In a shocking, bracket-busting upset, yesterday's matchup ended with Brother Lawrence driving out St. Patrick from Lent Madness 2020 57% to 43%. Erin go bragh? Erin go HOME!
Today we have an intriguing matchup between two saints of different eras. Margaret of Costello was a blind, disabled medieval nun who overcame great hardship to follow her faith. Simon Gibbons was Canada's first Inuit priest, born in the mid-19th century.
With this decision, the door will close on the first full week of Lent Madness 2020. From here on out, voting will take place only on the weekdays of Lent. Which means the Lent Madness faithful must suffer the indignity of Lent Madness Withdrawal (LMW) on the weekends of Lent. This is a difficult condition to endure and, at this time, there is no known cure. Please be kind to yourselves, friends. And we'll see you bright and early on Monday morning as James Solomon Russell faces Evelyn Underhill.
Now go vote!
Margaret of Castello
Margaret of Castello (to whom I am not related…like 99 percent sure) was born sometime in 1287. We don’t know when exactly, because her parents—a noble couple named Parisio and Emilia—did not care for her.
She was born blind with a severe curvature of the spine that inhibited walking. Her parents resolved to hide her away, so that her appearance could not bring shame to the family honor. However, Margaret, as she was named by a kind maid, resolutely refused to die. Despite her parents locking her in a back room and forbidding her to see anyone, she managed to win the sympathy of the household staff and the local priest, who taught her the Christian faith.
One day, Emilia heard stories of a Franciscan friar who was performing miracle cures in Castello. She convinced her husband to take Margaret there, in hopes of a “cure.” They wrapped the teenager in a black shroud and smuggled her to the town, but as luck would have it, the friar had died while they were making the journey. Emilia tried to get another friar to “heal” Margaret, but no cure was forthcoming. Frustrated and embarrassed, the parents abandoned their daughter in Castello and went home.
But Margaret didn’t give up. The local beggars in town took pity on her and taught her how to beg so she could feed herself. She made her way by teaching the street children to read and learn different prayers. She also watched the children while their parents worked, essentially running a medieval daycare. In 1303, she came across some Dominican friars and begged to be allowed to join their order as a laywoman. She was inducted into the third order of the Dominicans and wore the habit until her death at the age of thirty-three. When she died, crowds from all over the countryside came to her funeral, drawn by their love of her and her compassion. They demanded that she be buried on church grounds.
Margaret is particularly loved by those who are disabled themselves. Unlike other saints, who either suffered momentarily in the process of martyrdom or suffered only to be healed, Margaret was born disabled and lived a life that showed Christ’s love in a disabled body. Her quiet love and resolute life won out against the ignorance of society and of the Church, in a struggle that inspires many today.
Collect for Margaret of Castello
Compassionate God, your daughter Margaret experienced the pain of rejection, and the joy of serving you and your people; grant to us, we pray, the courage and compassion to find your presence wherever we look, and the reflection of your beauty shining in every face we encounter. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Simon Gibbons
God loves a “hilarious” giver, according to Leonard F. Hatfield’s rendering of 2 Corinthians in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. And Simon Gibbons, it seems, was that.
Born in 1851, Gibbons was Canada’s first ordained Inuit priest, a prolific church builder, and a gifted communicator. At the time Hatfield wrote his biography of the saint in 1990, stories were still told in the parishes where Gibbons ministered that he had been discovered on an ice-floe off the coast of Labrador.
Other stories, which Gibbons also may have encouraged, were shared about his first appointment as an Anglican missionary on Cape Breton Island, at the eastern edge of Nova Scotia. With food and a change of clothes on his back, he traveled from place to place across the mission, sometimes on trails that could only be navigated by snowshoe in the winter. One story has him hopping across drifting ice to cross an inlet; another, crawling along a frozen shoreline to reach an isolated community at Christmastime.
Gibbons traveled twice to Great Britain, where he raised money to build new churches, preached at Westminster Abbey, and appeared before Queen Victoria. While he was bullied as a child for being Inuit, he found that in England, in his own words, “my face was my fortune.” Large audiences came to hear Canada’s first Inuit priest preach, and reports praised his “musical voice,” “fluent and eloquent speech” and “attractive personality,” according to Hatfield.
But Gibbons’s time as a traveling missionary seemed to have taken a toll on his health. He served two more parishes in Nova Scotia, taking some time in between to recover. He became known as “champion church builder of the diocese,” assisting in the construction of seven new churches in Nova Scotia. Many still can be recognized by their distinctive bell towers, which he helped construct himself.
Gibbons died in 1896 and, befitting one of the stories he encouraged, he was buried in the Parrsboro parish cemetery during what was reportedly one of the wildest winter storms of the century. He is remembered by the Anglican Church of Canada on December 14.
Collect for Simon Gibbons
Almighty God, whose will it is to be glorified in your saints, and who raised up your servant Simon Gibbons to be a light in the world: Shine, we pray, in our hearts, that we also in our generation may show forth your praise, who called us out of darkness into your marvelous light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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144 comments on “Margaret of Castello vs. Simon Gibbons”
The lead in text called her Margaret of Costello so I was all set to vote for another Irish saint but the rest of the write up (correctly) called her of Castello and I realized my mistake. So, instead, since I'm an architect, I'm voting for Simon - he had excellent taste in bell towers!
I figured Margaret would win but voted for Simon anyway. Although my ancestry in the USA goes back hundreds of years, and I am back in the USA again, I have lived the largest chunk of my adult life (25 years) in Newfoundland and Labrador, so I wanted to vote for the Inuit priest. I have tried for years to get Dr Wilfred Grenfell, who gave his entire life to Labrador and the northern peninsula of the island of Newfoundland, into the Lent Madness bracket. I suppose he'll never make it, even though he has a feast day in the Church of England, the Anglican Church of Canada, and the Episcopal Church USA. Anyway, this vote is for Canada and its native people.
I second the nomination for Grenfell! I read two of his books about his ministry. Inspiring. I've only visited Newfoundland, but my mother's ancestors were from there.
Voted for Simon--indigenous priest, builder of churches--with bell towers! I have a hunch he could spin a yarn as well.
But it's OK with me if Margaret wins, since my sister Margaret has taught music to children for many years.
I love the story of the intrepid Inuit priest but Margaret gets my vote today for demonstrating that our disabilities don't need to be "fixed" in order for us to be beloved by God.
I learned something new today. Interesting reading about these two worthy Saints. Margaret gets my vote.
This will be my first vote for a loser, it appears. I love the story of Simon, he sounds like a man to spend an evening with, along with suitable adult libations. My two dearest female friends are Margarets, but my beloved teller of tall tales, a man I lost only three weeks ago, was a definite Simon, though named "Bobby Lee" . Simon it is.
I voted for Margaret. As for wondering how a blind woman could teach children to read, there seem to be many aspects of our faith secularists find hard to believe. Such as: the loaves and fishes, Jesus walking on water, Jesus and his disciples curing the blind and raising the dead, and the greatest mystery of all, the death and resurrection of Christ. I don't take all of the stories about the saints literally, just points to illuminate the holiness of their lives. There is enough there aside from the more fanciful stories to admire them for their work in the world. Margaret managed to survive cruel parental neglect and a disability that would doom her to a lonely life in the shadows. That's enough for me.
Yes! This!
Oh dear. Margaret's story shows how God's love shared through a community can shower the whole community with gifts. However, coming from Canada, I have a love for what Simon did, esp. as he not only ministered among the Inuit but also shared his story across cultures and the Atlantic. Oh dear -- this might be the first choice I lose out on - but, O, Canada!
With mild, late-onset scoliosis, and my dearest friend sliding into disability with ALS, I must vote for Margaret. At the moment our disabilities are slight, yet make a tremendous change in our lives ... my friend especially has great faith, however, and I respect her so very much! And she still does good service, humbly caring for others and loving God, never blaming or giving up because of her current condition and future prospects. She reminds me of Margaret in many ways.
Patrick lost yesterday. This is why I hate Lent Madness.
I am amazed that so many of the comments focus mainly on Margaret's disability rather than her gifts. (Remember, Beethoven was deaf and wrote beautiful music.) Often people who have visual challenges use other senses to compensate. In addition, Margaret was taught about the Christian faith by the parish priest, which probably included Bible stories and prayers. Because visually she was not distracted by what was going on around her, she probably had memorized many of the stories and verses. At the time she lived, there were not a plethora of translations -- Latin Vulgate was pretty much it. So as the children began to "read," she could help with pronunciations of words that she had memorized. And as for watching the children, it would not be hard to figure out who was doing what or who decided to disappear just by using the sounds of their voices.
There were aspects in both commentaries on these saints that might be a tad bit hard to believe. But God is in charge and provides anyone who is willing to say "yes" to him with whatever is needed to fulfill their purpose.
I agree that Margaret may not have been totally blind. If she was taught to read, using large letters, she could in turn teach others. Both saints were wonderful, but I had to go with Margaret, for her perseverance.
My older sister was born with cerebral palsy and wheelchair bound for her entire life. She couldn't speak or read, but boy, did she sure teach people about love and generosity of spirit. She had both in spades. Today was an easy choice for me.
I feel for sweet Margaret...must have my vote as my name is Margaret also
Wow ! This is a hard one,My mother is French Canadian. We have relatives that are Newfoundlanders
Wonderful people those Newfoundlanders. I taught Special education for 15 out of my 20 years teaching. I have seen a variety of disabilities.whether they are physical or emotional or mental. I also have seen the results of children having abandonment issues.Hopping on and off ice floes?Teaching children to read even though the person is blind? Seems far fetched to me,however,that is why they have been chosen as saints and that is why we need to take things on faith. All the comments and memes and poems are wonderful and the comments enlightening. So in that vein I vote for Margaret.
I have a son with a disability in a world that is more
Tolerant but it can still be difficult for him
And those raising him.
I vote for Margaret who endured and helped
Others in a world that had given her very little.
Lovely Margaret, who was blind and physically disfigured, however the bio describes her in vision-oriented language, so what is "real" here?
She was born blind with a severe curvature of the spine that inhibited walking.
Despite her parents locking her in a back room and forbidding her to see anyone, …
She made her way by teaching the street children to read and learn different prayers.
She also watched the children while their parents worked,
In any case, her lot in life was stupendously lacking in positives and yet she rejoiced in it and served others with all she had. She is my choice for the day!
Imagine my surprise to see that the Dictionary of Canadian Biography (www.biographi.ca), where I work as the supervisory editor, is quoted in today's match-up! I guess you know who got my vote! BTW, bravo to all your excellent writers and editors at Lent Madness.
Margaret of Castillo's story is affecting, but I have to support fellow Canuck Simon Gibbons.
I was had at "Margaret was born disabled and lived a life that showed Christ’s love in a disabled body"... wow, is this ever so important for so many of us! It's hard to see the emphasis on healings and miracles when so little teaches us how to be faithful and hopeful while disabled and/or chronically ill.
As someone with 4 diagnosed chronic illnesses (possibly soon to be 5, per my doctor) who is essentially homebound, jobless, broke, likely soon to be without a proper home and who feels like she's barely hanging on to life and hope, Margaret encourages me greatly.
LA, I just added you to my prayer list.
Thank you.
Your avi is very expressive. Sending you a prayer for healing.
Thank you. Avi is a photo from back when I was still able to mime. I'd nearly forgotten it was attached to my WordPress account which was somehow automatically triggered when I added my name and email. Back in the day I even did mime pieces on Martin Luther, Bonhoeffer, Ezekiel and others—had considered a solo show called "Portraits" which never materialized due to my deteriorating health—oh! and all these saints I'm now meeting... imagine showing some of their faith and lives through that art form if I were still able!
(And then when I make my reply and for whatever reason auto-fill on my computer adds an extra letter to my email address and it doesn't pull my photo!)
I had a hard time deciding between today's two candidates. I lost my hearing at age 6 from meningitis...during WWII there was little of the (then) new drug, pencillin, and most of it went to the troops, not civilians. And as an adult, I married a deaf man who had lost his hearing to polio. We have 3 children, one of whom had brain injury at birth, and consequently had cerebral palsy and mental retardation. We now have 5 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. My husband is a chemist and a vocational counsellor. I hold a degree in biochemistry and later went to seminary and was ordained as the first deaf woman priest in the Episcopal Church. You see why I was pulled in both durections! Last fall I celebrated my 80th birthday and my husband and I celebrated our 60th anniversary. He is now paralyzed waist down. I still do occasional supply services, ut mostly stay home and look after my husband.
Both worthy choices, but my ancestors are from Nova Scotia and my grandfather built an Anglican church there in the 1890's. So Simon it was!
I live in Arizona, so I admire Simon's ability to get around in ice and snow, and be an effective missionary in harsh conditions. Simon gets my vote today.
Hurray for the saint of the Maritime Provinces! My father was born and raised in Nova Scotia in the tiny town of Freeport on Long Island, off the Digby peninsula. I remember fondly the times when we visited my Aunt Mary who lived in Parrsboro. My father's family was Baptist, not much given to talking about churchly things, so I never heard about Samuel Gibbons. Now I wish I had! And now I must vote for him.
I have always had a great interest in the Inuit people of northern Canada. They have been very poorly treated and have suffered a lot. I was surprised that an Inuit was recognized by the Canadian church. I voted for Simon