331 comments on “Nominationtide is upon us!”

1. Would like top nominate for Lent Madness 2022:

   St. Athanasios the Reader who was martyred in the 290s AD and is possible he who Athanasios the Great (Athanasius of Alexandria) is named for? This martyr lived on the island of Cyprus and many have given the appellation of the Deacon.

   1. I proudly nominate St. Crispin Crispian, aka St. Crispin Crispianus, or Crispinian; he may actually be twin brothers martyred for the faith in Gaul during the late 3rd Century persecution under Emperor Diocletian. Because Crispin preached by day and repaired shoes by night, he is a favorite among cobblers and should be thought of as the Patron Saint of Quality Footwear. Although one should never underrate the importance of comfortable shoes. St. Crispin Crispianus, whether one person or two, has achieved immortality in one of the greatest speeches by the greatest poet and playwright of the English language, William Shakespeare, who has King Henry V exhort his sick, hungry, and outmanned followers by telling them they will always remember St. Crispin's Day: "And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by from this day to the ending of the world but we in it shall be remembered - we few, we happy few, we band of brothers." I can personally attest that the saints are widely honored in those words, because I joined hundreds of other Shakespeare and Saintly geeks on the field of Agincourt in northwest France on the 600th anniversary of that speech, which Shakespeare based on historical accounts of what King Henry actually said on October 25, 1415. Although St. Crispin's Day may not be so well remembered in the Episcopal Church of the USA Today, October 25 is still a feast day of some sort in honor of St. Crispin in the Church of England, and Shakespeare's words remembering Crispin Crispianus can be found in a stained glass window at Westminister Abbey that pays tribute to the RAF pilots who gave their lives fighting Hitler during the Battle of Britain. I respectfully submit that it is time the Lent Madness community has opportunity to show proper respect to this Saint or these Saintly twins.

      1. This is a persuasive and well researched nomination! Well done Mr Leovy!

2. I nominate Matt Talbot of Dublin, who is recognized as Venerable (first step towards official sainthood) by the Roman Catholic Church. His feast day on their calendar is June 18 (some sources I’ve seen give June 19th). He was raised in the slums of 19th century Dublin and was an alcoholic by his early teens. His father and some of his brothers were alcoholics as well, which must have made it even harder to stop. One day in his late twenties, waiting broke outside a pub for a friend to come by and buy him a drink, he appears to have had a deep conversion experience. From that day, though even his mother wouldn’t believe him when he said he was taking the pledge, he never drank again. He struggled for some years, but ultimately dedicated himself to a life of radical simplicity, prayer, and service to God and others. I think his story is important because it shows that no one is beyond hope of recovery or beyond God’s grace and help, an especially important message as addiction in all its forms remains such a serious problem today. I also love his story because it shows how even the most obscure person can pursue a holy life and do good work for God. There are many beautiful stories of all the different ways Matt quietly helped those around him, showed humor and kindness to all, and lived simply so that he could give away as much as he could. And it is nice to know that not all Celtic saints lived in the remote past – Matt lived till 1925, less than a hundred years ago. (Potential here for a great Celtic face-off in the 2022 bracket? Just a thought!)

   1. Agree!

3. If John Lewis has been beatified by anyone, I would like to nominate him.He was clearly called, he followed his calling faithfully, and he made a difference.

   1. Good choice!

   2. He would be my choice, too!

   3. Yes!!!!

      1. And there's a great new book about him -- His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope -- written by Jon Meacham (an Episcopalian!).

4. Teresa of Avilla

   One of only two women ever named a Doctor of the Church, she wrote courageously about theology and what an encounter with God was like, what it meant. With Torquemada looking over her shoulder.

   1. Yes!

5. Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli (Pope John XXIII): because he believed in people, he believed in the presence of the Spirit IN people, and his reforms of the Roman Church opened up new avenues of ecumenical appreciation. One of his most astounding challenges (provided in his opening speech to the Second Vatican Council) was the notion of "degrees of communion."

   1. I second the nomination of Pope Saint John XXIII not only for the reforms he made through Vatican Council 2 but in the way he served the church as a true pastor and shepherd not only to Roman Catholics but to women and men of good will. He also had a beautiful smile and spirit that touched many people. Good Pope John, pray for us.

6. I nominate St. Cecelia, patron saint of musicians.

   1. I like that one.

      1. So excited to see Matt Talbot nominated.

         I would like to once again nominate 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 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 dedication to Islamic-Christian understanding and his courageous service, even in the face of violent death, I believe he is an inspirational choice for Lent Madness 2022.

         1. I agree; Christian de Chergé is most worthy.

         2. Thank you for this nomination...just about every year I put his name in the mix...here's hoping 2022 is the one!

   2. Yes! After a year + of not singing we need all the help we can get! St. Cecelia pray for us!

7. I nominate Pauli Murray. She had a remarkable record of action and advocacy on behalf of racial justice, and collaborated with unlikely partners (e.g. Eleanor Roosevelt). She grew up very humbly but graduated with a law degree from a formerly racially segregated school. She was an ordained priest in the Episcopal Church.

   1. I'd like to "second" this nomination of The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray!

      1. And I'd like to second that second!

         1. I also would like to nominate Pauli Murray!

   2. I agree wholeheartedly - Pauli Murray is a great nomination!!

   3. Agree on this nomination, because in addition to being a priest and an important voice on race, Murray was an activist against discrimination "on the basis of sex," and contributed to the discussion of gender identity.

      For more info, North Carolina Public Radio recently ran a short series, "Pauli," that's worth a listen.
      https://www.wunc.org/race-demographics/2021-02-05/pauli-the-podcast

      There's a documentary out as well, but I believe it's still circulating film festivals and hasn't been broadly released yet.

8. St. Jude -He is beloved by many in my congregation. The saint of desperate causes -folks reached out to often for prayers over the last year.

   1. I second the nomination of St. Jude. Growing up, my family thought of him as our "go to" Saint whenever we needed help from above.

9. I nominate Gilbert of Semptingham.

10. I would like to nominate Saint Raymond Nonnatus for your considerations for Lent Madness 2022. Saint Raymond Nonnatus is the patron saint of midwives and of priests in defence of the confidentiality of the confessional. His feast day is August 31st. Saint Raymond saved many Christians from slavery, even offering himself as a ransom in exchange for Christian Slaves. He suffered under his captors. Legend says they bored a hole through his lip with an iron and padlocked his mouth closed so that he could not preach. Because of this, locks are traditionally placed at his altar as a prayer to end gossiping.

11. Are you accepting bribes this year? I'll up the antenna from last year!

12. I second the previous commentator's nomination of John Robert Lewis, surely one of saints of God. I note that that this nominatiuon violates Nomination Rule 2. But I remind you of the maxim that should be attributed to Augustine of Canterbury that "Rules are made to be broken".

    As to Why I and at least one other is nominating this saint, I can only say: "The reason is obvious. Remember January 6, 2001 , and the actions of the Georgia and Texas legislatures."

13. That is "ante" - not antennae...

14. I nominate Saint Michael, he is the saint of soldiers and the police, and they need a Saint as much as the rest of us. Even if a few of them don’t do what they should a lot more of them do.

15. I’d like to nominate St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Theresa), Albanian-Indian Roman Catholic nun and Missionary. In 1950, Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity, a Roman Catholic religious congregation that had over 4,500 nuns and was active in 133 countries in 2012. The congregation manages homes for people who are dying of HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis. It also runs soup kitchens, dispensaries, mobile clinics, children's and family counselling programmes, as well as orphanages and schools. Members take vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and also profess a fourth vow – to give "wholehearted free service to the poorest of the poor." Teresa received a number of honors, including the 1962 Ramon Magsaysay Peace Prize and the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. She was canonised on 4 September 2016, and the anniversary of her death (5 September) is her feast day. A controversial figure during her life and after her death, Teresa was admired by many for her charitable work. She was praised and criticized on various counts, such as for her views on abortion and contraception, and was criticized for poor conditions in her houses for the dying. Her authorized biography was written by Navin Chawla and published in 1992, and she has been the subject of films and other books. On 6 September 2017, Teresa and St. Francis Xavier were named co-patrons of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta.

    1. And my all time favorite quote is attributed to her - I know God won't give me more than I can handle, but sometimes I wish He didn't trust me so much! Those words brought desperately needed comfort and humor when my youngest was a medical puzzle defying the efforts of the local pediatric hospital. Mother Teresa for 2022 please!

    2. People still alive in this world are not eligible.

    3. Mother Theresa is my choice as well!

    4. I second this nomination

16. I nominate The Ven. Sister Thea Bowman, FSPA. Sr. Thea and her community defied segregation laws to enable her to enter the convent. After Vatican II, when the sisters stopped wearing the habit, Sr. Thea emerged in the fullness of her African-American heritage and used her voice to celebrate its richness around the world. I am named for her in our own Sisters of St. Gregory.

    1. I second this nomination!

       1. Thank you, Ann! I'm hoping she makes the cut. She truly was a wonder.

    2. I met her at a National Catholic Educators Association convention once.

       1. Now, that's a story I'd love to hear! She radiated the most joyous strength.

17. St. Andre Bessette was known as the Miracle Man of Montreal because of all of the miracles attributed to him. He is such an awesome yet underrated saint. He was sickly as a child and was not expected to live to adulthood. Well, he did. And the Oratory in Montreal is his dreaming - a dedication to St. Joseph, to whom he has a great devotion. Now, thousands upon thousands of people visit the Oratory each year to pray for the intercession of St. Andre. A man of great humility who deserves a spot on the 2022 bracket!

    1. I second this nomination. St. Brother André, as he is also known, was a pious man of humble beginnings, who is revered all over the world. The many thousands of crutches on display at the Oratory, left by people who were able to walk again after praying to St. Joseph through Brother André, demonstrate the power of faith.

18. I nominate Photine, Samaritan woman at the well - so named by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Her name means Luminous One. She conversed with Jesus an ms her life was changed. Then her testimony brought the whole village to Jesus.

    1. She's on the list of inelible saints because of the position she reached last time she was included.

19. I would like to nominate Maximilian Kolbe Polish priest who gave his life in exchange for another in World War II
    Student of Esperanto
    My grandson is named for him

    1. I would second this.

    2. I would second this.

    3. Yes, yes, yes...my godmother wrote one of the first biographies of St Maximilian (A Man for Others)

20. I nominate Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks. She is the fourth Native American to be venerated and the first to be canonized in the Catholic church. Her name, Tekakwitha, translates as "she who bumps into things" and that should be instantly relatable to us who are clumsy! And, incidentally, her shrine is just down the road from where I live in Upstate New York. 🙂

    1. I love Kateri! Seconded! (It always irritated me that they made her patron of environmentalism, though. Seems to have nothing to do with who she was or what she did in life, and everything to do with stereotypes about Native Americans. I'd have liked to see her as patron of girls' education, those shunned for conversion, those who struggle with self-harm, or those scarred by disease...)

    2. I agree!

21. I nominate Photine, Samaritan woman at the well – so named by the Eastern Orthodox Church. Her name means Luminous One. She conversed with Jesus and her life was changed. Then her testimony brought the whole village to Jesus. (reposted to edit)

22. I nominate Peter Williams Cassey, who is listed (with his wife Annie) on April 16 of The Episcopal Church's Lesser Feasts and Fasts. Father Cassey was the first African American ordained in The Episcopal Church in the western United States. He was most noteworthy for his work as an educator of children of color in San Diego, providing a private education for those barred from public schools.

23. I nominate St Francis DeSales, Theologian and Doctor of the church. The teachings of the Oblates of St Francis DeSales, molded and prepared me for a career in nursing. Class of 1983 DeSales University

24. I nominate Oscar Romero, because of his great courage in speaking out for peace and justice amidst terrible violence and poverty in Central America.

25. I nominate Roche lived as hermit and tended people with plague which he caught and was brought food by a dog. I heard he was son of a Duke who sent soldiers to kill pr capture him but he showed them a birthmark on his chest which his father recognized. I have a statue of him pulling back his shirt. And having a dog with a roll in its mouth.

26. I nominate Maximillian Kolbe. His feast day is August 14. He was a Polish Catholic priest and Conventual Franciscan friar who volunteered to die in place of a stranger in the German death camp of Auschwitz, located in German-occupied Poland during World War II.

27. I nominate Padre Pio. Padre Pio, also known as Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Italian: Pio da Pietrelcina; 25 May 1887 – 23 September 1968), was an Italian friar, priest, stigmatist and mystic,[1] now venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. Born Francesco Forgione, he was given the name of Pius (Italian: Pio) when he joined the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin.

28. St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier, 19th Century founder of the Good Shepherd sisters, who said homeless women and girls around the world. Although not widely known today, she has inspired through her work thousands of sisters who have helped women and girls in need for over 150 years. A good friend of mine was a member of the order until she fell in love and got married. She remains an associate and has created a timeline of St. Mary's life and works.

    1. I second this nomination. Having been a member of that community in my past Catholic life I support this nomination.

    2. I second this nomination. Having been a member of that community in my past Catholic life I support this nomination.

    3. I agree!

29. Pauli Murray, 1910-1985, activist for Civil and Women's Rights. Lawyer, Episcopal priest and, in 2018, added to the Episcopal Church's calendar of Saints, celebrated on July 1. Her struggle for rights for marginalized people along with her life-long struggle with gender and sexual identity make her a perfect candidate for the Golden Halo.

30. I nominate St. George, a soldier from Cappadocia and a member of the Praetorian Guard for Roman Emperor Diocletian. He was martyred April 23, 303, probably at Lydda in Palestine, for refusing to recant his Christian faith. The story of his courage and the strength of his faith spread far and wide; within centuries of his death he was venerated across Europe, the Levant and in India, and is still today. In the Middle East he is held to be both saint and prophet; both Christians and Muslins revere him. He is the patron saint of England, Portugal, Germany, Aragon, Catalonia, Genoa, and Venice, as well as Boy Scouts and soldiers, universities, and England’s royal family. His cross forms England’s national flag – and, of course, the emblem of the Episcopal Church!
    What St. George did not do was slay a dragon. The legend asserting this remarkable feat first appeared in the 11th century. As the story goes, a fierce dragon was terrorizing the Libyan city of Silene. To placate the dragon, people of the city fed it two sheep each day, but soon the sheep were not enough and the city was forced to sacrifice humans, elected by city residents, to the beast. St. George arrived there when the king's own daughter was to be sacrificed. St. George saved the girl by slaying the dragon with a lance. The king was so grateful that he offered him rich rewards, but St. George refused them and instead he gave the treasure to the poor. The people of the city were so astonished at St. George’s valor and generosity that they became Christians and were all baptized. Such a great story…but, sad to say, ahistorical.
    St. George has never appeared in the Lent Madness lineup…surely a regrettable omission for a man who is revered so widely across much of the world. As a member of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Belleville, Illinois, I nominate St. George for his courage, compassion, generosity and above all for his unconquerable faith in Jesus Christ.