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 2021 Golden Halo: Camillus de Lellis, Benedict the Moor, Absalom Jones, Catherine Booth, Ives of Kermartin, Arnulf of Metz, Albert the Great, or Catherine of Genoa (who snagged the last spot yesterday by easily dispatching Isidora the Simple 74% to 26%).

The round's first matchup sees Camillus de Lellis take on Benedict the Moor. To get here, Camillus bested Matthias and Melangell, while Benedict took down Nino of Georgia and Euphrosyne. Don't forget, you can always pull up more...relevant information about the saints in this round by visiting the Bracket Tab and scrolling down to click on their previous 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. If you need even more insights, check out yesterday's thrill-a-minute episode of Monday Madness. But, in the end, we hope this round brings out some levity, even as we continue our inspiring Lenten journey.

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We love alliteration here at Lent Madness HQ. So naturally, we're bringing you the Elate Eight Edition of Marvelous Monday Madness. Tim and Scott are back with another award-winning* episode of Monday Madness, in which they partake in a couple of annual traditions. And not just because they've run out of fresh material.

First, there's a bit of saintly kitsch show & tell, as we enter the round of saintly kitsch. Second, and like unto it, because we're at the kitsch round, we usually encounter a few Kitsch Kranks, the people who hate this part of Lent Madness. To that end, the SEC gives you the Summary of the (Lent Madness) Law. Again.

Would it even be an episode of Monday Madness without some product placement or high-pressure sales tactics? Now that it's spring, that means it's time for spring cleaning. Who better to invoke as the patron saint of spring cleaning than Martha of Bethany, famously overproductive domestic superstar? Fuel up with some caffeine from a Martha of Bethany 2019 Golden Halo winner mug. Your vacuum cleaner will thank you. Your dust mites will not.

* OK, sure, Monday Madness hasn't won any awards YET. But in our imagination we have several Oscars because they're so obviously deserved.

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Welcome to the first matchup of the week AND the last battle of the Saintly Sixteen. The first will be last, and the last will be first, apparently, and all that. Today we return to the ever-confusing Confusion Corner quadrant of the bracket as Isidora the Simple faces Catherine of Genoa. You'll recall that to get to this round, Isidora defeated Simeon the Holy Fool while Catherine took out her namesake from Bologna.

If you missed the results of Friday's fracas, Ives of Kermartin reached the Elate Eight by taking down Dunstan 67% to 33%.

And, since it's Monday, you'll want to keep refreshing your browser all day until Monday Madness miraculously shows up at some point. But in the meantime, go vote!

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In the last battle of the week -- and the penultimate matchup of the Saintly Sixteen -- Ives of Kermartin faces Dunstan. To get here, Ives beat Jacapone da Todi while Dunstan took out Maryam of Qidun.

In a hotly contested battle yesterday, Absalom Jones snuck past Marianne Cope 52% to 48% to snag a spot in the Elate Eight, where he'll face Catherine Booth. See? These matchups only get harder and harder.

We'll be back first thing Monday morning to finish up this round and then, on Tuesday, things get serious (or not so serious, as the case may be) as we commence the Elate Eight.

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Welcome to another day in this long and winding saintly road that is Lent Madness. Today we get Marianne Cope taking on Absalom Jones with the prize being a date in the Elate Eight with Catherine Booth.

Yesterday, in the greatest margin of victory thus far in our fair little Lenten bracket, Benedict the Moor trounced Euphrosyne 85% to 15%.

Before rushing into the voting booth, please take a moment to give thanks to this year's Celebrity Bloggers. These folks work for peanuts (well, free mugs) to illuminate the lives of our 32 saints. We give them very few words in which to accomplish this and, beyond the first round, very little time. With most of our writers intensely busy during this season (comes with the ecclesiastical territory), and a rabid crowd of Lent Madness adherents analyzing their every jot and tittle, it's not always an enviable task.

One of the reasons we love the comment section is that the lives of the competing saints are often illuminated in ways that space constraints do not allow. Plus, the unique perspectives of the Lent Madness community paint a much fuller picture than any one writer can offer. Thank you for continuing with us on this journey, and please join us in gratitude for our wonderfully faithful and talented stable of writers.

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With Melangell no longer in the bracket, the most-difficult-name-to-pronounce award gets handed over to Euphrosyne, who takes on Benedict the Moor in today's Saintly Sixteen action. To get here, Euphrosyne made it past Evagrius the Solitary while Benedict took down Nino of Georgia. The winner of this matchup will face Camillus de Lellis in the Elate Eight.

Yesterday, Albert the Great remained that way as he defeated Theodora the Empress 63% to 37%. But enough rehashing old results. Go vote!

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Sure, Confusion Corner is a bit less confusing in the Saintly Sixteen, but it's no less compelling. Today Albert the Great, who defeated Leo the Great, faces Theodora the Empress, who took down Theodora of Alexandria. Who will be victorious, the Great one or the Empress? That's the question of the day.

Yesterday Arnulf of Metz kept the party going, as he bid farewell to Egeria 59% to 41% in what some prognosticators are calling a major upset.

If you missed this week's Monday Madness, be sure to catch it here. It's as thrilling as always. Now go vote!

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In the go-go world of Lent Madness, the fun never ends. Don't believe us? Tune in to this week's episode of Monday Madness, which is both action-packed and fun-filled. OK, there's not much action.

Anyway, Tim and Scott are back with plenty to talk about as the Saintly Sixteen rolls on. You'll learn about a recent record-setting battLLLLe in LLLLLLent Madness. You'll see a shout-out to some big fans in Little Rock, Arkansas. And you'll get a timely reminder of the Summary of the (Lent Madness) Law.

For once, there's no product placement, but that doesn't need to stop you from browsing in the Lentorium. If you want some FREE entertainment, make sure you are enjoying Ellie Singer's epic TikTok videos. Find her on Twitter or TikTok.

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Who's ready for a full week of madcap Saintly Sixteen action? Well, ready or not, it's coming your way as Lent Madness 2021 continues in earnest.

Today it's Egeria vs. Arnulf of Metz as they vie for a shot at the Elate Eight. To get here, Egeria made it past Tarcisius while Arnulf took down Vincent of Saragossa.

If you missed Friday's result, Catherine Booth marched past Constantine 70% to 30%. Go vote!

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Today we're back for our second helping of Saintly Sixteen action as the round of Quirks and Quotes continues. Catherine Booth takes on Constantine as 19th century meets 3rd century -- a pairing you'll only ever encounter in the looniness of Lent Madness. To get here, Catherine upset Joan of Arc, while Constantine got past Miguel Pro.

Yesterday, in a hotly contested matchup, Camillus de Lellis snuck past Melangell 52% to 48% to become the first saint to snag a spot in the Elate Eight. Serious bracketologists will note the battle also made Lent Madness history for most "Ls" in a single pairing.

Well, we're off for the weekend, but we'll be back bright and early Monday morning as Arnulf of Metz faces Egeria. Try not to miss us too much.

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