Welcome to the last battle of the week, the last matchup of the Elate Eight, and the last full week of Lent Madness 2025! Today, Philip, Deacon and Evangelist faces Nicolaus Zinzendorf as they seek to join Zechariah, Sundar Singh, and Elizabeth of Hungary in the Faithful Four.

Yes, you heard that correctly, Elizabeth of Hungary won her contest yesterday with Verena of Zurzach 67% to 33% to snag the final spot in the next round.

So, the Faithful Four is Set. On Monday, Zechariah faces Elizabeth of Hungary; on Tuesday, Sundar Singh squares off against the winner of today's matchup. And then all will be set for Spy Wednesday's  Championship Round.

But first, here's your Daily Lenten Showdown...

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The Elate Eight continues with reckless abandon as Elizabeth of Hungary takes on Verena of Zurzach.

Yesterday, in a VERY TIGHT battle that saw back-and-forth lead changes all day, Sundar Singh prevailed over Emily Cooper 51% to 49% to advance to the Faithful Four. Yes, folks, every (single!) vote counts.

Here's your Daily Lenten Showdown...

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Next up in the Elate Eight is the highly anticipated matchup between two modern saints, Emily Cooper and Sundar Singh. Good luck choosing between these two!

Yesterday, Zechariah narrowly defeated Irenaeus 52% to 48% to snag the first spot in the Faithful Four.

Here's your Daily Lenten Showdown...

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And then there were eight! Welcome, friends, to the Elate Eight. We've moved from 32 to 16 to 8 saints still standing. Or kneeling. But either way, today it's Irenaeus vs. Zechariah, tomorrow Sundhar Singh faces Emily Cooper, on Thursday Elizabeth of Hungary battles Verena of Zurzach, and we round things out on Friday with Philip vs. Nicolaus Zizendorf (who advanced yesterday after defeating Francis Xavier 56% to 44%).

The Elate Eight is also known as the Round of Saintly Kitsch. After basic biographies, quirks and quotes, what else could there be? Now, there are always some folks who take offense at this approach — we call them Kitsch Kranks. Please remember that this round is not meant to belittle or demean our saintly heroes, but to have some fun and gaze in wide wonder at the breadth of devotional practice. So kindly relax and enjoy the spirit of the Madness as we push ever onward toward our goal.

And if you'd find it helpful to review the write-ups from the previous rounds, you can always click the Bracket tab and scroll down to find all the earlier matchups.

Here's your Daily Saintly Showdown with Christian and Michael...

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Happy Monday! And welcome to the FINAL battle of the Saintly Sixteen as Francis Xavier takes on Nicolaus Zinzendorf. Who will snag the final spot in the Elate Eight? That's up to you and the next 24 hours.

On Friday, Verena of Zurzach trounced Lucy Yi Zhenmei 73% to 27% to advance to the next round.

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In the last matchup of the week, Zerena of Zurzach (try saying that five times fast) faces Lucy Yi Zhenmei (try saying that five times fast) as the Saintly Sixteen continues with reckless abandon.

Yesterday, Sundhar Singh singed Zenaida 60% to 40% to advance to the Elate Eight, where she'll face Emily Cooper in what promises to be a tough contest.

And...here's your Daily Saintly Showdown...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW3sRWRUOqw

We'll see you bright and early Monday morning for the final battle of the Saintly Sixteen, as Francis Xavier takes on Nicolaus Zinzendorf.

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Our march to the Golden Halo continues as Sundhar Singh takes on Zenaida for a shot at the Elate Eight.

Yesterday, Zechariah proved a thorn to Rose of Lima, handily defeating her 65% to 35% to advance to the next round.

Also, kudos to the Lent Madness faithful for getting our new Instagram page up and over 500 followers in the past 24 hours! Well done. And if you still haven't joined the throngs, what are you waiting for??

But first, here's your Daily Saintly Showdown...

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Today in Lent Madness action it's Rose of Lima vs. Zechariah for a shot at Irenaeus in the Elate Eight.

Yesterday, Philip, Deacon and Evangelist, proved greater than Gregory the Great 54% to 46% to advance to the next round.

And in non sequitur news, GO FOLLOW THE NEW LENT MADNESS INSTAGRAM PAGE! You'll get daily supplemental content to amplify your poetically penitential experience. With 400 followers already, we're looking to hit at least 500 by the end of the day. Help make this happen!

Speaking of the new Lent Madness Instagram page, here's your daily dose of the Daily Saintly Showdown. Which is always posted to the new Lent Madness Instagram page.

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Today the Saintly Sixteen continues as Gregory the Great faces Philip, Deacon and Evangelist. Who will emerge the greatest of these two? That's for you to determine over the next 24 hours.

Yesterday, in a tight battle, Elizabeth of Hungry took down Mechthild of Magdeburg 53% to 43% to advance to the Elate Eight.

And in case you missed yesterday's stellar edition of Monday Madness, you can watch it here.

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Put on your rose-colored glasses for this week’s post Rose Sunday Monday Madness! The boys are back, bringing fresh segments that you won’t want to miss. They’re dubbing some of you Canons for your standout comments, diving into the biggest surprises from the Round of 32, giving their “way-too-early Golden Halo Winner” picks, and sharing a moment of madness when one of our saints truly inspired their faith. With only one week left of the Saintly Sixteen, it’s time to dive in with another Monday Madness! After you watch this, join Fr. Christian and Fr. Michael each morning this week as they break down the Daily Saintly Showdowns on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Lent might be halfway over, but this madness is just getting started!