668 comments on “Nominationtide has arrived!”

1. I am super excited about my nomination, St. Herman of Alaska and the first saint of North America. No kidding!
   Born near Moscow around 1760 and joined the monastery of Valaam. In 1793, 10 years after Alaska was colonized by Russia, its governor/administrator Alexander Baranov requested spiritual guidance for the Aleut Indians. Herman and nine other Orthodox priests and monks from Valaam made the treacherous journey across the Bering Sea to primitive Kodiak Island. These original Russian missionaries had a tremendous impact on Alaska - where tiny Russian Orthodox churches dot the landscape to this day. They built a school, a church, made outreach, labored to raise their own food and made many friends.
   Of the 10 men, only St. Herman survived beyond a few years. He's know for his defense and intervention on behalf of the native Aleuts who were harshly treated by the Russian fur traders and administrators of the Russian America Company. He defended those who had been offended. He helped those who were in need with whatever means he had available.
   Eventually Father Herman sought to return to a hermetic life and he relocated from Kodiak Island to tiny Spruce Island a mile away. Undeterred, the Aleuts, men, women and children, often visited him and their close community continued. Some Aleuts asked for advice, others complained of oppression, others sought out defense, and still others desired help. Each one received personal care and concern from Father Herman. He discussed their mutual difficulties, and he tried to settle these peacefully. He was especially concerned about reestablishing understanding in families. If he did not succeed in reconciling a husband and wife, Father Herman suggested for the coupl to separate temporarily. The need for such a procedure he explained thus, “it is better to let them live apart, or believe me, it can be terrible if they are not separated. There have been incidents when a husband killed his wife, or when a wife destroyed her husband.”
   Father Herman especially loved children. He made large quantities of biscuits for them, and he baked cookies (krendelki) for them; and the saint is often depicted in icons where he is joined with a gaggle of Aleut kids.
   St. Herman was a kind and gentle man who is a perfect example of "doing the next right thing" in harsh and primitive circumstances. His witness lives on!
   Another great reason for considering St Herman is the absolutely breathtaking artwork available with his image.

   1. and ... imagine the possibilities for Lent Madness - maybe a first romp into Alaska-themed, saintly reality tv. Am I right, yeah?

2. Miiyuyum, Greetings to you all,
   I humbly nominate Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks, first Native American Saint. the story of her conversion, her strength through suffering and her short life of holiness while following The Creators Path serves as inspiration for us all.

3. I nominate Clement of Alexandria. A 2nd-century convert to Christianity, Clement was well versed in Greek philosophy and the Hellenistic worldview of his upbringing. His promotion of Christian faith, in three fully extant works and fragments of others, rested on a profound understanding of the views of differing faiths and cultures (and of his own), and was born of a respectful if critical approach to these views.

   Clement's work remain an important part of the library of early Church Fathers' teachings, and represents a fascinating example of the powerful influence Greek thought had on early development of Christianity, as epitomized in thinkers such as Augustine and Dionysius the Areopagite, as well as Clement and others.

   Clement offers a fine example of discourse that could use more popularity today: sensitive and respectful while rigorous and critical.

4. I would like to nominate Hannah Grier Coome, the Mother Foundress of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, the only Anglican Religious Community to be founded in Canada. After her husband died of cancer, she planned to return to England where she had spent most of her married life, to join a Religious Community there whom she had come to know well after the miscarriage of her only child followed by a long and painful convalescence. A group of men and women in Toronto asked her to found a religious community in Toronto which she did in 1884 after two years of training and preparation. She and the sisters responded to the call to oversee a military field hospital in Moose Jaw in 1885; to found a small hospital in Toronto that same year; 4 years later to found the first Surgical Hospital for Women in Toronot; to start a training school for nurses in 1901, to open homes for the aged in 1886, to provide the Sisters to staff Bishop Bethune College in Oshawa and a kindergarten and elementary school in Toronto. This Sisterhood is still flourishing today.

5. I nominate Saint Aebbe/Ebba of Coldingham (615-683). She was a noblewoman who converted to Christianity while she and her family were exiled in western Scotland. When they returned to eastern Scotland she founded monasteries in St. Abb's Head and Ebchester. She was also a skilled negotiator, which she used to help resolve disputes between warring factions. In the Scottish Episcopal Church, her feast day is August 25.

6. I nominate St. Perpetua author of The Passion of Saint Perpetua, Saint Felicitas, and their Companions is one of the oldest and most notable early Christian texts. It survives in both Latin and Greek forms, and purports to contain the actual prison diary of the young mother and martyr Perpetua. Scholars generally believe that it is authentic although in the form we have it may have been edited by others. The text also purports to contain, in his own words, the accounts of the visions of
   Saturus, another Christian martyred with Perpetua. An editor who states he was an eyewitness has added accounts of the martyrs' suffering and deaths. Catalogued by the Bollandists as BHL 6633-6636, BHG1482
   Perpetua and Felicity (believed to have died in 203 AD) were Catholic Christian martyrs of the 3rd century. Vibia Perpetua was a married noblewoman, said to have been 22 years old at the time of her death, and mother of an infant she was nursing. Felicity, a slave imprisoned with her and pregnant at the time, was martyred with her. They were put to death along with others at Carthage in the Roman province of Africa.
   According to the passion narrative, a slave named Revocatus, his fellow slave Felicitas, the two freemen Saturninus and Secundulus, and Perpetua, who were catechumens, that is, Christians being instructed in the faith but not yet baptized, were arrested and executed at the military games in celebration of the Emperor Septimus Severus's birthday. To this group was added a man named Saturus, who voluntarily went before the magistrate and proclaimed himself a Christian.

7. LENT MADNESS

   I nominate Hannah Grier Coome, a widow, the first Reverend Mother of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine in Canada, who could be called an ‘accidental mother’. She had suffered a miscarriage and been told she could never have children then ended up being the Mother-Foundress of the only Canadian Anglican women’s religious order. After training at St. Mary’s Peekskill, NY, Mother Hannah founded the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine in Toronto in 1884.

   Toronto was a Protestant stronghold and the Sisters faced strong opposition but that changed after they provided nursing care in Saskatchewan for the wounded of the short-lived Riel uprising. People realized a women’s religious order could be a formidable force for good works at a time when governments provided few social services.

   Because of her miscarriage and ensuing long convalescence, Mother Hannah was particularly interested in the health care of women. In 1885 she began the first women’s hospital in Canada, St. John’s Surgical Hospital for Women, which took in paying and non-paying patients. Mother Hannah realized that the spiritual needs of patients was as important as their physical needs. Mother Hannah and the community went on to run schools, hospitals and homes for the aged, to visit the poor and sick, and provide food and clothing to many.

   Mother Hannah was both devout and practical. She said: ‘The object of a Community is first, personal sanctification; second active charity. The life of prayer and devotion must come first or the Community will soon sink down into a society of persons living together for the work they can do, instead of a society gathered together in the Church to live in loving devotion to Almighty God, irrespective of the work each member may accomplish.’

   Rooted in this ethos, the 21 Sisters of St. John the Divine continue to maintain a mixed life of prayer and service in Toronto and Victoria, B.C.

   Sr. Helen Claire

8. I nominate St. Jarlath. Our church book gang read Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy. St. Jarlath was prominently mentioned. None of us had ever heard of him. It turns out he was an Irish saint who founded the monastery of Cluain Fois, and presided over it as abbot and Bishop. He then founded a school attached to the monastery which became known as a center of learning. St. Brendan of Clonfert and St. Colman of Cloyne were his pupils. I think it would be fun to learn more about him!

   1. He does sound interesting!

9. I would like to nominate Father Suitbert Mollinger who founded St.Anthony’s Chapel in Pittsburgh, PA and collected over 5,000 relics, the largest collection outside of Rome. Born of a wealthy family he studied medicine in Italy to become a medical doctor. He then entered the seminary at the age of 24 to become a priest. He used his own funds to build the Chapel to house the relics. You could say he is the patron saint of relics! He used both his faith, medical knowledge and relics to heal the tens of thousands of sick people who annually made pilgrimages there. He was known as the healing priest.

10. I pass St. Josephat's Ukrainian Catholic Church on my way to the nearest Episcopal Church each week.

11. I want to nominate Hannah Grier Coome, the Mother Foundress of the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, in Canada. I believe she is worthy of both being part of Lent Madness, and of achieving the glorious crown of the Golden Halo. From the book, A Journey Just Begun, "Most religious communities begin with an individual's resolute belief that they have been singularly called by God to establish one. Such was not the case with the Sisterhood of St. John the Divine: Canada's first Anglican community of sisters sprang to life when a church committee cornered a reluctant widow who was trying to leave the country." That reluctant widow was Mother Hannah! She possessed many wonderful virtues, including a delightful sense of humour (I'm Canadian, so you get Canadian spelling with this). The community is still flourishing as we continue the journey she began with the establishment of this Sisterhood in 1884 in Toronto, Canada.

12. The Venerable Mother Catherine Elizabeth McAuley (29 September 1778 – 11 November 1841). Catherine recognized the many needs of people who were economically poor in early nineteenth century Ireland and determined that she and women like her could make a difference. Spending her inheritance, she opened the first House of Mercy in Dublin, Ireland on September 24, 1827, a place to shelter and educate women and girls. Catherine's original intention was to assemble a lay corps of Catholic social workers. Impressed by her good works and the importance of continuity in the ministry, the Archbishop of Dublin advised her to establish a religious congregation. Three years later on December 12, 1831, Catherine and two companions became the first Sisters of Mercy. In the 10 years between the founding and her death, she established 14 independent foundations in Ireland and England.

    The first Sisters of Mercy arrived in the United States from Ireland in 1843 at the invitation of the Bishop of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their energy in ministering to the sick and economically poor attracted so many new members that by 1854, sisters had come from Ireland to settle in New York City; Chicago, Illinois; Little Rock, Arkansas; and San Francisco, California, spreading across the country and establishing schools and hospitals. Since then, the works of Mercy have expanded to embrace education, health care and pastoral and social services in hundreds of sites today.

13. St Hilda of Whitby. Founded and presided over a double monastery for men and women--in the Celtic style-- at Whitby England in mid 600s.
    Presided over Synod of Whitby there, an important turning point in Christian history. She was known as a peacemaker and wise counsilor. Nobles and commoners sought her advise freely. She encouraged and supported many, including Caedmon-a herdsman- who was directed in a dream to write songs to God in the vernacular. Very unusual in early Christianity.

14. I would like to nominate Evelyn Underhill for her contributions to Christian mysticism and the contemplative tradition, and because I have not yet seen her nominated.

15. St. Dismas (the Good Thief) (March 25)

    Dismas shows all of us that it is never too late to repent of our sins and to receive the loving forgiveness of the Lord. I jokingly call him "The patron saint of being in the right place at the right time".

16. I nominate St. Gregory of Narek, whose prayers are beautiful and moving. These prayer poems have been published as Speaking with God from the Depths of the Heart. Some of them have not only opened me up to deeper personal prayer, but their words have helped me to understand God more deeply.

    I also enjoyed the special quadrants of the bracket this year. A suggestion for one could be one for Doctors of the Church. Gregory of Narek was recently named a Doctor (that is, teacher) of the Church by Pope Francis. Other nominees I’ve noticed who are Doctors are Hildegard of Bingen, Therese of Lisieux, Catherine of Siena, Ephrem the Syrian, Thomas Aquinas. It’s a temporally diverse bunch, to say the least. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_the_Church
    The category of Doctor has its limitations (only Catholic non-martyrs) but the quadrant could be expanded to others who are also the great teachers of the church, including more recent Protestant theologians or ancient theologians who are not considered Doctors by the institutional church (such as Gregory of Nyssa).

17. I nominate Bl. Miguel Pro. Disquised as a beggar, wealthy businessman, street sweeper, or policeman, Jesuit priest Miguel Pro ministered undercover to his fellow Mexican Christians during the anti-clerical regime of the 1920's. When captured, he stood before his firing squad, whom he forgave, with his arms open as on a cross boldly bearing witness shouting, " Viva, Cristo Rey". His feast day is Nov. 23.

18. I nominate Manche Masemola who is celebrated on the Anglican calendar 4 February.
    In her culture and era she was nearly powerless but in her own person she was a voice for faith in Christ in the face of persecution and misunderstanding. She wrote no treatises, gave no sermons, founded no movements or institutions, and accomplished nothing noteworthy, except to let nothing, not even the risk to her life, stand in the way of her decision to follow Christ.

19. I nominate St. Catherine of Siena for her fearless letter writing (campaign) to nobles and church officials in behalf of the less fortunate.

20. I cast my vote for David Pendleton Oakerhater for Lent Madness 2019 and the Golden Halo. “God’s Warrior” became my husband’s and my favorite saint back in 1996 when we were living in Amarillo Texas and traveled to Roman Nose State Park to renew our wedding vows over a weekend of serenity, peace and love. We’d been married 33 years and needed time alone, in a special place of nature and tranquility. What we discovered was a miracle of joy and blessing...and David Pendleton Oakerhater. We’d never heard of him, but there was a bust and plaque of him at the Park and his story of transformation and redemption. David has become “our saint” over the years. We’re getting ready to celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary. And Pendleton’s story and spiritual journey continue to inspire and bless us. The first Native American Deacon will get my vote for Golden Halo always.

21. I nominate Mother Theresa. Do I really have to explain why? She was awesome, she was saintly, she was flawed, she was a woman of our time.

    1. I would like to nominate Jonathan Myrick Daniels, Episcopal seminarian (from NH)and civil rights activist. In 1965, he was murdered by a shotgun-wielding construction worker, Tom Coleman, who was a special county deputy, in Hayneville, Alabama, while in the act of shielding 17-year-old Ruby Sales.

    2. I would like to nominate Pauli Murray. She was a civil rights activist, a pioneering feminist, a labor organizer, a lawyer, an Episcopal priest, and a writer of nonfiction, memoir, and poetry.

       Murray earned a BA from Hunter College and a JD from Howard Law School. The only woman in her class, she was valedictorian and awarded a prestigious Rosenwald fellowship for postgraduate study–only to be denied admission to her first choice, Harvard University, because of her gender. She earned a master’s at the Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and became the first black woman to earn a PhD in juridical science from Yale Law School. She also earned a master’s in divinity from the General Theological Seminary.

       Murray was a leader in the fight against racism and sexism and worked as a labor organizer. She was a founding member of the Congress for Racial Equality and the National Organization for Women. She laid the intellectual foundations for the civil rights and feminist movements.

       In her ’60s, Murray was the first woman ordained as an Episcopal priest. She served as a priest for eight years

       Murray was gender nonconforming, describing herself as “a girl who should have been a boy.”
       Murray died on July 1, 1985, of pancreatic cancer. Since her death, she has been named a saint by the Episcopal Church.

22. I nominate Saint Patrick. He was enslaved by the Irish and escaped, and yet later returned to bring Christ to the Irish people. What better example of loving your enemies?

    1. I second the nomination of St. Patrick, the British Apostle to the Irish and the Father of Celtic Christianity. The two texts attributed to him (His Confession and his Letter to Coroticus) reveal that he was a mystic and a prophet, a man of deep prayer and political action. He may be the first Christian (if not the first person in history) to speak out against slavery. Also, this last Lent his feast day fell on the Second Sunday in Lent, which inspired my congregation to sing the official Lent Madness hymn during our procession. So this nomination of St. Patrick includes a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sISguBq-X48

23. St. Aidan of Lindisfarne is my nominee. He was a monk, and a bishop, and is responsible for restoring Christianity to many parts of northern England. But he also helped the poor, built churches and schools, and tried to improve the lives of all he met.

24. I nominate Oscar Romero. He was a bookish introvert who was expected to go along with injustice, who found and showed extraordinary courage on behalf of his people.

25. I nominate Brother Lawrence. His "The Practice of the Presence of God" was a God-send to me as a young mother and homemaker. He helped me see the joy and worth of those constantly undone menial chores, and after 50 years at them, I find he still inspires and reassures me that these tasks have value and praise God just as much as do high-flying sermons and deeds.
    His amusing account of how God instructed him in patience has also helped me tolerate prickly students and neighbors.
    Brother Lawrence is one of those saints I look forward to meeting one day.
    Perhaps he will follow Martha to next year's Golden Crown.

26. St. Andrew the Apostle. Brother of St. Peter, one of the first chosen by Jesus Christ to follow him; and do I have to say more? He is the one of my two Patron Saints who meets all the criteria established here. (The other one is St Raphael the Archangel, but since we don't know if he factually is dead he might be ineligible. St. Andrew the Apostle definitely is!)

27. I nominate Jean Vanier who began L'Arche and died in the last few weeks. He was an amazing example of the acceptance with which people with disabilities should be treated and is generally admired.

    1. I love this idea of recognizing someone who worked on affecting positively the lives of people living with disabilities and look forward to learning more about Jean Vanier whether as part of Lent Madness or at another time.

       1. Saint Warren 1159 latin name Guarinus, an illustrious cardinal, Bishop of Palestrina and a member of the Order of Saint Augustine.

          Warren was my father’s name, and is also the first name of a dear friend who is such a gift to the world in many ways, that made me wonder if there was a Saint Warren. And I would love to learn more about him via Lent Maddness.

28. I nominate St. Florian, patron saint of firefighters, Austria, and brewers. Who could resist a beer with a firefighter in an Austrian bar?

29. I nominate Pauli Murray - for civil rights, social justice, ordination of women, and because "hope is a song in a weary throat."

30. Edith Cavell. English nurse during WWI. Took care of English and German wounded. Executed for helping wounded prisoners escape. From Norwich. She was on the list a couple of years ago. Shrine and grave are at Norwich Cathedral. Namesake pub across from the cathedral.

    1. I second this nomination of Edith Cavell! There is a mountain named for her in Canada, on the beautiful highway from Banff-Lake Louise to Jasper National Park. Nurse Cavell was reprsented in Sir Esme Wingfield Stratton's "History of British Civilisation" with her words, "Patriotism is not enough." A thought worth pondering today.

    2. Read this as helping wounded prisoners escape from Norwich. I'll have to adopt her as my patron saint! 😉