The madcap Elate Eight continues today as Origen faces Madeleine Sophie Barat. To make it this deep into the bracket, Origen defeated Hilda of Whitby and Juana Ines de la Cruz, while Madeleine took out Mesrop Mashtots and Columbanus.
Yesterday in YET ANOTHER tightly contested battle of Lent Madness 2022, José Hernández squeezed past James Holly 52% to 48% to snag the second spot in the Faithful Four.
The Round of Saintly Kitsch continues as José Gregorio Hernández faces James Holly in a battle of the J's. Which J will advance to the Faithful Four? That's up to you. To get here, José defeated Constance of Memphis and Emma of Hawaii, while James took down Lydia and Kateri Tekakwitha.
In yesterday's Elate Eight action, Teresa of Avila trounced Juliana of Liege 75% to 25% to become the fist saint to nab a spot in the Faithful Four.
And then, believe it or not, there were eight! Today, and for the rest of the week, we will work our way through the Elate Eight, aka the Round of Saintly Kitsch. Not long from now, one of these saintly souls will be crowned with the 2022 Golden Halo: Teresa of Avila, Juliana of Liege, James Holly, José Gregorio Hernández, Origen, Madeleine Barat, Thomas of Villanova, or Thomas Aquinas (who snagged the last spot yesterday by sweeping past Oscar).
We kick things off with Teresa of Avila vs. Julian of Liege. To get to this point, Teresa defeated Crispin and Stephen, while Juliana took down Blaise and Cecilia. Don't forget, you can always pull up more...relevant information about the saints in this round by visiting previous battles in the archive on the home page and scrolling down to click on their past encounters.
What exactly is saintly kitsch? You might say it's in the eye of the beholder. Or that you know it when you see it. But, in the end, we hope this round brings out some levity, even as we continue our inspiring Lenten journey.
Oh, and if by some unknown and wholly unacceptable reason you forgot to watch Monday Madness yesterday, check it out here.
Everyone is talking about brackets and championships because...it's the week of the Elate Eight! As we reach the dramatic peak of Lent Madness XIII, Tim and Scott are back with a preview of the eight teams, er saints, that have earned berths in what is also known in penitential circles as the Round of Saintly Kitsch.
This is the time of year when some people get grumpy about Lent Madness. Instead of going back and reading the basic biographies and quirks & quotes from previous rounds, they turn into Kitsch Kranks. The Supreme Executive Committee is here with their annual reminder of the Great Commandments of Lent Madness.
Hey, we've almost made it through the entire Saintly Sixteen! After Oscar/Ansgar takes on Thomas Aquinas (he of the one vote victory over Jerome), we'll be on to the Elate Eight.
On Friday, Origen edged his way past Juana Inés de la Cruz to make it to the next round.
And since it's Monday, you can start refreshing your browser until a new episode of Monday Madness magically appears. Which it will. eventually. Now go vote!
Welcome to the final battle of the week AND the (actual) penultimate battle of the Saintly Sixteen.
Yesterday in the Saintly Smackdown, José Gregorio Hernández defeated Emma of Hawaii 55% to 45%.
On Tuesday next week we kick off the Elate Eight. In the meantime, on Monday, prepare for Oscar vs. Thomas Aquinas. Hang onto your halos!
In the penultimate matchup of the Saintly Sixteen, it's Emma of Hawaii vs. José Gregorio Hernández. The winner advances to the Elate Eight to take on James Holly.
Yesterday, in another hotly contested battle, Juliana of Liege took down Ceceilia, narrowly defeating her by less than a percentage point. What is it with these absurdly close battles of Lent Madness 2022?!
Saintly Sixteen hump day finds us with Cecilia doing battle with Juliana of Liege. Who will advance? Well, that's up to you.
Yesterday, Thomas of Villanova swept into the Elate Eight with a victory over Hilary of Poitiers 65% to 35%.
And if you missed yesterday's special Tuesday edition of Monday Madness, color us shocked. And then watch it here.
Sometimes Tim and Scott like to remind people that the Supreme Executive Committee is, well, supreme. Thus we are releasing Monday Madness this week on Tuesday. Whatever you do, don't call it Tuesday Madness. It's definitely got a Monday vibe.
This week's episode covers a dramatic contest in the march to the Saintly Sixteen. And Scott makes an inside joke, funny only for people who have read Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologiae. All that and more in just six fun-filled minutes of this extra-special Tuesday edition of Monday Madness.
Remember you can always watch the back catalog of Monday Madness episodes if you are looking for something to do as we head toward Holy Week.
We're back for more Saintly Sixteen action as Hilary of Poitiers faces Thomas of Villanova. As a reminder, this round is all about Quirks and Quotes. If you're seeking to refresh your memory on the basic biographical data for each saint, you can search for this in the post archives on the home page of the website. For saints who continue to advance, there is more and more information shared that builds throughout the season.
Yesterday, Madeleine Sophie Barat trounced Columbanus 84% to 16% to advance to the Elate Eight.
And later today we have a special treat for you: a Tuesday edition of Monday Madness! And, no, you didn't miss yesterday's episode. There wasn't one. Now go vote!