Hey, it's the final battle of the week and the second matchup of the Saintly Sixteen! Today Florence Li Tim-Oi faces Enmegahbowh.

Yesterday, Joanna the Myrrhbearer soundly defeated Augustine 65% to 35% to become the first saintly soul to reach the Elate Eight.

Oh, and if you're looking to refresh your knowledge by re-reading the first round information? Go to the Brackets tab and scroll down. Right underneath the updated bracket, you'll find links to all the earlier matchups.

Have a great weekend full of Lenten life, and we'll see you bright and early Monday morning as Bertha of Kent faces Edmund.

Vote now!

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Welcome to the Saintly Sixteen! We have now cut the field of 32 saints in half. 16 remain and one of these inspiring souls will eventually be crowned with the 2023 Golden Halo. We kick things off with Augustine of Hippo facing Joanna the Myrrhbearer, with the first spot in the Elate Eight at stake.

In this round, we move from basic biographical data to Quirks & Quotes. You'll learn some unusual facts or even legends about the remaining saints, along with quotes either by or about the holy ones in question.

And if you'd like to fill out a bracket online to see how you'll fare the rest of the way, click here.

Yesterday, Martin de Porres easily grabbed the last spot in the Saintly Sixteen by cruising past Maximus the Confessor 78% to 22%.

Vote now!

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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!

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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!

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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?!

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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.

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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!

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1. Welcome to a FULL WEEK of Saintly Sixteen action! The Quirks and Quotes will be flying as our Celebrity Bloggers take us through our saintly paces all week. We kick things off with Columbanus vs. Madeleine Barat.

On Friday, James Holly defeated Kateri Tekakwitha 58% to 42% to advance to the Elate Eight.

Later today, keep your holy eyes peeled for this week's episode of Monday Madness. It will, naturally and inevitably, be epic. But first, go vote!

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Welcome to the final battle of a wacky, saint-filled week! Today we get James Theodore Holly vs. Kateri Tekakwitha. And, yes, things only get harder as we move deeper into the bracket. It's Madness!

Yesterday, Teresa of Avila swept past Stephen 60% to 40% to become the first saint to make it to the Elate Eight.

If you’re a competing type and, well, maybe your original bracket blew up, you can start anew with the Saintly Sixteen! This new feature allows you to pit your predictions against others in the Lent Madness voting public. Give it a try here! And then go vote.

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Welcome to the Saintly Sixteen! With your help, we have successfully whittled our field from 32 saints to 16. For this round, rather than the basic biographical information, we enter the realm of Quirks and Quotes. Our brilliant Celebrity Bloggers will provide unusual information or legends surrounding their saints along with quotes either by or about their saints.

Yesterday, in the closest battle of Lent Madness 2022 to date, Thomas Aquinas narrowly defeated Jerome by the absolute thinnest of margins. See the update added at the conclusion of yesterday's post for a note on some voting irregularities. The SEC regrets confusion that was caused by several cheaters -- with a few more people cheating on behalf of Jerome than on behalf of Thomas.

If you’re a competing type and, well, maybe your original bracket blew up, you can start anew with the Saintly Sixteen! This new feature allows you to pit your predictions against others in the Lent Madness voting public. Give it a try here!

But enough jibber jabber. It's time to cast your first vote of the Saintly Sixteen, as Stephen squares off against Teresa of Avila. Go vote! (more…)