251 comments on “Happy Nominationtide!”

1. Just thought of one more name....

   Fred Rogers

2. So many wonderful saints have been nominated! I'd like to nominate Anthony of Padua, born in Portugal, Franciscan friar, priest, preacher and teacher. Patron saint of many things, including lost items, lost people and lost souls. He led an interesting life, had to cope with illnesses, is credited with miracles, and preached to fish. There is plenty of saintly art and kitsch featuring him, and lots of prayers and novenas requesting his help. And there's a tradition of Saint Anthony's Bread (charity for the poor given in honor of Saint Anthony). Over the years, I have found him to be a sympathetic spiritual friend.

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3. Deborah is the only female judge in the Biblical Book of Judges. Her role is a vital one in clinching an important battle victory. Her faith and reliability to following her Creator's words is admirable.

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4. I nominate Dr. Paul Farmer - a leader in international health and a fighter of infectious disease in the world's most challenged communities: Haiti, Peru, Cuba and Russia.

5. St Simeon the Stylite. Deceased. On multiple church calendars. Lived as a hermit on top of a pillar. People kept seeking him out for his counsel including royalty and church leadership. He did preach and pray for pilgrims who came to visit.

6. I nominate Toyohiko Kagawa, who is commemorated in the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church. This man born in the late 1800s lived such an impressive life. Most of the issues that he worked tirelessly for the people of Japan (and the world), are still issues of today. He was a social reformer and environmentalist. He worked in the slums of Japan, with farmers, and Albert Einstein. He was nominated four times for a Nobel prize, twice in literature and twice for Peace.
   His faith and activism is a beacon for us today. His voice deserves to be heard during Lent.

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7. I nominate Columba of Ireland and Iona. He did magical things, including converting Druids and revitalizing Christianity in Scotland and northeastern England.. And, he was a warrior who could have been High King of Ireland. My present church is dedicated to him.

8. I nominate Father Baraga - a Slovenian Catholic missionary to the United States, grammarian and author of Christian poetry and hymns in Native American languages. He was the first Bishop of Sault Sainte Marie and Marquette, a post he held for 15 years.

   His letters about his missionary work were published widely in Europe, inspiring the priests John Neumann and Francis Xavier Pierz to emigrate to the United States.In 2012, Pope Benedict XVI declared him "Venerable."

   Along the most beautiful North Shore of NE Minnesota is the Cross River - this is where Father Baraga made land after crossing over Lake Superior in a canoe, to investigate a possible epidemic at one of the native tribes. A miracle he and his companion made it across the lake. All along the north shore are remembrances of Father Baraga. Years ago, we brought our youth group up to the North Shore for their pilgrimage before confirmation. Much God to be found along the North Shore. I found a little Catholic church in Duluth that had a Father Baraga stained glass window.

9. I would like to nominate Martin Luther King Jr., the American preacher and civil rights leader who was a martyr to the cause of human equality.

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10. Please, oh please, select St. Swithin (July 15th) for inclusion in Lent Madness 2025. Yes, his legacy may be tied to the likes of Pinxsuntawny Phil (weather predictions), but since his name is invoked with regularity across (western) Christendom, surely his legacy qualifies him for consideration for the Golden Halo.

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11. I nominate Fr. Ted Howden. He was newly admitted to Holy Women and Holy Men and his life is celebrated in December. He elected to stay with his men during World War II when they were surrendered in the Phillipines. He did not have to stay, but felt that his men needed his presence and witness. He starved to death in the prison camp because he gave what little food he was allotted to others so that they might live.

12. I nominate Athanasius of Alexandria.
    Athanasius was an early defender of the faith of the Church against Arianism, being unwilling to compromise with the ruling Roman emperors as some other Bishops were.

13. St Columba of Iona. I recently stumbled upon Lent Madness and introduced it to my nephew. We enjoyed the competition and look forward to next year. Hopefully cheering on St Columba who founded many abbeys, most famously the one that still exists on Iona.

14. I am nominating St. Edmund, King of East Anglia. He was the patron saint of England until the "legendary" St. George usurped that title with the founding of the Order of the Garter in 1348. He is a "real" historical character with an interesting story and patronages. Having family that came from Suffolk, England (modern day East Anglia) it would be a good saint to match up, and although I know you said only one nomination he'd make a good matchup with Edmund Campion. Edmund of East Anglia's feast day is 20 November and he is venerated not only across the Anglican Communion, but in the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

15. I nominate St Jude. He is known as the “saint of the impossible,” and over the years, I have prayed to him for things that seemed “impossible.”

    During these troubling times, it’s refreshing to know that we have an advocate with Jesus.

16. Queen Dagmar of Denmark - Born in the 12th century, Queen Dagmar was the wife of King Valdemar II of Denmark. For her wedding present she asked that taxes on the farmers be lowered, and I think she also was instrumental in getting the tax on salt lowered. After her death, she was canonized as a saint in the Danish Orthodox Church. Today, she is remembered as a symbol of love and compassion, and a Dagmar Cross is often given as a confirmation present.

17. Father Michael Mcgivney would be my choice.
    This man came from humble immigrants from Ireland and settled in Waterbury CT. This factory town was full of factories that made everything from buttons to springs. The city had many new immigrants who were struggling to survive. Michael family struggled. As a teenager Michael was working in the factory to help is parents and siblings.

    He felt the call to be a Preist and due to poverty it was a long road with many twist and turns. When he finally became a priest he ended up in New Haven CT at St Marys church. There again he saw the immigrants struggling. Then he saw a family torn apart due to the death of the bread winner. Then he had an idea how can we as Christians protect the Widow and orphans? He founded The Knights of Columbus to help.

    In his short ministry he touched so many people even to this day his love and compassion to others is still felt.

    He is a great example of the Servant Leader.

18. I nominate Thomas Becket. It takes guts to stand up to a king. It takes more guts to humble yourself before God. His story lives on in the greatest Cathedral - Canterbury.

19. I nominate Henri Nouwen, Feast Day is September 21 in the Northumbrian Community. Nouwen was an academic. He taught at the University of Notre Dame (1966-1968), the Catholic Theological University of Utrecht (1968-1970), and Yale University School (1971-1981). After spending six months in Bolivia and Peru in 1982-1983, our saint taught at Harvard Divinity School (1983-1985). Nouwen was spiritually restless, seeking his proper place. His moves from one teaching position to another indicated this restlessness.

    Nouwen also experienced great stress. He was, by all accounts, a priest who lived according to his wows, including celibacy. He also had the needs for physical and emotional intimacy all people have. Our saint struggled with those issues as well as his homosexuality, which he kept secret. One biographer has suggested that Nouwen made peace with himself toward the end of his life.

    Nouwen made a truly disturbing discovery about himself: In the Parable of the Prodigal Son (perhaps not the best name for the parable, but the traditional one), he was most like the resentful older brother. This was a spiritual condition he could change, and did address.

20. How can we not nominate Saint Maedoc? Maedoc's name at birth was Aed, which comes from Irish mythology. Get used to multiple names when exploring the life of Maedoc, as he is also known as Aidan, Madoc, and Mogue. Maedoc is also often confused with St. Aidan of Lindisfarne, perhaps due to the fact that both were Irish and both were from the middle ages. The story of Maedoc's life is often one of confusion. His assocation with both Wales and Ireland has led some to speculate that he may have actually been two, or even three, different people. Despite the fact for helping to inspire the 1000s of young men in modern times named Aidan, Maedoc's parents did not exhibit modern helicopter parenting considering that they floated him on a slab of stone across a body of water in order to be baptized on the other side. Another body of water saw the adult Maedoc pushed in to see if he would get angry (he didn't). This saint, venerated in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, displayed a bit of military prowess in possibly suggesting an idea by which an Irish army smuggled their soldiers into an enemy camp by hiding in food baskets (these were hopefully large food baskets, and note that this may have been yet another Aidan entirely). Maedoc was known to bend some rules regarding food, allowing visitors to eat beef during lent, allowing them to claim they were vegetables, while watching others eat biscuits filled with beetles (locals may not have been allowed to eat beef broccoli). He also helped some thirsty monks by providing ale in a vessel that he broke and blessed with the sign of the cross to see the vessel restored and the ale delivered. Maedoc also had a talent for getting a too small yoke to fit a pair of oxen as need. Maedoc was a student of St. David in Wales. This relationship led to St. Aidan's Episcopal Church in Milton, Georgia being named for him. Just as Maedoc was a student of David, St. Aidan's was a plant of nearby St. David's in Roswell, Georgia.
    I request your humble consideration for Saint Maedoc/Aidan/Madoc/Mogue/any others who may have been placed into his life by accident.

21. I nominate Brother Lawrence for the 2025 Lent Madness. Brother Lawrence, born Nicolas Herman in 1614, was from a peasant family, and served as a soldier for many years. After an injury at age 26, he joined a monastery of Discalced Carmelites. He was not very educated, and worked in the kitchen. But there he found the spirituality of the quotidian, as Kathleen Norris calls it, and in his work in the kitchen he says he was as close to the Holy One as he was on his knees in the chapel in worship. Through his deep attention to God's presence in the ordinary--really, through his incarnate understanding of the Incarnation--he developed a deep and deepening connection with God. We would not know of Brother Lawrence except that a visiting cleric met him in the kitchen and recorded what he said. Brother Lawrence reminds us that our lives and our work are infused with God, and that our work is holy work. He died in 1691.

22. Januarius ( San Gennaro) also known as Januarius I of Benevento, was Bishop of Benevento Italy and is a martyr and saint of the Catholic Church.

23. I would like to nominate Francesca Cabrini, about whom a film was recently released. Her fortitude and compassion were amazing, and have produced long-lasting results. What began with Italian immigrants in New York has now spread to several continents.

    One other thing: In coming years, can you offer a pint glass as well as a mug for the Golden Halo winners. I would like to raise a glass to winners beyond Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

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24. I’m trying again to nominate St. Columba. It appears the first try may not have gone through.

25. I would like to nominate St. Magnus of Orkney (aka St. Magnus the Martyr) a12th century Norse earl i learned about recently while visiting the Orkney islands north of Scotland. He is venerated in the Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, and the churches of Norway and Sweden. Saintly behavior includes:
    —He refused to participate in Viking raids to displeasure of the king of Norway, preferring to stay on the boat and sing psalms
    —praying for his enemies when his cousin, who wanted to rule Orkney, betrayed him and had him assassinated with an axe
    —miraculous healings attributed to him made him so popular that his nephew bolstered his claim to rule the islands by building a church in his honor in Kirkwall. This became a beautiful Romanesque building that is the most northern cathedral in the UK, and his (likely) remains are encased in a brick pillar inside.

    With his fascinating history, the kitsch round would be amazing! In addition to the Viking connection, he has his own flag, and novels,plays, hymns, a Eurovision song, and an airplane have been dedicated to him.

26. I nominate Howard Thurman. It is time for him to receive the proper recognition that he deserves. He is eligible. He has a special place at Boston University dedicated to sharing his accomplishments and many books, articles and essays.
    MLK Jr. carried a copy of his, and by the way, one of my personal favorite books, “Jesus and the Disinherited”.
    Yes, oh great ones who decide…it is Howard Thurman’s time for nomination…oh great and exalted poohbahs, it is time. The time is now.
    If he was good enough for MLKJr….oh well…what more can I say?

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27. Saint Bartholomew, the apostle. Took gospel to Greece and Armenia, where he was martyred. A man who was healed by praying to Bartholomew, pledged to build a church and hospital for the poor. It (they) are in Smithfield, London, and continue in his name.

28. I nominate St. Francis of Assisi
    More than ever we need to reflect on the prayer of Francis
    “Where there is hatred let me so love and where there is injury pardon.

29. I think a cool strategy would be to choose the most popular saints names of episcopal churches, and ours happens to be Saint James but then you gotta figure out whether Saint James, the great or the less. you could also include some obscure saints names of churches, and they don’t have to be in Episcopal.

30. I nominate the Reverend Lawan Andimi, the Nigerian pastor who praised God in a ransom video and was then beheaded by Boko Haram after refusing to deny Christ. He was a pastor in the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria (EYN) when he was martyred. He was a convert from Islam and left a wife and nine children. Before dying, he told his colleagues and family not to sorrow for him, since God's will must be respected.

    Gideon Para Mallam, the Jos-based African ambassador for the international Fellowship of Evangelical Students, had the following to say: "Rev. Andimi died a martyr and therefore no doubt a Christian hero. The blood of martyrs is the seed which waters and grows the gospel of peace as good news to a broken and hurting world which Jesus Christ called us to proclaim. Rev. Andimi's blood will water the spread of the gospel in North East Nigeria and other parts of the world. No doubt about this." (CT Christianity Today News & Reporting)

    The Rev. Andimi is one of at least 11,000 Christians in northern and middle Nigeria who have been martyred in recent years, including Pastor Isma Dogari in April 2011, Pastor George Orjih in July 2009 and, more recently, Pastor Denis Bagauri of the Lutheran Church of Nigeria.

    (As I sit here writing this, afraid that I'm not doing a very good job of presenting it, a red cardinal has appeared at my window. In the twenty-two years I have lived here, I cannot remember that a red cardinal has ever been at this window. Some people say a red cardinal is the spirit of a deceased person come to visit us. I do believe this one is the spirit of the Rev. Adimi come to give me support and comfort.)

    Thank you for your consideration. Hazel

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