Only in Lent Madness will you find a 19th century pioneering bishop squaring off against a 12th century monk. Which, you guessed it, is precisely what we have today as Henry Beard Delany faces Aelred of Rievaulx in the second matchup of Lent Madness 2017.
In yesterday's "Ash Thursday" kickoff, Stephen soundly defeated Alban, 62% to 38% in heavy voting. Indeed, with over 9,600 total votes cast a new Lent Madness turnout record was set! We also love that over 450 people added comments to the post. With his victory, Stephen became the first saint to advance to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen, where he'll face the winner of Henry Budd vs. Cecilia. Somewhere Bob Dylan is singing, "Everybody must get stoned."
Still wondering how to keep up with all the players saints? You need a Saintly Scorecard 2017! While the paper book has passed into the realm of collectors' items, the ebook is available. Pick one up for your Kindle or iPad today! For only $2.99 you'll have the inside track on all things Lent Madness!
Finally, in case you've ever been kept up at night wondering about the inner workings of the Supreme Executive Committee, you're in luck! Tim and Scott recently appeared on the popular Priest Pulse podcast. In addition to discussing all things Lent Madness, they even touch on the roots of their longstanding feud. Enjoy!
Henry Beard Delany
Born a slave into a Methodist household in Georgia, Henry Beard Delany was freed at the end of the Civil War. As a teenager, Delany moved to Florida with his family, where he learned bricklaying and carpentry. Delany received a scholarship from a local Episcopal parish to attend St. Augustine’s College in Raleigh, North Carolina—a college founded by Episcopal clergy to educate emancipated African-Americans.
Delany studied music and theology, joining the faculty after graduation and teaching building trades. Together, he and his students built the chapel, library, and hospital for the college. He attended an Episcopal church and was ordained a deacon in 1889 and priest in 1892. Upon his ordination, Delany became the vice-principal of the college. His wife Nanny Logan, also an alumna of St. Augustine’s, taught and served as matron at the college. They had ten children, including noted authors Sadie and Bessie Delany. During the later part of the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth century, the southern dioceses of the Episcopal Church were wrestling with the status of African-Americans within the church. While there were historic African-American congregations—like St. Ambrose where Delany was nurtured and ordained—they were routinely refused full parish status due to fears that a sizeable block of African-American delegates to diocesan conventions might upset the status quo.
Delany was part of the Commission for Work among Colored People, the leading association of African-American clergy and lay leaders in the Episcopal Church. In 1908, he was appointed as Archdeacon for Negro Work in the Diocese of North Carolina. When the church decided to maintain segregated missionary districts for African-Americans, Delany was unanimously elected by the diocesan convention as Suffragan Bishop for Negro Work. On November 21, 1918, he was consecrated bishop in the chapel at St. Augustine College—a house of worship he had designed and helped to build with his own hands. He worked tirelessly throughout the Carolinas, planting and nurturing African-American congregations until his death on April 14, 1928.
Collect for Henry Beard Delany
Almighty God who frees your people with a mighty hand and outstretched arm: Grant strength to all your servants who, inspired by the example and prayers of Henry Beard Delany, hold fast, bearing witness to the truth of your love and justice in the face of oppression; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Aelred of Rievaulx
Aelred of Rievaulx was born in northern England in 1110. Thanks to a biography written shortly after his death, much is known about his life and travels.
After spending several years at the court of King David I of Scotland, Aelred entered the Cistercian abbey of Rievaulx, in Yorkshire, at the age of 24. In 1147, Aelred was elected abbot and led the abbey through a period of growth and expansion, growing the abbey to about 140 monks and 500 laymen.
A prolific writer who authored several volumes on spirituality, Aelred is also remembered as a tireless traveler and political negotiator. In addition to visiting the abbey’s five daughter-houses in England and Scotland, he also traveled annually to the general chapter of the Cistercians at Cîteaux (France). In 1138, he traveled to the Scottish border to help negotiate the transfer of a castle to King David of Scotland. Four years later, he traveled to Rome for an audience with Pope Innocent II as part of a group who opposed the election of William, King Stephen’s nephew, as Archbishop of York.
Aelred’s writings include histories and biographies, spiritual treatises, and sermons. For his talents as both an author and a church manager, Aelred has been called the “St. Bernard of the North” (in reference to Bernard of Clairvaux, a French Cistercian abbot). Although never formally canonized, he has been venerated as a saint since the 1400s. His feast is marked in the calendars of various churches on January 12, the traditional date of his death.
After reading his correspondence and a biography by a fellow monk, author John Boswell and a few other scholars have suggested that Aelred may have been gay. Because of this conjecture, and inspired by Aelred’s writings on friendship, Integrity U.S.A. and some other LGBT organizations have adopted Aelred as their patron saint, as well.
Collect for Aelred of Rievaulx
Almighty God, you endowed the abbot Aelred with the gift of Christian friendship and the wisdom to lead others in the way of holiness: Grant to your people that same spirit of mutual affection, that, in loving one another, we may know the love of Christ and rejoice in the gift of your eternal goodness; through the same Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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338 comments on “Henry Beard Delany vs. Aelred of Rievaulx”
I drove by St. Augustine College many times when I lived in NC so it's Delaney for me.
I always vote for the underdog! But Oliver, I former teacher I love your comment and insight!
I cast my vote for Saint Aelred. Bravo Middle Ages!
A hard choice, but I voted for the father of the wonderful Delany sisters!
That should have been "Delany" and "fair". Wish we could edit our posts. Please work on that for next year, SEC.
Aelred shows the spirit of encompassing christian love and service, He was involved in high level negotiations and passed over for sainthood. He deserves a halo in our century.
It is always hard to choose. But if you don't vote for the saint who is more local to you, who do you vote for? Educator, priest, builder, architect, Henry gets my vote.
Dear SEC, how can my husband and I both vote in Lent Madness? Can I use another email account (gmail) for one of us? Our main account is Yahoo Acct but I have another Acct that is Google gmail. It's not a problem as we usually agree on the same saint, but today not. And we want his opinion to count! Let us know. We don't want to incur the wrath of the SEC!
Sally From Dallas, just be sure to vote from different email accounts.
LOL!
Or if you have separate computers (or 1 computer & 1 smart phone) at least one of you can go to LentMadness.org on the device the other one did not use to vote, and cast his/her vote there.
Like if you vote via email from your computer and he has either another computer or a smart phone, then he would use that to vote online at LentMadness.org each voting day, but not your computer as that would look like double voting.
Hope that helps.
I had already decided on Henry, but had I been conflicted, Oliver's comment would have sealed the deal!
Difficult choice. In the end I decided I couldn't vote for Henry Beard Delaney, because he acceded to the church's policy of segregation. It may well have been a relief for African-American church people not to have Caucasians breathing down their necks all the time, but the Episcopal Church was wrong to choose segregation.
Beth, I agree that the Episcopal Church was wrong to choose segregation. But what was Delany supposed to do about it? He was in no position to determine policy in that matter. Instead, he worked with what he had within a flawed system and accomplished great things.
I am so glad to see that Oliver is back. He offers such great insight. I voted for Henry Beard Delany but found that it, as usual, was difficult since they were so different.
In the past we have had vigorous quarrels (I mean, earnest discussions) about whether the more modern saints were being favored over the more ancient ones. So I was mindful of that before casting my vote. The more ancient saints are burdened (fleshed out?) with a lot of lore that appealed to people in the past but are more suspect to us now. (Popping eyeballs, grilling on racks, and the ever popular St Denis carrying his own head.) We have also seriously examined whether we prefer "deacon" types (social workers) over "priest" types (contemplatives). We tend to vote for activists who take Christ to the ramparts of disease and social justice. So I am upholding that fine tradition of preferring the flesh-and-blood innovator and challenger of Xian norms. I liked the black priest who helped build a church and witnessed to changes in the church at a time when slavery continued to warp both the society and the church. I am mindful that slavery and white supremacy continue to warp our society today, and we are presently suffering the horrible consequences of living in a sadly weakened democracy (sad!), precisely because of the pernicious effects of ongoing, active racism. Hate is real in our society right now. I am scheduled to take a workshop in non-violent resistance at the end of the month; I am a member of my parish's RERT (Rapid Emergency Response Team) which will quickly go to any other parish or situation where (especially) Hispanics are being targeted and harassed by hate groups or by ICE, to witness and put our bodies between hate and life. (I suppose we will do corny "activist" stuff like "sing Xian songs"--I don't know). I only know the fear I feel is less than the fear some others in our society feel right now. So I voted for earnest, hard working witness in American society. I was less than swayed by the tepid, unsupported suggestion that Aelred "may have been gay." Delany WAS black at a time when blacks were not full members of our society. I pray all ethnicities and religions will be accepted as full members of our society soon. Hence my vote for Delany. Apologies for the homily. We live in parlous times demanding active witness.
Amen. And I would love to know more about your parish's rapid response team's work.
What a difficult and thought-provoking choice. Ultimately, I chose Delany, because I felt like I was also voting for his entire family. Aelred and his writings on friendship caused to reflect on how much I cherish my friends, so in tribute to him I'll be getting in touch with some I haven't talked to in a bit later today.
Thank you!
Had to go American! Sending love to the LGBT community!
Has the SEC now succumbed to PC?
As soon as I saw the name I had to vote for him, Henry. He was a man of integraty.
Voting for Aelred because we need his voice in this Sad Sorry world, Highly recommend people read Spiritual Friendship and the Mirror of Charity.
Lets hear it for Mrs. Delany! 10 children
Yes!!!!!
The Delaney name is revered throughout the Carolinas and his daughters accomplishments are now in the literary canon. My mother was a St. Aug graduate and her homeplace was a few blocks away. He was a saint and I hope he will be a "winner take all !" He was the exemplar for all Black Episcopalians suffered through and endured for the Faith.
Love the story and history of Henry! Knowing all we know about slavery and the years after spaces were free, his is an amazing story of faith and the power we have when we trust in God. I love that he was a tradesman! My Dad was a bricklayer and a devout Catholic and family man. Henry started from humble beginnings filled with strife, but used his talents and faith to make such a wonderful contribution. Just raising 10!!!! children makes him a saint in my eyes! He has a gentle face and proud demeanor in the picture that is featured and I love ❤️ his story! He's a Saint through and through. He shares a name with my future son-in-law to boot!!
Aelred for the win, today. Being a gay monk couldn't have been easy.
The strength of character and grace in Henry's story speaks so loudly to my heart of what faith can accomplish in moving forward. We all live in times where there are oppressions of the outer life. The characteristics change from age to age, but the dynamics are the same, and the ability to keep working forward without falling into cynicism or bitterness speaks a voice of hope for us all. Blessings for Henry.
I have also been to Rievaulx Abbey. It is indeed a peaceful place. Henry's life is very impressive but I had to go with Aelred. As a dog lover, I always go for the "underdog!"
I'm with Aelred: his visit to Scotland in 1138 was at a time of war between England and Scotland, and this was an attempt to bring some peace into the situation. "Blessed are the peacemakers"
Wow already enjoyed politics and traveled to politic for the church Henry beard Delany suffered politics to build within the church and indeed suffered.
This was an unexpectantly hard vote for me. As a member of the GLBT community I wanted to vote for Aelred. But as I read Henry's bio, It came to me how many times I had to read the term "colored" and "negro" as if a sub set of humanity. I wondered how it felt to Henry? Because in my generation the "L" word was always connected to something dirty it took me a long time before I was willing to apply it to myself. Did Aelred feel the same?
Either way the vote goes these men seemed to know where they stood in Christ and said "Yes I'll go for you"
I voted for Delaney because of his collect - prayer for love and JUSTICE! As one of the many children of Archbishop Tutu I must support this!
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Sorry Aelred, but my North Carolina roots, and over six and a half decades of calling North Carolina home (with apologies to Mike Cross), beat out my Anglophilic tendencies today! (I promise, my allegiance to the East Carolina University Pirates had NOTHING to do with my vote!)
Aelred of Rievaulx for his beautiful words to all of us: “He who does not love his own soul will in no way be capable of loving the soul of another”
Consider this when voting today - Aelred traveled great distances, over and over again, to represent and do the hard work necessary to be part of the larger community of Christians across Europe. Looking for a saintly miracle? There you go! I believe that simple fact makes him extraordinary in a way we truly can't appreciate in our era of air travel, Skype and email. His important voice was heard and thanks to additional miracles, preserved, for us. Henry Delany's contributions are genuinely extraordinary, but don't take the easy route of voting for the story you relate to best. Stretch out - think early Medieval! Aelred may even inspire you to help you keep a Lenten discipline to disconnect a little electronically - with participation in Lent Madness being a clear and important exception!