Today in saintly action, Polycarp faces Andrew the Fisherman, as a second century martyred bishop takes on a martyred apostle. Something fishy is definitely going on here...

Yesterday, Albert Schweitzer defeated Henry Mühlenberg 75% to 25%. Which, although it's tough news for Henry, means we're all collectively spared from trying to figure out how to type an umlaut. Which may remind longtime Lent Madness participants of Franz Jägerstätter, who nearly won the Golden Halo in 2017 before he and his two umlauts succumbed to Florence Nightingale.

Vote now!

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Welcome to the Battle of the Lutheran Legends as Henry Mühlenberg faces Albert Schweitzer. Both born in Germany, one in the 18th century, the other in the 19th. Both Lutherans. Both with fascinating vocational and creative paths. But only one will advance to the Saintly Sixteen.

Yesterday, Canaire prevailed over Barbara 54% to 46% to make it to the next round.

And if you missed yesterday's edition of Monday Madness...for shame! However, you can still watch it here.

Time to vote!

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It's time for another not-to-be-missed episode in the epic, award-winning* series, Monday Madness! Tim and Scott are back with a preview of the coming battles in Lent Madness XV.

Though Lent has been under way for a few days, you might still be looking for a suitable Lenten penance. May we recommend watching the entire oeuvre of Lent Madness?

Stay tuned for next week's episode, which will be every bit as good as this week's show. We promise.

* Certain claims in this sentence may be dramatized or exaggerated.

Welcome to the FIRST FULL WEEK of Lent Madness XV! Today Canaire takes on Barbara as two strong and beloved women, with some surrounding legends, square off for a shot at the Saintly Sixteen. As Barbara is the patron saint of miners, you could call this matchup Canaire in a Coal Mine. But that would just be silly.

On Saturday, Kassia trounced Casimir 89% to 11% in the first major rout of 2023. 

Time to vote!

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Welcome to the ONE AND ONLY weekend matchup of Lent Madness as Kassia takes on Casimir. Every other battle will take place on the weekdays of Lent - straight through until Spy Wednesday during Holy Week.

Yesterday, Hyacinth came up smelling like roses as he roundly defeated Rose of Lima 74% to 26% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen.

While some of the early struggles people had with voting have abated, please check out our (hopefully) helpful Voter Information Guide.

We'll see you bright and early on Monday morning as Canaire takes on Barbara. Time to vote!

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Today in the Saintly smackdown it's the Flower Follies as Hyacinth faces Rose of Lima. Every member of the Flower Guild should cast a vote! And maybe be a little judgy about their choice?

Yesterday, on Opening Day, Thomas the Apostle defeated Thomas Cranmer 56% to 44% with nearly 5,700 votes cast, to become the first saint to advance to the Saintly Sixteen.

It wasn't the smoothest start to our little bracket competition as so many people tried to vote early in the day that the server crashed. A few times. But we're up and running and looking forward to another full season of saintly thrills and spills. Please note that you cannot vote from the email we send out, you can only vote directly from the website. All of the extra steps involved are to protect the Lent Madness Global Public from voter fraud (yes, it's a thing). Thank you for your patience when you have trouble voting. You were patient, right?! it's supposedly a virtue.

Don't forget that tomorrow is the ONLY WEEKEND VOTE of Lent Madness as Kassia takes on Casmir.

Now go exercise your right to vote!

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Welcome to the opening matchup of Lent Madness XV! If you’re a veteran Lent Madness participant, welcome back! If you're joining us for the first time, we’re delighted you’re along for this wild, saintly ride! And if you're just penitential-curious, check out the About Lent Madness tab on the website to find out what all the fuss is about.

To experience the fullness of Lent Madness, the Supreme Executive Committee (the somewhat benevolent dictatorship that runs this whole enterprise) encourages you
to do a couple things. First, like Lent Madness on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter. Second, subscribe to the Lent Madness e-mails so you never miss a vote — you’ll get each matchup hand-delivered to your inbox on the weekdays of Lent. You can do this by going to the home page of our website and entering your e-mail address. We highly recommend doing this. Finally, you can fill out a bracket online and daily see how you stack up against those who take their Lenten bracketology seriously (keep scrolling and you'll encounter the 2024 Matchup Calendar to determine when your favorite saint will be doing battle). Oh, and if you've ordered a bracket poster, and your handwriting's lousy, you can download these nifty Lent Madness Bracket Stickers and impress your friends with your beautiful penmanship.

But mostly, we encourage you to read about the 32 saints participating in this year’s edition of Lent Madness (download the FREE Digital Saintly Scorecard), faithfully cast your (single!) vote on the weekdays of Lent, and add your comments to the great cloud of participating witnesses that gathers as the online Lent Madness community each year.

To celebrate the 15th year of Lent Madness, all 16 first round matchups are themed battles. Some will be obvious, some less so. For instance, today it's the Thomas Throwdown as Thomas Cranmer faces Thomas the Apostle.

But enough of this idle chatter. It's time to cast your very first vote of Lent Madness 2024! We’re glad you’re all here. Now get to it!

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Dear friends in Christ,

On this one day a year, even Lent Madness pauses to reflect on our life, our blessings, and our mortality. The entire season of Lent is an invitation to recommit to following Jesus. This day, Ash Wednesday, is a poignant reminder that life is short. We are meant to savor our earthly life and to live it well.

At the end of life, few people regret not having worked more, nor do they wish they had spent more money on stuff. In fact, end of life regrets usually revolve around love. “I wish I had spent more time with my family. I wish I had forgiven the person who wronged me. I wish I had been a more faithful Christian.”

When we kneel before the altar and hear the words, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” we are reminded that we are mortal. We should not delay our decision to repent, to live more fully, to follow Jesus more faithfully.

Aside from the ridiculous competition and constant silliness of Lent Madness, we hope everyone who takes part will notice something about each of the saints. Every single one of the saints was a flawed human. You might be used to seeing them in stained glass or in marble, but they were living, breathing, messed up people not so different from us. And yet, each one of these saints managed to allow God’s grace to work in them such that Christ’s light shone brightly in their lives. They were witnesses to the world of the transforming love of Jesus Christ.

Over the course of this year’s Lent Madness, you will meet 32 new saintly companions. Perhaps they will inspire you to follow Jesus in new ways, so that you can be a witness of the Good News of God in Christ. Perhaps you will invite the saints to pray for you, for they are also companions with us in our earthly pilgrimage. You see, beneath the silliness of the saintly smackdown, there lies a brighter, deeper truth in God’s grace at work in the world.

This Lenten season, we invite you to draw closer to our Lord Jesus. Give up those things which keep you away from Jesus. Take on those things that bring you closer to Jesus. We hope Lent Madness is helpful on your journey.

We wish you every blessing in this Lenten season.

Tim+         Scott+

The Supreme Executive Committee

This post is a reprise of our Ash Wednesday post from 2015. In honor of the Fifteenth Anniversary of Lent Madness, we'll be bringing you some classic content throughout this commemorative season. Hey, it was either this or sell you #LentMadnessXV trinkets. You're welcome.

Photo by Annika Gordon on Unsplash.

It's the last pre-season episode of Monday Madness before the kickoff of Lent Madness XV. Tim and Scott preview the first contest of the coming tourney, which kicks off at 8:00 a.m. on February 15, 2024. That's this Thursday! ASH THURSDAY!

As you prepare for Lent Madness, you are encouraged to download the FREE Digital Saintly Scorecard. You can still buy Giant Bracket Posters, but they won't arrive in time for Ash Thursday. However, as Tim rightly says, you can still buy a bracket poster and enjoy it for the bulk of Lent. Especially if you buy them in bulk.

Need even more info about Lent Madness? Check out this news release from Episcopal News Service. Then put it in your church newsletter. Or make copies and drop them by helicopter around your neighborhood. Or encourage some monks to create an illuminated manuscript.

Tell your friends and neighbors it's almost time for the Biggest Roman Numeral Lenten Devotion in the world!

It's the penultimate pre-season episode of Monday Madness! Tim and Scott are here to help you get ready for Lent Madness XV.

Today's episode has the breaking news the entire Lent Madness Global Viewing Public has been waiting for: the Digital Saintly Scorecard is ready. If you want to download the Digital Saintly Scorecard, you can get your copy right now for free. That's right, FREE!

With just a few days until Lent, today is the last day you can order Giant Bracket Posters from Forward Movement with arrival before Ash Thursday. The full-color posters are just $15, and they're a steal at $10 each if you buy five or more. While you're stocking up on posters, you might like colorable Join the Journey through Lent posters, which are sold in packs of 25. If you're super on top of things, you could also order your Easter colorable poster calendar, too. But we realize that's a bit of a stretch. Even for us.

But seriously, you don't need to spend money to enjoy Lent Madness. You can print out your own bracket at home. It costs nothing to vote. So study up and be ready for the start of Lent Madness 2024 on February 15.