Today is the one and only weekend vote of Lent Madness 2018. Every other matchup will take place on the weekdays of Lent. And it's an intriguing pairing! We get Genesius, a saintly cut-up (he was a comedian and, more literally, had his head chopped off) facing off against Quiteria, a nonuplet Christian warrior and martyr. Which saint will be "re-martyred?" Well, that's up to you.
Yesterday, in a rout of Biblical (see what we did there?) proportions, Margaret of Scotland destroyed Charles I 89% to 11% and will face the winner of Mary of Egypt vs. Richard Hooker. Speaking of future rounds, if you're interested in seeing when your favorite saint will be doing battle, check out our Matchup Calendar. Better yet, print it out and tape it to your bathroom mirror.
Lent Madness will continue first thing Monday morning as we dip into the Mostly Modern quadrant of the bracket for the first time with Anna Alexander taking on Peter Claver.
Genesius
A comedian, Genesius led a theatrical troupe in Rome in the third century. Desperate to advance his career, he decided to write and star in a play for the Emperor Diocletian.
As he contemplated the subject matter, Genesius decided to mock the mysteries of the Christian faith and expose the ridiculousness of the sacraments. Of course, he needed some inside knowledge on the subject matter, so Genesius studied for the role by lying to members of a Christian community, telling them that he wanted to prepare for baptism.
The community welcomed Genesius into the catechumenate. While he learned the teaching, more details for the play came to him. He would act like a man on his deathbed, calling out for baptism.
He wrote the play and began the performance before the emperor. In the middle of a scene, Genesius depicted a dying man calling out for his faux sacrament. An actor arrived in clerical garb and baptized Genesius. Somehow, the ridicule ended there. Genesius was overcome with the grace of God, and what began as a farce became a real act of faith. Genesius was transformed, and while he was still on the stage, he urged the emperor to convert to Christianity.
Diocletian did not have the same change of heart. Instead, he became enraged and demanded that Genesius be tortured until he recanted. Genesius suffered greatly, but he never denied his faith. So Diocletian had him beheaded.
Genesius is the patron saint to the comic, the actor, and the tortured.
Collect for Genesius
God of laughter and suffering, we pray that through all of our art, we might reflect the goodness of your grace. May our lives be transformed through creative work, as we serve in the likeness and the image of our Creator; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Quiteria
Quite often, little is known about the saints beyond their existence and stories that have arisen among Christians to honor them over centuries. At first glance, many overlook Quiteria, in part perhaps because little is known beyond her naming in the Roman Martyrology as a saint and martyr.
But in southern France and northern Spain, churches remember Quiteria as a virgin and martyr. The most compelling legend of Quiteria, however, is Portuguese. Quiteria was a nonuplet—one of nine sisters born at the same time. Her mother, wife of the Roman governor, contemptuously likened her daughters to a litter and worried that she might be compared to a common animal for giving birth to so many children at once. In her vanity, she ordered her children drowned in a river by their nurse. Unwilling to kill the children, the nurse took the nonuplets to her own village and raised them away from their mother and father. It was in this village that Quiteria and her sisters were raised as devout Christians.
As they matured, the sisters’ faith compelled them to form a sort of gang–-one that went around freeing Christians from prisons in the area. Ultimately, Quiteria and her sisters were caught and commanded to worship a Roman god. Refusing, they were hauled before the Roman governor— their father—who immediately recognized the women as his daughters. He begged them to marry Roman pagans. The sisters refused and were thrown in prison.
As a rule, nonuplet warrior gangs don’t take imprisonment lightly. Resourcefully, they broke out of jail, freeing fellow prisoners with them. Upon gaining their freedom, rather than retreating into the woods, Quiteria and her sisters engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Roman Empire. Their campaign was ultimately unsuccessful, and Quiteria was captured, beheaded, and thrown into the ocean, while her sisters escaped. Legend holds that when guards were sent to capture her sisters, Quiteria emerged from the ocean, holding her own head and warding off the Roman guards from their pursuit. Two of her sisters, Marina and Liberata, were also martyred and ultimately canonized.
Collect for Quiteria
Almighty God, by whose grace and power your holy martyr Quiteria triumphed over suffering and was faithful even to death: Grant us, who now remember her in thanksgiving, to be so faithful in our witness to you in this world, that we may receive with her the crown of life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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280 comments on “Genesius vs. Quiteria”
Quonteria got my vote.
What a wild story, 9 kids at once !
Throwing them in a river !
Pact of women fighting off Roman soldiers !
Then beheaded lady emerging from the river !
Wow. You could not make that up.
Sounds like a Jason movie to me
“As a rule, nonuplet warrior gangs do not take imprisonment lightly.” How can I not vote for Quinteria after that sentence?
My feeble brain simply could not wrap itself around the concept of nonuplets surviving birth, so I decided to laugh along with Genesius on this utterly bizarre pairing!
Diocletian got his just desserts later at the hands of the Christians who took over his palace and removed every representation of him in his palace, save one obscure one in what they turned into a chapel.
Still, I've got to go with one of nine sisters freeing prisoners.
It really is a tough choice.
About like the election in 2016 for me- I don't like or believe either one.
I voted for Quiteria in honor of all who stand up to the powerful in the name of religious freedom and justice for those who are of little value under our flawed standards of measurement. This is especially fitting with the current state of our nation.
Totally agree. Quinteria sought to make the impossible possible and that is why she is a saint. And also why she got my vote!
Well said, Alison Earles!
Welcome back Oliver! I went with the woman who survived being born with 8 others! As a maternity nurse, I expected a certain respect for her Mom, until she wants to drown them! I voted for Quitéria for her stamina in the face of ..,,.everything.
Quiteria could be cast in a king fu rendition of this story!!
During his performance for Diocletian, Genesius was heard to utter "I'm dying out here," a phrase repeated down through the centuries by comedians whose acts are flopping.
Laughter and speaking truth to power are both important. Genesius is a good role model. Quiteria's story is just bit too fanciful!
Legend, fact or fiction had to go with the the girls. Both stories seem to have definite legend aspect.
I voted for Genesius in large part because of that great collect for him. Laughter can be holy and healing.
I like female warriors--they have served us well. Without them, women wouldn't be voters. We must not let them down. Meanwhile thanks to Colbert and Kimmel who help us laugh, lest we parish.
Very difficult. Laughter has it this time. a legacy of laughter and faith also
I wanted to vote for Quiteria because she was a strong woman and because David Sibley was her advocate (I consulted one of his books just this morning), but somehow I just couldn't get into her story. Some of the comments have dissed Genesius because he wasn't a Christian very long, but remember the parable about the men working in the harvest. Those that only worked one hour got the same pay as those who worked all day.
Very hard decision, but you gotta love a saint with a sense of humor.
I always struggle when the vote involves saints whose real histories are obscured by fantastic legends. I'm voting for Genesius, whose Roman legend was at least more likely to have been based on a historical figure, Genesius of Arles (a notary, not a comedian). My further research tells me that Quiteria may be a complete work of fiction, including her name. Genesius' legend also appeals to me more, as Quiteria's guerrilla warfare repels the pacifist in me. Looks like she'll win handily, though.
This was a tough choice. Ultimately I had to go with the comedian martyr. Both were crazy-great stories, but comedians need their own patron saint to get some recognition.
Looking up today’s saints it appears there is a Fraternity of St. Genesius in the Catholic Church for those involved in cinema and theater, though their website it severely out of date. Anyone know if they are still active?
Nevertheless, she persisted....
I voted for the underdog! It was tough. I don't care how "unreal" the story is! But I've done some acting....
I have a hard time believing in the Quiteria story, but it was so good I had to go with her.
At least Oliver and I are on the same page this time.
I selected St Genesius and will tell Frank about him- he will once again portray Pontius Pilate in local troupe. These times also call for some humor and the Parody Project satires hit the spot
Genesius, was doing his thing, and then he "saw the light" We should all be so lucky to be doing what we are called to do(no matter the motive), and get faith at the same time. His conversion and his strength to stay with it convinced me, he has my vote.
I voted for Genesius because his story seems more likely to be true!
I'm curious why only 3 of the 9 sisters were canonized?
Perhaps she was only one of triplets, and her story was exaggerated over the centuries.
Genesius. He stands for the vulnerability of the artist in revealing the Truth of our human condition through the work. And the Truth can only be revealed in a holy space. Theater at its best is the holy place. I’m sometimes aware of this in the ritual of our liturgy.
I'm backing the guy behind the snarky and bitter YouTube comments (the one terrified of a vindictive woman emerging from the deep). I've been backing the women for a while now; they got this.
The fact that Quiteria appeared to be an activist, was faithful and fought for what she believed in; gave her my vote