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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With three out of the four saints set, today we’ll complete the Faithful Four as Julian of Norwich takes on Jospeh of Arimathea. To make it this far, Joseph zipped past Lazarus and Kassia, while Julian beat Brigid of Kildare and Zita. 

Yesterday Henry Whipple edged Canaire 52% to 48% to advance to the next round.

After today’s vote, we’ll take a collective breath over the weekend to wave palms and hear the Passion Gospel on Sunday. And then next week will bring a fast and furious culmination to Lent Madness XV.

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The Round of Saintly Kitsch continues as Henry Whipple takes on Canaire for a shot at the Faithful Four. To get here, Henry defeated Jackson Kemper and Clare of Assisi, while Canaire made it past Barbara and Cyprian of Carthage.

Yesterday, Andrew the Fisherman hooked Ambrose of Milan 82% to 18% to make it to the next round.

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The Elate Eight continues with reckless saintly abandon as Ambrose of Milan faces Andrew the Fisherman. To get this far, Ambrose defeated William Byrd and Gertrude the Great. While Andrew took down Polycarp and Hyacinth. 

Yesterday, Albert Schweitzer became the first saint to make the Faithful Four, as he defeated Cornelius the Centurion 69% to 31%.

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And then there were eight. Thus begins the Elate Eight and the mad dash towards the Lent Madness 2024 Golden Halo. The remaining saints in our little competition are Albert Schweitzer, Cornelius the Centurion, Henry Whipple (who yesterday defeated Clare of Assisi 57% to 43%), Canaire, Joseph of Arimathea, Julian of Norwich, Ambrose of Milan, and Andrew the Fisherman. But in the end, only one will prevail. 

After basic biographies and quirks and quotes, we now move into the realm of saintly kitsch. Some people, known as Kitsch Kranks, are unable to enjoy the humor of this round. But for the rest of you, enjoy a whimsical romp into the various ways our saints are honored. Or just hold your breath and click on the links below to view the writeups from the previous rounds, and we’ll see you for the Faithful Four.

We kick things off with Albert Schweitzer taking on Cornelius the Centurion in a battle of the ancient and modern. To get to this point, Albert bested Henry Mühlenberg and Thomas the Apostle, while Cornelius made it past Piran of Cornwell and Adomnan of Iona.

If you missed yesterday's Elate Eight edition of Monday Madness, do penance. And then watch it here as Tim and Scott share the Greatest Commandments of Lent Madness.

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Today we have the final battle of the Elate Eight as Johann Sebastian Bach faces Martin de Porres. In 24 hours the Faithful Four will be set! One of these two saints will join Joanna the Myrrhbearer, Jonathan Daniels, and Chief Seattle (who defeated Bertha of Kent yesterday 55% to 45%) as one of the last four saints standing in Lent Madness 2023.

To get to this round, Bach bested Harriet Monsell and Richard Hooker, while Martin defeated Maximus the Confessor and Leoba. (Note to Kitsch Kranks: click on these links to view the write-ups from previous rounds).

After Palm Sunday weekend, we'll be back on Monday morning to close out this year's tournament just before the start of the Great Three Days.

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In the penultimate matchup of the Elate Eight, Chief Seattle takes on Bertha of Kent. To make it to the Elate Eight, Chief Seattle took down Botulph and John Donne, while Bertha sent Olga of Kiev and Edmund packing.

Yesterday, Jonathan Daniels easily advanced to the Faithful Four by defeating Florence Li Tim-Oi 68% to 32%.

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