260 comments on “Nominationtide is upon us!”

1. Time for my annual plug for Christian de Chergé, one of the seven monks from the Abbey of Our Lady of Atlas in Tibhirine, Algeria, kidnapped and believed to have been later killed by Islamists. Their story was dramatized in the film Of Gods and Men. He was beatified (along with the other Martyrs of Algeria) by the RCC in December 2018 and his feast day is 8 May. Prior to his capture, he wrote a testament to be opened and read if he died by violence. You can read it here: https://www.ocso.org/history/saints-blesseds-martyrs/testament-of-christian-de-cherge/

   For his faithful and courageous service, even in the face of violent death, I believe he is an excellent choice for Lent Madness 2023.

2. Please consider Catherine of Siena, Doctor of the Church, d.1380. A Dominican nun, she worked as a hospital nurse, esp. with patients suffering from leprosy and advanced cancer. She was a writer, a mystic who bore the stigmata, and a peacemaker, e.g. during the Great Schism.
   I consider her to be one of history's great women and I think she would interest my fellow Lent Madness participants.

3. For a saint to be remembered (and voted on) during Lent, my vote goes to St. Jean Vianney, the Cur é d'Ars, France, considered the patron saint of priests. I first heard of him when I saw his statue in the beautiful seminary at Mundelein. He was no great intellect—in fact, he had to be tutored by a bishop, who was convinced of his vocation, in order to get through his studies—but he was sincere and caring.

   After ordination, it was decided to post the unexceptional guy in the out-of-the-way little parish of Ars, France, where it was thought that he could not do any harm. There he started a small school for girls. But his true gift was hearing confessions. He listened—understanding how burdensome guilt and shame can be, touched by the plight of those whose longing for absolution he relieved.

   Soon people from far off began to trek to little unimposing Ars to unburden themselves. Finally, a train line was constructed to bear the throngs of penitents who wanted to confess to St. Jean Vianney. Long queues waited, sometimes until past midnight, to unburden their hearts. His health deteriorated, but he could not bring himself to step back.

   St. Jean Vianney, the Curé d'Ars, is my favorite saint—not showy but caring, a true pastor.

4. I nominate St. Frumentius who worked to spread Christianity throughout Ethiopia in the 4th century.

5. Nominating Saint Winifred, who (despite her fictional presence in the Brother Cadfael books) is a real saint whose biography roughly parallels that told in A Morbid Taste for Bones.

6. I would like to nominate St. Edmund. This king of East Anglia was either martyred in the 9th century for refusing the Viking leaders demand that he renounce Christ or killed in battle. Legend says his decapitated head was thrown in the woods and protected by a wolf until it was found by his friends. He is the patron saint of pandemics.

7. I nominate St. Roch living from 1327 to 15/16/1376/79. He is
   a Catholic saint venerated by both the Catholic Church and
   the Anglican Communion. Born in Montpelier, France.. he is especially invoked against the plague. He is the patron saint of invalids, falsely accused people, bachelors and DOGS.At birth he was marked with a red cross on his breast which grew in size as he grew. In Italy during the plague, he tended to the sick in pubic hospitals and in Placenza, he became ill , was expelled from the town and went into t he forest living in a hut of boughs and branches and was fed by a miraculous spring of water. A hunting dog owned by Count Gothard carried bread in his mouth to Roch each day, licked his wounds and Roch was healed. AFter he was healed St. Roch and his dog traveled together and returned to Montpelier where they were arrested as spies. They spent the next 5 years in prison together when it is said the dog survived by caring for other prisoners. St. Roch died in prison 1295.
   While there is no other mention of the dog, I feel certain
   he and St. Roch appear in the form of our own dogs today. Contemporary accounts of the many blessings dogs bestow on
   people include rescues, therapy, companions and the joy of
   puppies make it clear that St. Roch and his dog continue
   on to this day....not so sure about bachelors although I'm
   sure there are many contemporary and in history that also
   made enormous contributions to all of our lives. Another reason I am nominating St. Roch is there is a plethera of
   statuary/paintings, etc. which always show him with the dog at his side and a bandage covering his wounds on his leg. For kitsch...there is everything you can imagine! Dogs and
   bachelors...how can you go wrong for the Golden Halo!!!

8. I nominate Saint Sava of the Serbian Orthodox Church. His life is interesting, I’m guessing a lot of folks don’t know much about him or the history of Serbia which makes for a great entrant to Lent Madness imo. And though I’m not officially nominating him as only one nomination is permitted, there IS a similarly named recently canonized Saint in the Greek Orthodox Church who might make for an interesting matchup.

9. I nominate Bl. Frederic Ozanam. . .feast day September 9. . .founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, a ministry of laity providing aid and justice for the needy. When challenged by acquaintances to prove the care of the church for those in need, he gathered a group of like-minded young men to respond to those needs in a ministry based on personal spiritual growth, fellowship, and ministry to the poor. In time, the membership was opened to membership of for all who seek the Lord in the face of the poor and strive to minister to those most in need. The society now spans the globe, fostering spiritual growth of its members, aid to the needy, and systemic changes for the good of all God’s children.

10. Harriett Bedell please. She is the inspiration for our DOK chapter at St John’s, Clearwater, FL. She supported minority groups when no one else did, and we strive to do the same.

11. St. Anthony of Padua, patron saint of finding lost people, things and even lost spiritual goods. "Saint Anthony, Saint Anthony please come round...."

12. I nominate St.Chad of Mercia. I had never heard of him until the past two months when I stumbled across his name twice in a week. I was intrigued by the name--thought to myself, "Well that sounds fake," but he was a monk, priest, missionary, abbot, and bishop. Very influential in his day in Mercia, that was in the seventh century. He lived in challenging political times but remained focused on the Faith; an example perhaps for today. His relics were scattered after the dissolution of the monasteries and had an interesting journey from his original tomb in Lichfield to their resting place today in the nineteenth century St. Chad's Cathedral in Birmingham.

13. I nominate Father Hiram Hisanori Kano. He was born to an aristocratic family in Japan and encouraged by William Jennings Bryan to study agriculture at the University of Nebraska. He became active in the community of Japanese farm workers in western Nebraska and worked with Bishop George Beecher to defeat a bill in the Nebraska legislature that would have placed horrible restrictions on Japanese immigrants. He became a deacon in 1928 and a priest in 1936. On December 7, 1941, he was arrested on the steps of the church in North Platte, NE, where he had just celebrated the Sunday Eucharist. He was sent to an internment camp, where he ministered to other internees. He was added to the Episcopal Calendar of Saints in 2015 with October 24 chosen as the date to honor him. A wonderful service commemorating him was part of the 2015 General Convention in Salt Lake City. Resolution A055, passed at the 78th General Convention included Fr. Kano in A Great Cloud of Witnesses: A Calendar of Commemorations.

14. I would like to nominate Donaldina Cameron. She left her family and friends to settle in San Francisco and minister to the "paper girls". These were young Chinese woman who had been sold into slavery and forced into prostitution. During the San Francisco Fire she rescued her entire school of children and relocated them across the bay. In this age of so much "Asian hate" she stands as a beacon of love and compassion.The center that serves the Chinese community bears the name Cameron House.

15. My nomination is St. Thecla. Women saints tend to be less recognized, which is one reason I nominate her. Also, someone gave me an icon of her and I would like to learn more about her. She is not well known in the Episcopal church.

16. I nominate St.Lucy Fillipini because I was inspired by her dedication to girls and women in the Church. She spent her life building schools for girls and young women so that she could uplift their dignity. Recognizing that men ruled the church, she wanted women to be the heart and her schools were designed to produce graduates who would go out and start more schools for women. Plus her body is incorruptible, which is pretty cool, but she's still dead!

17. I wish to nominate Dorcas/Tabitha who is recognized as a saint and also commemorated by other church bodies, usually on January 27. She has been depicted as a humble servant who often sewed garments for poor widows, and is also considered a patron of needleworkers and seamstresses.

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    1. I would second this nomination if I could but the nomination time has closed (and I have already seconded another nomination).

18. Saint Dymphna patron Saint of mental health and illness.
    Mental illness crisis in this country and the world.

19. So there are actually a number of mimes who achieved sainthood, several of which were martyred. And while I know nominating one of the martyrs who was converted just before being killed probably won't see him get very far in the rounds (since folks seem to tend to vote for those who "did stuff"), stories like Philemon's have always stuck with me ever since my first mime workshop (where I fell in love more with the art form and also discovered that "theology and arts" is a thing and led me to pursue that in seminary)!

    So I nominate St. Philemon the Mime (also sometimes seen as St. Philemon the Actor... or Dancer—but make no mistake, it wasn't general dancing, he told stories through his art). He's dead (303 AD) and his feast day is March 8 (so he's recognized as a saint) and he's not on the excluded lists.

    What stands out to me most about his story is that he did what the deacon wouldn't do; stand boldly confessing his faith.

    See, during the reign Diocletian (hiss! boo!) there was a deacon who came into the town of Antinoe where it was proclaimed that visitors sacrifice to Jupiter or be slain. So the deacon, not wanting to sacrifice nor die, hired the famous local mime Philemon to impersonate him and perform the sacrifice. But just as he was about to do the actual sacrifice, he had a vision and revelation of Jesus and suddenly spoke aloud, "I am a Christian and I will make no sacrifice." Which everyone expected since they thought he was the deacon... but then Philemon pulled back his hood and shocked them all! The prefect himself, after realizing Philemon wasn't joking, but was serious, tried to persuade him with guilt, promised fame, proclaimed love and wealth but Philemon remained constant, confessing Jesus. So the town put their beloved mime (and the deacon) to death.

    Apparently his last words were recorded (I know, ironic for a mime, right?!). And if he does get in the bracket, be sure to tell his blogger to check out the book Masks, Mimes and Miracles by Allardyce Nicoll (around page 120-122). There are other books out there, too, apparently some online even. And, yeah, he won't have much in the way of kitsch, either, but you could all sorts of things with mimes! (Greasepaint? B&W stripes, berets... even though that's more French-inspired modern rather than ancient Roman) *wink*

20. I wish to nominate Richard the Lionheart (Richard I, King of England). He was one of the few great Crusader Kings, and saw some victory during the Third Crusade.

21. I would like to nominate Bakhita (Josephine Margaret Bakhita), Monastic & Prophetic Witness, 1947. Born ca. 1869; died 8 Feb 1947.

    She was sold/traded as a slave multiple times over many years, eventually joining a family that took her to Italy. She was left in the care of Canossian Sisters in 1888, being baptized into the Christian faith in 1890, making her vows 8 December 1896.

    She is the patron saint of Sudan and survivors of human trafficking. She demonstrated transformation of spirit is possible through suffering.

22. Why Johann Sebastian Bach deserves the Golden Halo?

    On any Sunday, within the expanse of heaven scattered throughout are angels performing Johann Sebastian Bach’s music. Some are playing Bach’s double violin concerto. Others are raising their celestial voices in one of Bach’s oratorios. Down here on earth, in many Episcopal Churches parishioners are raising their voices in one of the 20 chorale harmonizations that are in The Hymnal 1982. These are just two handfuls of the almost 400 chorales that he wrote. Bach was a man deep in his faith who was inspired by God. His gift was that he was able to convey that closeness to God to others. The source of many of his works was The Bible.

    Bach was a religious and prolific German composer who lived, March 21, 1685-July 28, 1750, during the Baroque era. He was not only influential in establishing musical techniques and styles for liturgical music but classical music as well. He is one of the giants of western music and his music can still be found in churches, concert halls, and even on pop radio stations, Google it and see.

    In 1880, George Grove in his Dictionary of Music and Musicians wrote of Bach:

    Bach’s importance for the history of music lies in the fact that, starting with instrumental music, and adhering to the spirit of it, he developed all forms and species of composition in an entirely new and independent manner. The old vocal style, which was founded exclusively on polyphony [the style of simultaneously combining a number of parts, each forming an individual melody and harmonizing with each other], was exhausted. Bach created an entirely new vocal style based on instrumental principles, carried it to the summit of perfection, and there left it.

    This is still true 152 years later.

    Why is Johann Sebastian Bach deserving of the Golden Halo? He inscribed his works with the words Soli Deo Gloria "To God Alone Be the Glory." His music, both liturgical and other forms, have brought many closer to God.

    Johann Sebastian Bach’s saint day is July 28

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23. I would like to nominate Daniel Gee Ching Wu. Born Ng Ping, kidnapped as a child, he was brought to Hawaii under contract to work in the pineapple plantations. Initially hating Christians, he converted to Christianity and became an Episcopal priest, serving the Chinese missions in San Francisco and Oakland for the rest of his life. He visited Angel Island regularly and developed a critical support network for Chinese immigrants in San Francisco who were discriminated against and subject to the Chinese Exclusion laws. He is in Holy Women, Holy Men celebrated on April 6. He would be a very relevant saint for our current times of racism against Asians.

24. I wish to nominate St Edmund, King of East Anglia (855-869),
    martyred by the Vikings when he refused to renounce Christ.
    His remains were moved finally to Bury St Edmund in 1016.
    He and Edward the Confessor were regarded as the patron saints of England until the 15th Century.
    Edmund's shrine at Bury St Edmund became one of the most famous
    pilgrimage locations in England.

25. Plilip Neri, "The Second Apostle of Rome"
    A few years ago, I was inspired by the life story of Camillus de Lellis through Lent Madness. After being rejected by religious orders due to his ornery behavior, Camillus was taken under the wing of Philip Neri. I wanted to know more about the man who saw the potential in Camillus.
    Because of his ministry to the poor in Rome, he became known as the Second Apostle of Rome. He founded a religious order for priests and laiety, the Oratorians. He cared for, and converted many. Many of his followers became Jesuits, though he was not one himself. In general, Philip was known as a really nice and decent man. He had such a genial disposition, he is the patron saint of laughter, joy and comedians.
    As much as I find inspiration from the life of Camillus, I feel the need to also honor his mentor Philip.

26. I nominate Gregory the Great (Gregory I, Pope Gregory I). He cared for the poor and required church officials to do the same. He founded monasteries and revised the papal office.

    "When we attend to the needs of those in want, we give them what is theirs, not ours. More than performing works of mercy, we are paying a debt of justice."

27. I nominate Julian of Norwich. As a lay mystic she is an inspiration to me as I struggle with contemplative prayer. In these troubled times, her famous saying "All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well" has become my mantra.

28. St. Oscar Romero was a true follower of the Gospel and put Jesus’ teachings into practice always. He spoke out many times about the human rights violations in his country, El Salvador. Romero supported the poor in their right to demand political change.

    He especially espoused the Catholic Church’s teaching on “the preferential option for the poor” and put that into practice many times during his life. This included the terminally ill, the elderly, those with disabilities and the countless in El Salvador who were victims of injustice and oppression.

    He was killed by an unidentified gunman while celebrating Mass on March 24, 1980. St. Oscar Romero is now one of the great martyrs of the South America Catholic Church.

29. I nominate Pauli Murray. She was the first African American woman to become an Episcopal priest. She was a poet and an activist. Her feast day is July 1.

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