As Ash Wednesday morphs into Lent Madness Eve, the stage is set for the start of the 2015 edition of "The World's Most Popular Online Lenten Devotion"®. Tomorrow's opening match-up between Gregory the Illuminator and Brendan the Navigator will go live at precisely 8:00 am Eastern Standard Time. Read about both saints and then vote (once!).
If you're new to Lent Madness you may want to participate by leaving a comment -- many people do and it's fascinating to learn why people vote the way they do, how a particular saint has touched them or why they identify with or connect with a certain person or story. Sure, sometimes you might vote for a saint just because you like her name but often the reasons run much deeper. In a very tangible way, this is how the Lent Madness community is formed and it's fun to check back throughout the day to see what people have posted.
Now, we know that all over the world, people are marking Lent Madness Eve. According to news reports, thousands have gathered in Times Square to watch the Halo drop. Others are popping non-alcoholic beverages and refraining from consuming chocolate.
We thought we'd offer a few suggestions for making your Lent Madness Eve both meaningful and safe. Here is a top ten list of activities to engage in as you keep vigil until 8:00 am EST.
1. Wipe the ashes off your forehead (if you're a member of the clergy, scrub your thumb).
2. Compose lyrics to a new song to which no one actually knows all the words: Auld Lang Halo.
3. Spray paint the cat purple.
4. Break into the parish office to redo the bracket you initially filled out and submitted, because you're having second thoughts about your picks.
5. Eat anything but pancakes.
6. Call your mother to wish her a Happy Lent Madness Eve.
7. Dress up as your favorite saint and then go out to the drugstore to buy cold medicine for your sick kid.
8. Wallpaper your powder room with poster-sized brackets.
9. Cyber stalk one of the Celebrity Bloggers.
10. Become your own personal Lent Madness noisemaker by yelling "saint, saint, saint!" at everyone you encounter.
Try to get some sleep. It's going to be a big day tomorrow. At least with an Illuminator and a Navigator duking it out, you won't have to worry about being lost in the dark.
65 comments on “Happy Lent Madness Eve!”
My first Lent Madness; as my kids used to say, "I'm psyched!" I always assumed that was a term of approbation 🙂
Thanks to All Saints, Mobile AL, for their email newsletter giving info about this wonderful website. I hope to involve St. Andrew's, Encinitas CA, where I am now.
So exciting!!!!
A devout agnostic here. This is the first bracket I've seen, and I haven't seen the older ones, but I have two questions: (1) Which Kamehameha is supposed to be in the bracket? (2) Why not the great Liliuokolani, a personal heroine of mine?
I'm having some problems connecting to the Clairvoyatron 2100. Are the Archbishops cognizant of the various changes in security, network topology, and most importantly--if they are with us this year, are they using iOS or Android?
Do you have a calendar like last year?
I'm getting excited for Lent Madness to begin!
This is my first time.i
Me too! first time! Can't wait for the matronly melt down!
Welcome, have fun! You're going to love it!
Do you mean a Lent bracket? This is my first time doing this. Our minister says its a ball and I'm looking forward to learning about all the saints.
When two people share the same email address, how does each of them vote separately? My spouse and I have only one email.
Ah it's been Thursday here for 12 hours already! Let the fun begin! Australia.
Ready, ready. ready to...rock 'n roll!!!
Can't wait to begin Lent Madness 2016! Hope Saint Genesius, Patron Saint of Actors,
makes the cut for 2017!
Do you realize that you are asking those of us on the West Coast to vote at 5:00 a.m.??
Does the SEC have no sense of civility whatsoever? (Don't answer that question!) We will vote - once! - when we are awake, thank you very much.
What if more than one member of a family has submitted a bracket but there is only one family computer?
Didn't know we would be having the official Lent Madness Eve food when we planned eggplant for our dinner menu! Yay for us!
My priest and I stood in Monument Square and gave ashes and prayers to people walking by this morning for the annual "Ashes to go" here.
Blessing to be able to pray and honor our living Lord
no purple dogs! except maybe stuffed or otherwise inanimate ones.
I'm abstaining from eggplant for Lent.
I had my toenails painted purple today in time for Lent Madness Eve. Can't wait for the fun (enlightenment) to begin! A Blessed Lent to all.
Me too. Sorry. Had to wear shoes to dinner so no one got to see them. saved from the sin of pride I guess...
Happy Lent Madness Eve! Can't wait to get started!
I am really thinking about the Golden Halo Mobile idea. I already have a "dust thou art" coating on the car.
Laissez la folie rouler!
I'm so excited for Lent Madness to begin. There's some great match-ups this year and lots more to learn. Go madness!
I will only eat eggplant if you bring back Philander Chase.