The end (of Lent Madness 2024) is near! It's hard to believe we kicked things off over five weeks ago on “Ash Thursday” with 32 saintly souls. With your help, the field has been whittled down to just two: Albert Schweitzer and Julian of Norwich. Who will receive the coveted 2024 Golden Halo? That, friends, is up to you.
Regardless of the ultimate outcome, we’ve met some truly remarkable holy people along the way. Perhaps you learned about some folks you’d never heard of before or maybe you renewed acquaintances with saints who have long offered inspiration.
Of course the entire notion of placing saints in a bracket is absurd — each “contestant” has already earned a crown of righteousness in addition to a “golden halo.” But at the heart of Lent Madness is the abiding conviction that encountering those who have come before us in the faith enriches and enlivens our own walk with the risen Christ.
Of course we literally couldn’t have done this without our amazing Celebrity Bloggers to whom we offer sincere gratitude: Laurie Brock, Megan Castellan, Anna Fitch Courie, David Creech, Neva Rae Fox, Miriam McKenney, Emily McFarlan Miller, Keegan Osinski, and David Sibley. Thanks to Bracket Czar Adam Thomas for his stellar behind-the-scenes work in keeping the bracket updated daily. You all rock!
Thank you to everyone at Forward Movement for putting up with our yearly shenanigans. And special gratitude goes to Ashley Graham-Wilcox for helping get words and images into the website each day. She’s a star.
Finally, thanks to all of you who participated by voting, commenting, drinking coffee out of Lent Madness mugs, filling in brackets, talking about saints with friends, liking us on Facebook or following us on Twitter (or X or whatever), and allowing us to play a small role in your Lenten journey. We’ve loved having each one of you along for the “madness” and on behalf of the Supreme Executive Committee we wish you a blessed Holy Week and a joyous Easter.
Before we invite you to cast this final vote, we should note that Anna Courie has ably shepherded Albert Schweitzer through the bracket, while Laurie Brock has done the same for Julian of Norwich. These two veteran Lent Madness contributors are amazing souls, aside from being terrific writers. We’ve asked them for a single image and one quote either by or about their saint. We’ve already heard a lot about Albert and Julian, so now it's time to make your final choice.
The polls will be open for 24 hours and the winner will be announced at 8:00 am Eastern time on Maundy Thursday. Now go cast your vote — the 2024 Lent Madness Golden Halo hangs in the balance!
Julian of Norwich
"I learned that love was our Lord's meaning.
And I saw for certain, both here and elsewhere,
that before ever he made us, God loved us;
and that his love has never slackened,
nor ever shall."
Albert Schweitzer
"Wherever you turn, you can find someone who needs you. Even if it is a little thing, do something for which there is no pay but the privilege of doing it. Remember, you don’t live in a world all of your own."
— Anna Fitch Courie
130 comments on “For the Golden Halo: Julian of Norwich vs. Albert Schweitzer”
Avast!
The fresh salty brace of the wind in my face
and my eyes on the distant horizon,
be it hurricane, sunshine or lee winds,
We hoist up the mainsails and sail where it sends,
When the next Lent Madness returns to us all!
Aye Aye!
As a retired physician one would assume I would vote for Dr. Schweitzer. However, as the father of 3 amazing and incredible daughters and the husband of the most loving person I know I was inspire and compelled to vote for Julian. Thank you Julian for all that you did to support and raise women up.
I love learning about real people who quietly lived lives in service to God and their fellow human beings. Thank you to all who contribute to this Lenten study.
Unpopular as it might be to admit this, I’ve never been drawn to basketball. Nonetheless, as I placed my vote for Julian, my mind presented me with the image of standing at the free throw line (?), watching my toss arching towards either victory or defeat. Either way I am so grateful to have shared Lent with the Global Lent Madness Public and of course the Extreme Executive Committee. Be Blessed & “see” you next year.
I've been playing forever (in LM years) and don't remember who the "other finalist" was in most of those contests (I could make a guess on a couple, but would have to look them up). This year it's been a busy season outside the Lenten arena, and a bit of a job to remember to vote, but taking the time out of Busy Season is part of the "discipline" of LM. In the end, I love Julian but Albert has been more of an inspiration to me, colonial and postcolonial issues notwithstanding, as I keep on working IN the world, and he got my vote. Thank you all for another season of glorious holy Madness.
I want to thank the bloggers. Those 2 quotes really spoke to me. It’s a bit like two sides of the coin of the spiritual life - contemplation and action. We need both.
Could you have 2 golden halos this year?
The bloggers and the rest of the crew are amazing. Thank you so much!
Either way I win as my mother came for Norwich in England and I am a Doctor who volunteers in sub Saharan Africa with great respect for Dr Schweitzer. Great match up!!
Thanks to all for another great Lent Madness Season.
Blessed Holy Week & Easter everyone!
And let’s not forget……whoever wins…..THESE ARE ALL PEOPLE OF GOD!
All is not well in the world and even Julian can’t fix it. Did learn some new things, agree to disagree and congratulations to who ever the winner is. Kind of glad it’s finally over. Happy Easter! ✝️
As a fellow introvert, I don't feel that Julian was passive or uninvolved in the world, although she lived as an anchorite. In effect, anchorites were "spiritual directors" of their day. And as a teacher, writer and biblical storyteller, striving to translate the faith into 21st Century terms, I especially love Julian for a reason that hasn't generally been mentioned here:
I understand that she was apparently not just the first woman but the first British person to write theology in what was becoming English. The "proper" language for such writing, I understand, was French at the time - which makes the influence of her writings truly impressive, a double wall to surmount. It also explains some of her interesting language - she was making up words as she went along to express her meaning in English.
Both Julian and Albert are worthy saints and deserve our honor, but in the end, I had to vote based on scripture:
James 2: 14-17
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Surely that faith cannot save, can it? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17 So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
It is simply grace-full to come to this point in our voting and know that no matter who wins the Golden Halo, both are worthy of our devotion and they both have a vital message for us right now.
A difficult choice between a contemplative and a doer. I finally came down to Julian for emphasizing God as Love. If we walk with God’s Love, we will know the true meaning of our faith and will become “doers” ourselves, for how could we not spread the blessings of God’s Love to all our neighbors and all of creation!
Blessings to all of you this Lent Madness. Wishing you all a blessed Holy Week and a glorious Easter.
What were the final % figures for Julian and Andrew?
A great quote from Albert, but Julian wrote and spoke to so many people, priests, bishops, and other monastics as well as lay folks who came by; that she had an enormous effect on the world around her, even as she watched people being put to death for their "incorrect" faith not far from her church.
The plague killed many people and was despairing for so many of her contemporaries, but she managed to see and experience God's love in the midst of tragedy, and then help us in the midst of our lives to feel God's love in new ways, or at least know that someone has felt that and it is possible when we give our lives to God. "Jesus loves me" could have come from her! Just a small acorn but the whole universe of love. Delighted to have voted for her and hope she wins!
Julian has always been a saint desr to me, but Albert would make a nice choice as well. I will miss Lent Madness as I always do. Blessings to all.
I have voted for both along the way but for the final vote decided to go with Schweitzer. Our world is so in need of more Schweitzers, people who care about others more than they care about themselves. I am sure Julian cared about others as well and she was a beautiful soul...but Schweitzer got out into the messy world and tried to fix it.
Following the example of Acts 1:26, all of my votes were determined by casting lots.
Well.....The handwriting is on the wall. Julian will no doubt win the Golden Halo. I voted for Albert all along, but Julian is a worthy winner. So Sad .... Too Bad. But there is always next year.
This is a difficuot vote. Neither one excites me. Neither one stirs my heart. In my opinion both are equally qualified, Should I abstain, flip a coin, find another computer and using two comupters cast a vote for each? At least I have to midnight for figure this out.
I wish I could vote for both Julian and Albert, since they were both doers as well as thoughtful, holy people in their own way.
I'm going with Julian this time and hope Albert shows up next year.
Very disappointed that neither of the disciples Jesus chose made to the final round.
Come to think of it people have been thinking that they know better than Jesus for years .
I am still with Andrew and Thomas
Omigosh, Julian looks to be on track to win!!!
In a post I made on either her or Albert Schweitzer's first appearance, I said I foresaw the two of them ending up in the final bout for the Golden Halo, and that I fully expected Julian to lose with comments like "she was great but he DID things!" Those comments have indeed come in, but I'm thrilled that the idea that "works" have a much wider definition are prevailing.
Now I'm going to have to put my own actions where my mouth is, and finally deep dive into "Revelations of Divine Love." And that's one of the great gifts of Lent Madness, to lead us down pathways we would not have otherwise followed, no matter who ends up on the coffee mug.
As this year's Madness draws to a close, I echo everyone's thanks to the SEC and Celebrity Bloggers! You have been thought-provoking, entertaining, and inspiring.
I think both Julian & Albert did things for others, but in different ways. In the book "Katherine", the reader meets Julian of Norwich. Katherine is ill in body & in despair. She feels she is alone & done things that need forgiveness. But the one person she can't forgive is herself.
The parish priest of the church where Julian is the anchorite finds Katherine & takes her to Julian. Julian first helps to heal her body, and then she speaks to Katherine of the things shown to her in her revelations. When Katherine leaves Julian, she is healed in body, mind, & spirit.
I voted for both Julian & Albert through Lent Madness, but I had to vote for Julian to win the Golden Halo. Yesterday, I downloaded "Revelations of Divine Love" and will read it during the season of Easter.
Many thanks to Tim, Scott, and the celebrity bloggers for another outstanding Lent Madness. May you be blessed this Easter.
I have made my decision and cast my vote. I know that just like the faithful 4 all my votes will be for the non advancer. Thank you to all those leaving comments, I read them almost all of them and they helped me weigh in to my hearts sesire. Both are more than qualified, and Althou Julians writings are dear to me and have helped me through tough times. Life was different for Julianfor a variety of reasons. HOwever, Albert got our into the nitty gritty dirty world showing gods love through his faith and feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, healing the sick.
Julian wrote lovely prayers and poems, but she did not save the lives of thousands of African children or catalog the works of Bach or any of the dozens of other accomplishments of Albert Schweitzer. I voted for a modern saint whose work still touches our lives today.
I was not allowed a vote, although I have no idea why. My vote would have been for Julian of Norwich. Her statement resonates in our times
I look forward to this each year. Thank you.
Could someone Olea explain why the site will not register my vote or remember that I’m indeed human and know what a chimney looks like when I use Safari but has no problem when I use Firefox on the exact same device and the exact same Wi-Fi network?