-ups or be disappointed that their favorite saint didn’t end up in the official bracket. If you find yourself muttering invective against the SEC, we implore you to take a deep cleansing breath. Remember, there’s always Lent Madness 2029.
The 2013 bracket was the first time we included nominations from the Lent Madness faithful and a number of your suggestions made it in. While the SEC remains responsible for the formation of the final bracket, we encourage your participation in the nominating process.
That’s not to say the (usually) benevolent dictatorship that is the SEC is showing cracks in its junta-like Lenten power. The only time true democracy rears its ugly head in Lent Madness is during the actual voting. However, nominations from the floor mean that if you are unhappy with the 2014 bracket you can transfer your angst away from the SEC and toward one another. As for us, we can always blame the ancient Greeks.
We may have play-in rounds again this year, depending on where the mystical dove lands on our blank bracket as we discern which saints to include. Play-ins allows everyone to get a small foretaste of the Madness that is to come as eight saints vie for four spots in the official bracket on to-be-determined dates. On the other hand, play-ins cause endless confusion for those who are new to bracketology.
As you discern saints to nominate, please keep in mind that a number of saints are ineligible for next year’s “saintly smack down.” This includes the entire field of Lent Madness 2013, those saints who made it to the Round of the Elate Eight in 2012 and 2011, and those from the 2010 Faithful Four. Here is a comprehensive list of ineligible saints. Please keep this in mind as you submit your nominations -- which you can do by leaving a comment on this post.
Also, please note that the saints you nominate should be in the sanctoral calendar of one or more churches. Anglican calendars are a bonus, but we're open minded. To a point. Fred Rogers is not eligible, despite the royal pleas of King Friday XIII. If you are looking for lists of actual saints, you might check here, here, here, or here, among other places.
Remember that when it comes to saints in Lent Madness, many are called yet few are chosen (by the SEC). So leave a comment below with your (eligible) nomination!
The Field from 2013 (all ineligible)
Hilda of Whitby
Thomas Tallis
John Donne
Macrina the Younger
Martin Luther King, Jr.
T.S. Eliot
John Merbecke
Lucy
Nicholas Farrar
Jonathan Daniels
Martha of Bethany
Luke
Elizabeth Ann Seton
Gregory the Great
Frances Perkins
Dorothy Day
Ignatius of Loyola
Absalom Jones
Harriet Tubman
Oscar Romero
Damien of Molokai
Florence Li-Tim Oi
Janani Luwuum
Martin Luther
George Berkeley
Benedict of Nursia
Theresa of Lesieux
Anne
Ignatius of Antioch
Samuel Seabury
Chad of Lichfield
John the Baptist
Martin of Tours
Agnes of Rome
Edward Thomas Demby
Past Golden Halo Winners (ineligible)
George Herbert, C.S. Lewis, Mary Magalene, Frances Perkins
From 2010 -- 2012 (ineligible)
Emma of Hawaii
Margaret of Scotland
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Evelyn Underhill
Enmegahbowh
Jerome
Thomas Cranmer
Polycarp
Clare of Assisi
William Tyndale
Thomas Beckett
Constance
Perpetua
Vincent of Saragossa
Francis of Assisi
Julian of Norwich
Theresa of Avila
267 comments on “Nominations Open for 2014!”
I would like to nominate John Muir whose life and writings reflect a remarkable understanding of and care for "this fragile earth, our island home".
I second my nomination!
Can you do that??
If he can't, I'll second it!
Anthony DeMello
St. Anselm of Canterbury! Not only a wonderful theologian, but a great example of rocking medieval names.
Yes to Anselm! It's my confirmation name.
I would like to nominate John of the Cross. I'm on a Carmelite kick!
I nominate Dunstan, don't know much about him but sure to like the name!
St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine
For your consideration:
St. ÆKaterina of Alexandria
St. Quiteria
St. Joseph of Cupertino
St. Expeditus
St. Mother Frances Cabrini (a New Orleans Saint)
St. Roch
St. Louis, King of France
St. Margaret-Mary Alacoque
St. Catherine Labourre
Anthony of Padua
Francisco de Osuna (second that)
Peter Alcantara
I nominate Hiram Kano. Japanese missionary in Nebraska and Colorado
I nominate St. Germain. I don't recall seeing his name on the bracket. Bishop of Paris, born 496 died Paris 576.
I'd like to nominate Fr. John Roberts who founded many of the churches in central Wyoming. Found in Holy Men & Holy Women Feb. 25th.
Joseph Justus Barsabbas
Saint Matthias
Great match between these two. Maybe JJB will win over Mathias this time around.
ABFP (anyone but Frances Perkins) - not kidding
St. George
St. Andrew
St. Patrick
St. David
St. Cuthbert
St. Bede
Any and all Desert Fathers and Mothers
St. Charles Stuart, King and Martyr (kidding, kind of, sort of)
Charles Stuart, yeah!! (not kidding, not kind of, not sort of)
Also Joseph, foster father of Our Lord
and Molly Brant
Augustine.
Absalom.
Ambrose.
Clearly there's a theme there. So I had to break it....
The Venerable Bede.
I hereby nominate my main man, Hugh of Lincoln and Blandina of Lyons.
I wouldn't mind seeing St. John of the Cross up there, either.
I second Joan of Arc
St. Florian - patron saint of firefighters - every R.C. house in Germany where my mother grew up had an icon of St. Florian, and my mother taught me the prayer that went along with it - translated it goes: Holy Florian, protect our house, let the others burn! (We have the icon, naturally, and we have a bier stein as well!)
How about Captain Chaplain Emil Joseph Kapaun? He was designated a "Servant of God" by the Catholic Church in the 1990s--just recently posthumously rec'd the Medal of Honor for his work during the Korean War. Really inspiring story.
I second the nomination of Chaplain Emil Joseph Kapaun!
Since I'm fairly new to Lent Madness, will someone please tell me why Fred Rogers is not elligible? Seems to me that anyone who can work the magic with toddlers that he did should already have a golden halo! (or do I have the wrong Mr. Rogers?)
As for nominations: St. Gregory the Illuminator (Armenian saint from the Armenian Apostolic Church) or St. Vartan who stood up for Christ in the early 300's and died for the cause when he refused to surrender to pagan influence?
I'm assuming it's partly because he was a Methodist (not that there's anything wrong with that), but mostly because he isn't listed on any calendar of saints of any religion... yet.
It has nothing to do with being Methodist . . . he's not in any of the required calendar listings.
The Rev. Fred Rogers was an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church. As Sister Mary has indicated, and the SEC has ruled, his eligibility has to do with the fact that he isn't on any of the lists of Anglican "saints" ... yet.
The Four Martyred Churchwomen of El Salvador: Ita Ford, Maura Clark, Dorothy Kazel & Jean Donovan
I'd like to nominate Thecla of Iconium, the teen-aged side-kick of St Paul according to second-century legend.
How about St. Kevin of Ireland?
Oh, and second the nomination of Thomas Merton.
St. Cecilia
I'd like to second the nominations for St. Jude and St. Joseph of Cupertino, since I am hoping to engage more members of my church (St. Jude's of Cupertino) in next year's Lent Madness.
St. Herman of Alaska (in the Orthodox tradition)
Thanks again for the wonderful, humorous & entertaining Saints Education you gave us during Lent!
I'd like to nominate Martin Luther for another shot at the Golden Halo!
I nominate Tabitha ( Dorcas). She was praised for her good deeds and was raised from the dead....Acts 9.
I believe I read her " day" is Jan. 27. I have always loved her story.
Because he wrote a creed so difficult to say, I'd like to nominate Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria, 373
bl. john paul ii
st. gianna molla
st. gerard majella
st. olaf
st. martin of tours
st. patrick
st. brigid
I'd love to see some Irish (and other Celtic) saints included. St. Brendan the Navigator ( Brendan of Clonferet ) is one who springs to mind.