Nominations for next year’s field of 32 saints are currently being accepted by the Supreme Executive Committee. Yes, in addition to Eastertide, today begins Nominationtide.
But before we get to the main attraction, we encourage you to visit the Lentorium. You can prove your love for Lent Madness by loading up on Lent Madness merchandise, including the Lent Madness 2014 tote bag, the Lent Madness wall clock, some Lent Madness 2014 coasters, a Lent Madness 2014 magnet, and much, much more. And, of course, don't forget to stock up on Charles Wesley or Lent Madness perpetual purple mugs.
And now, on to the main attraction, the call for nominations for Lent Madness 2015!
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.
While the SEC remains responsible for the formation of the final bracket, we encourage your participation in the nominating process. As in past years, we might even listen to some of your suggestions.
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 2014, those saints who made it to the Round of the Elate Eight in 2013 and 2012, and those from the 2011 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. We’re open minded. To a point.
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 2014 (all ineligible)
Mary of Egypt
David of Wales
Ephrem of Edessa
Catherine of Siena
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Alfred the Great
Lydia
Catherine of Alexandria
Antony of Egypt
Moses the Black
Thomas Gallaudet
Joseph of Arimathea
John Wesley
Charles Henry Brent
Christina the Astonishing
Alcuin
Julia Chester Emry
Charles Wesley
FD Maurice
SJI Schereschewsky
Phillips Brooks
Harriet Bedell
JS Bach
Anna Cooper
John of the Cross
James Holly
Nicholas Ridley
Aelred
Louis of France
Thomas Merton
Basil the Great
Simeon
Past Golden Halo Winners (ineligible)
George Herbert, C.S. Lewis, Mary Magalene, Frances Perkins, Charles Wesley
From 2011 — 2013 (ineligible)
Jonathan Daniels
Harriet Tubman
Hilda of Whitby
Luke
Dorothy Day
Li-Tim Oi
Oscar Romero
Enmegahbowh
Emma of Hawaii
Margaret of Scotland
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Evelyn Underhill
Jerome
Thomas Cranmer
Clare of Assisi
Thomas Beckett
Perpetua
By the way, it's worth remembering that all the talk you hear these days about transparency and accountability is moot for the SEC. We reveal little and answer to no one. So if you don't like the choices that we'll announce at an unspecified future date known only to us (see what we did there?), start your own online devotional.
For now, we wish you a joyous Eastertide and Nominationtide.
985 comments on “Nominations Open!”
St. Florian is the patron saint of firefighters. I think his fans could generate a little heat in the competition.
Well, I don't exactly know what a sanctoral calendar is, but I nominate Clarence Jordan - if he isn't on such a calendar he should be! Clarence founded Koinonia Farm, an interracial Christian community - in Georgia in the 1940s. As you can imagine, much persecution ensued. Clarence also translated much of the New Testament into a version called Cotton Patch. Through Clarence's inspiration, Habitat for Humanity eventually came about.
Elizabeth of Hungary
Pope John 23rd
St. Nicholas
St. Isaac Jogues
Pope Francis (Do you have to be dead?)
Damien of Molokai
Kateri Tekakwitha
Brendan the Navigator
St. Norbert
St. Juan Diego
Coach K from Duke University! (JK)
I nominate a few obscure saints: Serafina of San Gimignano, San Galgano. Serafina had visions and San Galgano gave up knighthood, slamming his sword into a stone. I don't have time right now to give you all the background on these two, but I'll send it later when I'm not at my secular job.
Pax et bonum,
Ellen
Suggest Dr. Paul Farmer--What he did in Haiti and continues to do has all the marks of Sainthood.
St. Francis of Assisi
St. Columba
St. Waldef of Northumbria
St. Barnabus
Thomas Ken, Bishop of Bath and Wells who stood up faithfully to monarchs and even his fellow Non-Jurors, but especially for giving us "Praise God from whom all blessings flow" without which we would be unable to receiving offerings in the Episcopal Church. (As part of the hymn, "All praise to thee, my God, this night")
Well shut the Front Door, I am impressed by the nominations I've seen here!
See, I'm not as single-minded as the SEC thinks I am, another nomination that comes to mind is St. Drogo. Among other things, he was capable of tending his flocks AND being at church. Simultaneously. No really!
So, in addition to You Know Who, I nominate St. Drogo.
Peace out,
Madeleine
I would like to nominate Florence Nightingale
St. Thomas the Apostle -- popular for all of us with occasional doubts.
And for the children in all of us, Good King Wenceslaus.
Dame Julian of Norwich
The Right Reverends: Irving Mayson, John Burgess
The Reverends: Fred Williams, Quin Gordon, Alexander Crummell, Tollie Caution, Adolpho Birch, Bravid Harris
St. Pope John XXIII
St. Pope Paul VI (to be canonized Oct., 2014)
St. Pope John Paul. (John could vs. Paul with a winner possibly going against John Paul
St. George (to go against St. John Paul--3 of the Beatles' names)
St. Jude
St. Theresa of Avila vs St. Therese of Lisieux ( "Big" Therese versus ""Little" Therese)
St. Patrick
St. Patricia
St. Francis of Assisi vs. St. France's Cabrini
St. Laura
Julian of Norwich
St. Bernadette Souborous
St. Peter (of the Bible) [1st Pope in Roman Catholic tradition--against other Pope saints could cause some holy angst]
Or could have St. Peter vs. St. Paul
St. Dominic
St. Felicity
St. Genesius, patron saint of actors
Phoebe
Teresa of Avila
Teresa of Lisieux
Julian of Norwich
St Stephen
Hildegard von Bingen
St Brigid
Tom Dooley
St Ignasius
St Helen (mother of Constantine)
St Francis of Assisi
So glad someone finally nominated Benedict of Nursia, so definitely second that one, as well as:
Bede
Hildegard
Francis of Assisi
And how about Caedmon, for all the poets out there.
Two great hymn translators: Catherine Winkworth, translator of hundreds of German hymns (Jesus Priceless Treasure; Now Thank We All Our God; Praise to the Lord, The Almighty, the King of Creation) and John Mason Neale, hundreds of Latin hymns (O Come O Come Emmanuel; Good Christian Friends Rejoice; All Glory Laud and Honor). They share July 1st as feast day in Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Without them our hymnals would be thinner and poorer.
Saint Simeon of Jerusalem
Thecla (Ancient Greek: Θέκλα) was a saint of the early Christian Church, and a reported follower of Paul the Apostle
Salome (Hebrew: שלומית, Shelomit), was a follower of Jesus. Her feast day in the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church is October 22 [9] and in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod on August 3 with Joanna and Mary
Miriam -sister of Moses & Aaron
I think an ultimate nomination for Lent is St. John Climacus.
Others:
Athanasios (Athanasius) the Great aka of Alexandria
St. Damien of Molokai
St. John the 23rd
The Sanctified Seven:
1. Julian of Norwich (Anglican)
2. Hildegard of Bingen (Roman Catholic)
3. Oskar Schindler (Orthodox Catholic Church of America)
4. Thérèse of Lisieux (Roman Catholic)
5. Christina Rossetti (Anglican)
6. Joan of Arc (Roman Catholic)
7. Scholastica (Roman Catholic)
I second the nominations of Francis of Assisi and Martin of Tours, and respectfully suggest ST. NICHOLAS of Myra.
I second nomination of Madeleine L'Engle
None
Richard Meux Benson, founder, Society of St, John the Evangelist (SSJE)
William Porcher DuBose, theologian
St. Bernadette, visionary (Our Lady of Lourdes)
St. Juan Diego, visionary (Our Lady of Guadalupe)
Anna Pauline Murray ... But, "All will be well" if Jullian of Norwich is nominated!
Without any attempt at justification, five names is excessive, ten names is outrageous, fifteen names with only sixtyfour total in a bracket is only gumming the works. This is supposed to be fun but do some homework.
Francis of Assisi
Brigid
Anne Hutchinson
John Donne
Julian of Norwich
Joan of arc
Roger Williams
Thea Bowman all the way!
Also, St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Edith Stein of Germany
St Brigid of Kildare
Saint Seraphim. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seraphim_of_Sarov
Seraphim of Sarov - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org
Saint Seraphim of Sarov (Russian: Серафим Саровский) (1 August [O.S. 19 July] 17...See More