Welcome to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen. Sixteen saints in Lent Madness 2016 have been sent packing and sixteen more remain as the struggle
for the coveted Golden Halo continues. Get ready for some high stakes, thrilling saintly action over the coming days. Click the Bracket tab to view the updated tournament bracket and see all the upcoming matchups (you do know it's updated daily by our unsung Bracket Czar Adam Thomas, right?).
Round One consisted of basic biographical information about the saints. Since there’s no need to rehash previously covered ground, the Round of the Saintly Sixteen is made up of what we call Quirks & Quotes. Prepare for some little known facts or legends accompanied by quotes either by or about the saint in question. As you make your decision, you can always review the previous rounds by again clicking on the Bracket tab and scrolling down. Simply click the link to the previous battle and voila! All the earlier information is at your fingertips.
Yesterday saw the conclusion of the first round as Barnabas defeated Elmo 72% to 28%. Apparently Barnabas did not include Elmo as he sang the irritating song about being "a happy family." Who knew?
Today it's two women, separated by 1,600 years or so, squaring off to make it to the Elate Eight. To get to this point, Helena defeated Monnica in the Matronly Meltdown (the very first matchup of Lent Madness 2016) while Constance defeated Dominic. Ladies and gentlemen, start your Saintly Sixteen engines!
Helena
Helena, mother of Constantine, church-builder and relic-hunter extraordinaire, had an early life shrouded in mystery. St. Ambrose says she was a stable-maid; others just hypothesize she was poor. And it is also not clear where she met Constantine’s father.
One story posits that the Roman emperor was on a military campaign through Asia Minor, when he chanced upon Helena who was wearing matching silver bracelets to his own. Constantius took this as a sign from God that they were meant to be. Aw.
Sadly, this bracelet-magic-feeling didn’t last. He either divorced her, sent her away, or just broke up with her in 289, after Constantine was born, because the emperor wanted a wife of noble birth. Helena and the baby Constantine stayed with the former emperor Diocletian during their exile, which couldn’t have been a pleasant experience, given his penchant for executing lots of people. It is for this reason that Helena is the patron saint of divorced people, and people in difficult marriages.
After Constantine’s ascension to power, Helena came into her own in the second act of her life. She went to Palestine and built churches, searched out relics, and used the imperial treasury for the relief of the poor.
She had the Roman temple Hadrian had constructed over Golgotha torn down. Underneath the temple, she and her team found the shards of many crosses. (This is not surprising--according to modern archeology, that site was used extensively as a crucifixion ground.)
Determined to figure out which was the cross of Christ, Helena had a dying woman brought to the site, and presented her with various pieces of wood. When she was miraculously cured by one piece in particular, Helena declared that they had found the True Cross. It was here that she had the Church of the Holy Sepulchre built.
On her way back to Rome, Helena had several other saintly adventures. As she passed through Cyprus, a local monastery asked for her help in ridding the place of snakes. Accordingly, she imported several dozen cats, which have since multiplied in that place, and to this day, the monastery is known as St. Nicholas of the Cats.
It should also be noted that in classic British fashion, England also lays claim to Helena.
One story of her origins holds that Helena was actually the daughter of the English king, and she met Constantius when her father formed a strategic alliance. Further legends hold that she would frequently turn up back in her homeland. Over 25 wells and springs of water throughout Great Britain are named for her, and according to legend, she is credited with establishing several churches around Colchester.
No matter where she turned up, Helena spread generosity and strength to all she encountered.
Constance
The Hawaiians have a saying that "Eddie Would Go." You see, during the course of his life, Eddie saved over 500 people as a lifeguard. "Eddie Would Go" is plastered on cars throughout the Hawaiian Islands and is a universal response to questions of what someone should do in a situation. Long before Eddie was born, the people of Memphis could have coined the term "Constance Would Go." Imagine the horse and buggy crowd of the 1800s with bumper stickers declaring, "Constance Would Go." Eddie and Constance are heroic witnesses to the lives of those around them and those in need. Constance Would Go.
Think about this: Mosquitoes transmit yellow fever by biting their victims. Think of the Mississippi River as a grand breeding ground for these miniature vampires on the banks of the town of Memphis. In the first stages, symptoms are much like the flu: fatigue, malaise, nausea, vomiting, muscle aches, and loss of appetite. If the body does not fight the infection, the patient enters into a toxic phase that causes organ damage, yellowing skin, bleeding from the nose, mouth and eyes, liver and kidney failure, and brain dysfunction. Remember, it is 1878 and modern medicine is not available to Constance and her companions. All they have is their love and care to give to the people of Memphis. Constance Would Go.
With thousands of people dying in Memphis, despite the ministrations of the sisters, a new problem arose: the growing orphan population. It is said that Constance and her Companions would go through the city searching for the orphans to place them in an asylum to care for them as their parents had passed. At one point, a mob of adults confronted Constance and her Companions out of fear that these orphans would spread the yellow fever to families who were living near the asylum. Wrapping her faith in God around her like armor, and brandishing her faith like a sword, she called out to the mob saying, "Sirs, is it possible that you would have us refuse to these children the very protection you have obtained for your own? We do not propose to make a hospital of the Asylum; if any of the children are taken ill with the fever, they shall be carried immediately to our Infirmary at the Church Home." The mob would bow before her resoluteness and allow the children to pass to the safety of their new home. Constance Would Go.
Constance and her companions held firm five goals during the Yellow Fever Epidemic:
To feed the hungry,
To care for the sick,
To minister the dying,
To bury the dead,
And to care for the orphans.
On September 5th, 1878, the yellow fever would claim new victims: Constance and several of her sisters. It is said that while she lay dying, she would pray: "O God, make speed to save; O Lord make haste to help us."
Constance Would Go.
PS from Anna: We fully expect the SEC to add bumper stickers with "Constance Would Go" to the Lentorium following this year's bracket.
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185 comments on “Helena vs. Constance”
Sisters in the Order of Saint Helena are rooting for our patron today!
There is so much to love about Helena but Faith in Action wins the day for me. Constance Would and Did Go!
SEC —
I decided since there had been so many one-sided outcomes in the Round of 32 that I would go back and write in the percentages on my bracket for future reference. And although I, too, was disappointed that Katerri Tekakwitha lost the year’s closest race so far to Columba, I very much doubt that the final score was 51% to 51%! Adam may want to take another look at that entry.
(I accidentally posted this on yesterday's contest, and am repeating it here. Not nagging -- just trying to make sure it gets seen.)
It was officially:
Columba (51%, 3,885 Votes)
Kateri Tekakwitha (49%, 3,755 Votes)
Total Voters: 7,640
Perhaps I am being too pedantic, but the point about Constance was that she stayed, and didn't go when she had the chance. Helena's biography swung it for me. abandoned with a child, using her old age to distribute the imperial monies to the poor, building churches, finding practical, feline solutions to snake infestations. I am also influenced by 'Helena', written by Evelyn Waugh which is a great read, and by my sneaking suspicion that Helena is a real under dog today.
As the oldest child of a divorce during an era when women had very little support after such bravery, I have to go with Helena. We could have used a patron saint back then. Constance is impressive, though, I admit. Still Helena resonates with my life story.
Helena did go!
I did like the bit about all the cats, but Go Constance. And the bumper stickers are a cool idea.
Hard to vote against cats and basil, but Constance has always been an inspiration for me. She exemplifies what it means to be a faithful - and constant - doer of the word. Pray that we have more like her in today's broken world.
Constance is an example of what all Christians (and god-fearing people) should be doing all the time.
There are so many wonderful things about Constance and the others who gave of themselves (not always unto death) during those terrible days in Memphis. Two things I like to note are the local Madam, Annie Cook, who opened her "house" as a hospital and cared for the sick and dying. She became known as the "Mary Magdalen of Memphis." She is buried not far from the four sisters and the two priests. Which reminds me of two other things: The text on the priests' monument is that of the scroll in the icon: "Greater love hath no man...." The other thing is that the four sisters are buried head to head, with a small square marker at the point where their heads would touch. I picture them resting there, awaiting the day when they joyously pinwhell up to glory shouting Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks for that information about them.
Yes, thank you, Tobias.
Totallly agree
We don't often have recent art nor explanations by the artist. That really added to my enjoyment of today's post.
Constance Would Go! Love it! This native Memphian needs that bumper sticker. Helena would have had my vote if not for this match-up. Constance for the Golden Halo!
Being a nurse for many years; I have to admire
Constance's courage & her sisters. My vote went to them.
Constance had the better "spin" from her political surrogate (how can you beat a "Constance will Go" bumper sticker?). But having seen some of Helena's Pilgrimage Churches, like Jerusalem's Holy Sepulchre (originally Resurrection Church), and approaching Holy Week, with its Holy Sepulchre-based rituals, I'm an Helena loyalist!
How could one not vote for Constance? She is everything we should all aim to be. There is so much fantastical legend about Helena in her write up, but I suppose in as many years, the same can and will be said about Constance. But as for me and my house, we will follow Constance's example. (And by house, I mean me and my dog, Farley.)
Helena did much in what Fr. Richard Rohr calls "The Second Half of Life", and while some of the tales told of her might be more fairy tale than fact, even fairy tales tell us something important about life. As for building Christian shrines and churches and...over pagan ones, we've been doing that all along; we recognize the thin places and make them our own.
Plus, I've been to Holy Sepulchre and found it amazing.
As an almost empty-nest mom, I'm looking forward to my second act. The first one was a fun ride. Helena did not rest on her laurels but moved forward with gusto. My vote is for Helena!
The discipline we learn as Religious (either men or women), the power of a regular prayer life, and dedication under Obedience gives us the courage to move forward in the Gospel Life. Voted for Constance and Companions!
Yes, bumper stickers! The world needs more saintly kitsch.
As much today as then, the ancient faithful women laid the groundwork for our more current sainted women of God...Helena for me.
"Their parents had 'passed.'" Horrors!
The possibility of new saintly kitsch has won me over, and now I find myself voting for Constance simply is the hope of a new bumper sticker. It's not Lent Madness for nothing.
I was going to vote for Helena the Cat Lady, but Helena only sent, Constance would go.
Constance for me.
Really wanted to vote for Constance would go, but then I remembered all the people who have been denied communion or convinced that they are unworthy to partake because of their marital status and I realized that the patron saint of divorced and unhappy marriages needs to be more well known.
Having just yesterday been a pilgrim in the chapel of.St Helena in the church of.the holy sepulcher, I.could.vote but one.way!
Helena - patron saint of divorced people and people in difficult marriages.
Constance was a wonder and yes, I'd love a bumper sticker.
But I had to cast my vote for Helena: Divorce, difficult marriage. She knows me.
Helena got me at the cats.
You all are a riot. Somewhat unorthodox but you did make me laugh.
Especially since my grandkids hated Barney.
I love them both so much. Had to go with the nurse nun though
Good comment, Jean. I appreciate the work of both saints but particularly admire Constance's actions in the face of fear. Helena spent money to have churches built; Constance built up the Church by ministering to the sick, dying, and orphaned.
Oliver - as we say here in the south: you are the cat's meow!
Constances of the world unite!
I was leaning towards Constance but "Constance would go" clinched it for me. I hope in my life people would be able to say "Toni would go"
We need a mention of monastcis in
We all need to be reminded of monasticism in the e Episcopal Church. My vote is for Constance.
I agree. Many people (including Episcopalians) are surprised when they learn we have monks and nuns.