CBW (that's the hipster acronym we just coined) continues with veteran Celebrity Blogger, Megan Castellan. When Megan first started with us she was a priest in Arizona. Now, she's in her second year of life and ministry in Kansas City, Missouri.

See, we told you Lent Madness was transcontinental! Unless, of course, it's illegal to transport Lent Madness across state lines, in which case forget this little conversation ever happened.

The Rev. Megan Castellan is Assistant Rector, and Chaplain at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Day School, Kansas City, Missouri.  She is excited to be one of the few clergy to have a title (ARC) that is also a geometric figure, though why this fact has proved less amusing at parties, she can’t imagine.  Her ongoing adventures and strong opinions are chronicled in her blog Red Shoes, Funny Shirt  and on Twitter @revlucymeg. (She also writes on Mondays for the Episcopal Cafe, though the snark factor is significantly lower there). In her spare time, she enjoys singing, cooking, being obsessive about television comedy, and marshaling the forces of the Ginger Rescue Squad, otherwise known as her rescue dog and rescue cat.

What do you most love about the extraordinary honor of being a Celebrity Blogger (besides global adulation)?
There are precious few times that I can emulate Tobias Funke, but Lent Madness is one such time. I enjoy proclaiming to the world at large, when asked to explain the size of our audience for this rather odd phenomenon, that "there are dozens of us! DOZENS!!!" (I would also recommend painting your face entirely purple, for the full Tobias-Does-Lent effect.)

To put that more seriously, I have loved the unexpected ways that Lent Madness has introduced me to so many different people, in so many different ways. When I first moved to Kansas City, I went to the local retirement home to do the weekly Eucharist. To my surprise, a resident approached me afterwards and inquired if I was the same Megan from Lent Madness. He had made a habit of reading the matchups to his wife each day, whose eyesight was failing, and that had become their Lenten devotion. I was very moved that such a quirky thing as an online contest between long-dead saints could prompt a show of such devotion.

What is the quirkiest thing you've learned about one of your saints and how does this inspire your faith?
Every year, it's the saints I think will drop out the fastest that go the furthest. I had a heck of a time last year trying to figure out what I could say for Lydia, and ended up learning more about ancient dye-producing snails than a reasonable person should know.

But what amazes me and humbles me each year is not only what I learn about each saint, but how people of faith, over the years, have interacted with that saint and their story. A large part of what creates recognized saints, after all, is grassroots popular devotion, and especially in hierarchical churches like the Roman Catholic, or Orthodox church (or, you know, anyone prior to the modern era), the making of saints was one of the few ways for the average pewsitter to have a say in the direction of the church. So I find it inspiring to witness the centuries of devotion to someone like Lydia, or (spoiler alert!) someone like Balthazar, who begins to take on enormous significance for people, above and beyond what their initial story might suggest.

Downton Abbey or The Walking Dead and why?
I don't currently watch either of these, and I realize this admission will probably result in the forfeiture of my Episcopalian card. But while we're discussing television, let me introduce you to the delightful, and now award-winning, show, "Jane the Virgin"! It's a riff on the telenovela, about a young woman who was accidentally artificially inseminated, and now finds her life way more dramatic. It sounds like an insane premise, but so far, the show has used the traditionally crazy plot twists of the soap opera to deal with stuff like class inequality, immigration reform, religion through generations, changing family structures, etc. While being consistently hilarious, well-acted and prominently using a snarky omniscient narrator. So, TV gold, basically.

Besides Lent Madness, what do you most look forward to in the season of Lent?
I am looking forward to an opportunity to refocus on what is important, and the wonderful, wonderful day when people stop wantonly adding 'Alleluia, alleluia' to the dismissal when I have not said it first.

SEC NOTE: In the photo above, Megan is holding the only two pieces of saintly kitsch found in her office: a how-to guide of Jesus dances and a bottle shaped like the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is clearly a cry for help. Send Megan more saintly kitsch!

We're not sure if you can actually be an unsung rock star, but when it comes to Lent Madness, Adam Thomas is just that. That fancy bracket design we've been using since 2012? Adam. The usefully awesome match-up calendar? Adam. The updated hyperlinks following each battle of Lent Madness? Adam.

The SEC is ever grateful for Adam's bracket artistry and behind-the-scenes magic. If he didn't already serve a parish in Mystic, Connecticut, we'd wax eloquent about his mysticism. Ladies and gentlemen of Lent Madness, meet your Bracket Czar:

The Rev. Adam Thomas, Lent Madness Bracket Czar, was a 2012 Celebrity Blogger (most closely identified with upstart Philander Chase) who has morphed into our keeper of the bracket. This Lent is his second as rector of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Mystic, Connecticut. Adam is the author of Digital Disciple: Real Christianity in the Virtual World (Abingdon 2011), which you should read since you are using the Internet right now and you are more than likely a Christian. His first novel Letters from Ruby, which is about an Episcopal priest (imagine that!) arrived in August 2013, and his first large scale video bible study series Unusual Gospel for Unusual People came out in spring 2014. Adam lives in Mystic, Connecticut with his wife Leah and their twins, who are close to sleeping through the night (thank God!). Check out his website WheretheWind.com, for seven years of content. You can fan Adam on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @RevAdamThomas.

What do you most love about the extraordinary honor of being the Lent Madness Bracket Czar (besides global adulation)?
As the Bracket Czar, I have the power (and passwords) to correct Tim's typos and formatting errors when he posts Lent Madness content. I do this surreptitiously and without fanfare, except that I let Tim know every time he makes a mistake.

What is the quirkiest thing you've learned about one of your saints and how does this inspire your faith?
I learned how to spell Hadewijch this year. Also, just for the record, the capital "H's" for the font on the bracket look like lower case ones. But they are capitals. Look at a small "h" for comparison.

Downton Abbey or The Walking Dead and why?
Pitch: The actors who played Matthew and Sybil realized what a terrible mistake it was to leave Downton Abbey and they come back as zombies!

Besides Lent Madness, what do you most look forward to in the season of Lent?
This year, I'm looking especially forward to the devotions parishioners at my church, St. Mark's in Mystic, CT, are writing on the Gospel of Mark to be shared with the rest of the parish during Lent.

Leave it to Lent Madness to unearth the only romance novel-writing Episcopal priest on the planet. Actually, for the second year in a row, Amber Belldene has graced us with her actual celebrity status as a prolific best-selling author.

It's not true that a member of the Supreme Executive Committee was the cover model for her newly released novella One Sinful Night in São Paulo (see below), but thanks for asking.

The Rev. Amber Belldene is a romance writer and the alter ego of a vampire-loving Episcopal priest. She grew up on the Florida panhandle swimming with alligators, climbing oak trees, and diving for scallops…when she could pull herself away from a book. As a child, she hid her Nancy Drew novels inside the church bulletin and read mysteries during sermons — an irony that is not lost on her when she preaches these days. Amber believes stories are the best way to examine life’s truths, and she is passionate about the relationship between sexuality and spirituality — namely, that God made people with a desire for love, and that desire is the heart of every romance novel. Her paranormal romance series Blood Vine is now available from Omnific Publishing and her sexy contemporary novella One Sinful Night in São Paulo, about an Episcopal seminarian looking for love, is scheduled to release later this year. She loves wine, history, heirloom tomatoes and she lives with her husband and children in San Francisco. For more information about her books or to check out her blog go to www.amberbelldene.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmberBelldene or Facebook.

What do you most love about the extraordinary honor of being a Celebrity Blogger (besides global adulation)?
Well, that adulation is pretty awesome, but I also love learning about the lives of the saints and bantering with my fellow bloggers about them on Twitter. A sense of humor is critical in the life of faith, and this group of writers has it in abundance.

Also, it's really interesting to see which saints excite the folks who follow Lent Madness. Our ideas about what makes a holy life have changed a lot in two millennia of Christianity, and it's fascinating to see what aspects of those lives inspire modern Christians. As a pastor, I find that useful information, and it informs my teaching and preaching, and possibly even my romance novel writing. I might have even worked a couple saintly details into some of my books.

What is the quirkiest thing you've learned about one of your saints and how does this inspire your faith?
Last year I was assigned Mary of Alexandria, venerated as a reformed prostitute. Her miracles are all pretty quirky, especially the part about how, when she became an ascetic and lived in the desert, she grew a coat of fur to protect her modesty. So far, I haven't used that detail in a romance novel 😉

As a feminist and someone who advocates for more open and positive discussions of human sexuality in the church, I struggled to write her biography and also with some of the comments about my take on her story. Surprise, surprise -- the Internet isn't the best place for a nuanced discussion of the need to interpret and reframe ancient hagiography and its sexual ethics. Months later, I found a book about stories like Mary's and how the early church actually coopted the formula of classical Greek romance novels in its stories of virgin saints and reformed prostitutes. The book is called From Shame to Sin: The Christian Transformation of Sexual Morality in Late Antiquity by Kyle Harper and I highly recommend it for people whose geekdom happens to overlap with my peculiar interests!

Downton Abbey or The Walking Dead and why?                                     
I love vampires, but zombies scare me to death, so Downton Abbey all the way. It's such a fascinating period in history! I am also a big fan of the much grittier Peaky Blinders, a Netflix series set in the same era, starring the captivating Cillian Murphy as the leader of a violent gang in Birmingham.

Besides Lent Madness, what do you most look forward to in the season of Lent?
I lead a daily morning prayer service, and in Lent we observe silence. There is a palpable response in the congregation to this shift in routine. Every time I bid the people to bow their heads, there is a collective breath, almost like a sigh. It seems we really long for quiet, and respond to the invitation to self-examination.

Let's face it, Lent is not exactly known as a season of gift-giving. No one complains about the over-commercialization of Lent or the Lenten-Industrial Complex. Sure, we hawk a few Lent Madness mugs around here, but that's just to get everyone in an appropriately penitential mood.

Nonetheless, the Supreme Executive Committee is offering you a free, no-strings-attached Lent present. Don't get your hopes up -- it's not a hair shirt. But it is a perfectly serviceable newsletter/website article about Lent Madness 2015, lovingly ghost written by the SEC.

Feel free to use it (for free!) in all your church publications. If you are a parish administrator or communications specialist, this is your lucky day. If you are a member of the clergy being nagged by the newsletter editor for an article, manna has just fallen from the sky.

That’s not all, of course. This article can be sent to your local desperate-for-material newspaper. (If you want to share it with your local media, we suggest you add some quotes from church leaders or parishioners.) This article can be e-mailed as a chain letter to your entire contact list. It can be tattooed to your back. Multiple copies can be printed out and used as a drop cloth when you repaint the kitchen cabinets.

But that’s still not all! Because he's in a Lenten mood, Lenty Claus (that's us -- but don't tell the kids) will throw in free widgets for your website or blog! Click here to access them.

Lent Madness 2015
Which saint will win the Golden Halo?

For the sixth year running, people worldwide are gearing up for Lent Madness, the “saintly smackdown” in which thirty-two saints do battle to win the coveted Golden Halo. Calling itself the world’s most popular online Lenten devotion, Lent Madness brings together cut-throat competition, the lives of the saints, humor, and the chance to see how God works in the lives of women and men across all walks of life.

The creator of Lent Madness, the Rev. Tim Schenck, says, “People might think Lent is all about eating dirt and giving up chocolate, but it’s really about getting closer to Jesus.” Schenck, who is rector of St. John’s Church in Hingham, Massachusetts, adds, “The saints aren’t just remote images in stained glass windows or pious-looking statues. They were real people God just happened to use in marvelous ways.”

Lent Madness began on Schenck’s blog in 2010 as he sought a way to combine his love of sports with his passion for the lives of saints. Starting in 2012, he partnered with Forward Movement (the same folks that publish Forward Day by Day), to bring Lent Madness to the masses.

The Rev. Canon Scott Gunn, Schenck’s Lent Madness co-conspirator, says, “Throughout Lent, as we’re having fun with the competition, we are also inspired by how God used ordinary people to do extraordinary things.” Gunn, who is executive director of Forward Movement in Cincinnati, Ohio, adds, “That’s the whole point of the Christian life: to allow God to work in us to share God’s love and proclaim Good News.”

Schenck and Gunn form the self-appointed Supreme Executive Committee, a more-or-less benevolent dictatorship that runs the entire operation. The formula has worked as this online devotional has been featured in media outlets all over the country including NBC, The Washington Post, FOXNews, NPR, USAToday, and even Sports Illustrated (no, really).

Here’s how it works: on the weekdays of Lent, information is posted at www.lentmadness.org about two different saints. Each pairing remains open for 24 hours as participants read about and then vote to determine which saint moves on to the next round. Sixteen saints make it to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen; eight advance to the Round of the Elate Eight; four make it to the Faithful Four; two to the Championship; and the winner is awarded the Golden Halo.

The first round consists of basic biographical information about each of the 32 saints. Things get a bit more interesting in the subsequent rounds as we offer quotes and quirks, explore legends, and even move into the area of saintly kitsch.
This year Lent Madness features an intriguing slate of saints ancient and modern, Biblical and ecclesiastical. 2015 heavyweights include Teresa of Avila, Frederick Douglass, Francis of Assisi, Hildegard of Bingen, Balthazar, and the Venerable Bede. The full bracket is online at the Lent Madness website.

From the “you can’t know the saints without a scorecard” department, the Saintly Scorecard -- The Definitive Guide to Lent Madness 2015 is available through Forward Movement. It contains biographies of all 32 saints to assist those who like to fill out their brackets in advance, in addition to a full-color pull-out bracket.

This all kicks off on “Ash Thursday,” February 19. To participate, visit the Lent Madness website, where you can also print out a bracket for free to see how you fare or “compete” against friends and family members. Like that other March tournament, there will be drama and intrigue, upsets and thrashings, last-minute victories and Cinderellas.

Ten “celebrity bloggers” from across the country have been tapped to write for the project including the Rev. Amber Belldene of San Francisco, CA; the Rev. Laurie Brock of Lexington, KY; Dr. David Creech of Morehead, MN; the Rev. Megan Castellan of Kansas City, MO; the Rev. Laura Darling of Oakland, CA; Neva Rae Fox of Somerville, NJ; the Rev. Nancy Frausto of Los Angeles, CA; the Rev. Robert Hendrickson of Denver, CO; the Rev. Maria Kane of Houston, TX; and the Rev. David Sibley of Manhasset, NY. Information about each of the celebrity bloggers and the rest of the team is available on the Lent Madness website.

If you’re looking for a Lenten discipline that is fun, educational, occasionally goofy, and always joyful, consider this your invitation to join in the Lent Madness journey.

Welcome to Celebrity Blogger Week! We look forward to introducing you to all of our Celebrity Bloggers and some other key people on the Lent Madness team including our Bracket Czar, Resident Foodie, and the ever-mysterious Maple Anglican.

We kick things off with first-timer, Neva Rae Fox. Right at the start, the Supreme Executive Committee feels compelled to squash the rumor that Neva Rae is an SEC mole at the Episcopal Church Center in New York. Though, as we think about it, she may well be a mole sent to infiltrate Lent Madness. Hmmmm.

In any case, we're delighted to have her on board this year and, as she answered the SEC's Celebrity Blogger Week questions in record time, she is the first to be highlighted.

Neva Rae Fox has been a Lent Madness groupie since its debut and has the complete set of mugs to prove it. This is her first turnout as a Celebrity Blogger, and while incredibly honored to be asked, she can’t stop stressing about it. When she isn’t serving as the Public Affairs Officer for The Episcopal Church, she devotes a lot of time to local, regional and national organizations and groups – some you have heard of, and some you haven’t. She is active in her own Episcopal Church, where, among other groups and duties, she serves on the communications committee (imagine that!). Neva Rae loves music but can’t carry a tune; she is an avid opera/classical music devotee, but can also be spotted at Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, BB King or Steely Dan concerts. She lives in New Jersey (as we say in the Garden State – “You Got a Problem with That?”) with her wonderful husband and two cats, one of whom, it is rumored, has been selected as a 2015 Episcocat.

What do you most love about the extraordinary honor of being a Celebrity Blogger (besides global adulation)?
I’m looking forward to the goodies — the mugs and shirts and stuff. Also, I sincerely believe that Lent Madness is a) an ideal way to learn about those whom we should emulate and b) Lent Madness helps to lighten up a solemn season.

What is the quirkiest thing you've learned about one of your saints and how does this inspire your faith?
I was struck with the fact that my travels followed David Oakerhater. Florida, Oklahoma City, Nashotah House — all these places still had Oakerhater’s impressions, and that made an impression on me.

Downton Abbey or The Walking Dead and why?
Downton Abbey — at least there is a future there.

Besides Lent Madness, what do you most look forward to in the season of Lent?
Throughout Lent, I wear only purple or shades of purple nail polish on all the fingers and the toes.

As to her photo, Neva Rae remarked, "As the daughter of a postal worker, I pledge that neither rain nor sleet nor snow will keep me from my duties as a Celebrity Blogger for Lent Madness." We're delighted to hear this and thrilled to have Neva Rae onboard the good ship Lent Madness.

We're pleased to announce that Celebrity Blogger Week (or however long it takes) kicks off...tomorrow! We’ll introduce you to our fabulous group of 2015 Celebrity Bloggers -- some familiar faces and some newbies. These are the hardest working celebrities in the Lent business and we literally couldn't pull off the Madness without them.

We’ve asked all of our CBs to answer a few questions and provide a photo that somehow reflects or sheds new light upon them. While the order in which they appear may seem either calculated or predestined, we’re posting them in the order in which we received their responses. This allows you a peek behind the Purple Curtain, to see which Celebrity Bloggers are type-A overachievers and which are being chased down by the Supreme Executive Committee at this very moment.

As the pre-Lent Madness frenzy ratchets up, we hope you’ll enjoy spending some time with the men and women who will bring our 32 saints alive in the coming weeks. We think they’re all pretty amazing and not just because they work for a free mug. Just does us one small favor: please do not stalk the Celebrity Bloggers. It's one thing to recognize them in the grocery store and ask them to autograph your bag of frozen peas. It's another thing entirely to hide out with binoculars in their rhododendron on Ash Thursday. 

As an added bonus, Celebrity Blogger Week will include not just the CBs but also our Bracket Czar, Resident Foodie, Maple Anglican and sundry others who make the Lent Madness merry-go-round go...round.

But before the start of Celebrity Blogger Week, don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Thanks — it’s good for our self-esteem. And if you haven't yet gotten a copy of the Saintly Scorecard or a poster-sized Bracket, your Lenten preparations are not yet complete. Order now. Jesus is standing by.

About 800 youth and hundreds of adults at the Episcopal Youth Event received a rare visit from the Supreme Executive Committee today. Tim and Scott invited participants to cast the first vote of Lent Madness 2015, deciding whether St. Francis of Assisi or St. Gabriel the Archangel would earn a spot on the bracket. Here's the video of the SEC that was played on the giant screens for 1,000+ people.

Later that day, participants cast their votes. While the results were being tabulated, the SEC offered two workshops on the saints. Dozens of EYE youth came to talk about saints and this new approach to Lent.

Also today, the Presiding Bishop posed for a selfie with the SEC. Were they posing with her? Or she with them? You decide, but take note of the way she showed her love of Lent Madness by wearing a purple shirt.

This evening, on the last day of EYE, the results of the vote were announced just before the closing Eucharist. Here's how the crowd reacted to the news.

Tune into Lent Madness on Twitter or Facebook for more photos from the day. While the SEC usually talks about how honored everyone else is by their presence, today we can turn the tables. It was a treat and an honor to join hundreds of the most passionate people in the Episcopal Church for a day of learning, fellowship, worship, and, of course, voting.

As devoted Lent Madness fans will know, Tim and Scott (a.k.a. the Supreme Executive Committee) meet every spring to unpack and contextualize the previous Lent Madness and engage in vision-casting and missional strategy for the next year.

This year's meeting is taking place at various coffee shops in and around Cincinnati. The meeting began with the gentle sound of a Tibetan prayer bowl inviting relationship with the Spirit and/or spirits. After Tim and Scott removed their shoes, they proceeded to "check in" while in the Lotus position at a prie-dieu so as to integrate Christian spirituality into the global context in an entrepreneurial fashion. Both Tim and Scott shared their public narrative about their ministry settings from strengths-based perspectives, taking care to map their assets.

Once they were fully present to one another, they spoke into the circle of trust while reviewing the previous year's minutes. Using "I statements" they corrected the minutes. For example, "I feel that there should be a comma in the third sentence." In order to prevent deforestation and respect the dignity of Staples, they used PowerPoint to review the minutes.

Two hours passed, and it was time for a fresh contextual check-in to process their insights. Assured of growth in emotional intelligence and personal well-being, they mindfully moved into African Bible Study of the temptation in the wilderness. Following Bible Study, they enjoyed an ecologically sustainable, free-range lunch (that died a natural death).

Later, they opened themselves to the movement of the Spirit and/or spirits to begin to discern the 2015 bracket of Lent Madness. This was done both in plenary and small groups, with frequent reporting back. Tim and Scott made use of the latest techniques for writing down the names with both markers and brightly colored dots.

At this time, to preserve confidentiality, Tim and Scott are unable to reveal any details. However, we have a few photos to share. Stay tuned for news from the SEC tomorrow, but don't expect to see a bracket.

For now, the SEC is resting after compline -- and a lively hour-long debate over who would officiate at said office.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Tim and Scott search for an undisclosed, secure, marble-clad location

The SEC pores over the nominations

The SEC attempts to use modern art as a source of inspiration, with mixed results

Is there any Wisdom to be found in the fountain?

Though they are ineligible for the bracket, Tim and Scott check to see if they can glean anything from Jesus or Mary

Last photo by Faith Lang. All others by Sherilyn Pearce.