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.

In this week's installment of Monday Madness, Scott and Tim discuss the start of Celebrity Blogger Week. They also encourage every website on the entire internet to add a Lent Madness widget, whilst explaining how you can get tattoos directly from your computer screen. Last, but not least, there's a shout out to everyone's favorite shopping destination, the Lentorium.

Since you've already liked Lent Madness on Facebook, make sure you invite your friends to join us on Facebook too. Those of you who are on Twitter will doubtless want to keep a close eye on @LentMadness, as well as @FatherTim and @ScottAGunn.

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.

With this post, we move officially from the off season to the high season of Lent Madness. From now on through Easter Monday, you can expect a weekly-ish video from the Supreme Executive Committee. Speaking of high season, one of our hard-working staff was updating some behind-the-scenes action today and inadvertently hit "publish" on a post too soon. As a result, you may have received a spurious email from Lent Madness HQ. Sorry about that, and pay no attention to the staff member behind the curtain.

In any case, Tim and Scott discuss Snowmageddon and how to prepare for Lent Madness 2015 in this week's action-packed video.

Right after you watch the video, you'll want to visit the Lentorium or head right over to Forward Movement's website to order your 2015 bracket poster. You get a massive suitable-for-framing or attachment-to-your-altar poster for just $10, or $9 for two or more. Your Saintly Scorecards are only $1 when you buy 25 or more. If you want only one, it's still a bargain at $3. There's an ebook version available, but you'll have to do without the full-color fold-out bracket, unless you tape one to your Kindle.

New this year, we'll have a t-shirt. It's going to be a high-quality purple shirt (obviously) with a design in two colors featuring "Who will win the Golden Halo?" and the Lent Madness logo, all on the front left of the shirt. They will be priced at around $12, we think. It's important that you tell us what size you'd buy, if you think you'll buy one, so we can plan our order accordingly. So please fill out the poll at the end of this post.

Last, but not least, check out Tim's newest book from Forward Movement, Dust Bunnies in the Basket: Finding God in Lent & Easter. It's like Lent Madness but in a book (or an ebook).

Remember to fill in your sizes below! The totals of this poll will help us with our t-shirt order. If you're planning to order, say, 50 mediums, go ahead and tell us that in the comments. Thanks!

[poll id="124"]

Whoops! The link for today's

After consuming ridiculously large quantities of food, what else is one to do but shop? If you are morally opposed to shopping on "Black" Friday, we salute you, and we hope you will note this is different: it is a precursor to Lenten discipline.

Anyway, if you are smart, you didn't get up in the middle of the night and camp out at your nearest big box store. Instead, you'll be doing your shopping online, either today or on Cyber Monday. Because the SEC cares about your and your shopping needs, we have conveniently provided a way for you to do all your Advent, Christmas, St. Thomas, Holy Innocents, and New Year's Day shopping done in one fell swoop. This weekend only, we have an amazing deal on 2015 Lent Madness bracket posters. Buy one for every person on your gift list (maybe a matching set for your dearest loved ones)! Now through Cyber Monday, 2015 Lent Madness bracket posters are on sale for just FIVE BUCKS EACH. That's a 50% savings and an unprecedented low price!

To get the deal, use code CYBER14.

And that's not all. You can get great deals on other gift items from Forward Movement, including amazing children's books and a book of daily devotions for 2015. You don't usually see deals like this from Forward Movement, so act now. Remember, use code CYBER14 at checkout to get the deal.

So go ahead, pull out your wallet, and finish all your shopping for everyone in the next five minutes. Then go eat some leftovers and take a nap. You'll have earned it.

In this month's installment of Monthly Madness, Scott and Tim report live from Lake Logan, NC, where they are attending CREDO. As you know, CREDO is the Church Pension Group's way of saying "I believe" in the magic of Lent Madness. Watch now for valuable insights into a couple of the first-round match-ups in the newly unveiled 2015 Lent Madness bracket, released yesterday on All Brackets' Day.

Make sure you order your very own copy of the 2015 Lent Madness bracket poster today. After you put away your wallet, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

It's the moment you've all been waiting for: the unveiling of the 2015 Lent Madness bracket. Stay tuned for the SEC's color commentary on the bracket, highlighting some of the epic contests that will take place over the course of Lent Madness 2015. Right now you should read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest the bracket. Then brag to all your friends about how you've memorized all the match-ups and can't wait for Lent to begin.

Click the image to see a larger version. Or you can download a PDF for printing your very own copy.

Once you have the bracket in your hot little hand,  don't stop by simply posting it on your refrigerator. The Supreme Executive Committee offers a few suggestions for helping spread the Lent Madness word.

1. Post a copy of the bracket on the front door of your church. In fact, why stop at your church? Channel your inner Martin Luther and nail the bracket to the doors of every church in your neighborhood.

2. Get the bracket tattooed to your back. You'll be a big hit when you go swimming at the Y.

3. Mail them out with all your Christmas cards this year. "Lent Madness: It's the Reason for the Season."

4. Go to the mall and put them under the windshields of every car in the parking lot. For Jesus.

5. Get front row seats at televised sporting events and hold up the bracket. Consider it the new John 3:16 sign. Rainbow wig optional.

6. Staple a copy of the bracket to your dog's collar and let her roam around the neighborhood sans leash.

Feel free to share other ideas (with photo documentation) of course. They may just end up on the Lent Madness Facebook page.

Don't forget to order your very own 2015 Lent Madness Bracket Poster! They're just $10 each, or pay only nine bucks if you order two or more. Get one for home, one for the car, one for work, and one for everyone on your street. Your parish priest will be delighted when she or he sees you've added a bit of Lent Madness spirit by attaching a bracket to the altar frontal or pulpit. Pre-order now, and be among the first to enjoy the poster!

And you'll be thrilled to know we'll soon be offering this year's edition of the Saintly Scorecard -- the definitive guide to all things Lent Madness 2015. Visit this website every hour until you see it!

In what will surely become an Emmy-winning video, the Supreme Executive Committee is pleased to share news on several fronts. Watch now!

• Remember to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of the SEC on October 29, as Scott and Tim celebrate their individual birthdays October 28 and October 30. It's like Presidents' Day, only more holy and more fun.
• Even more important: mark your calendars for November 3, All Brackets' Day! It's the natural evolution of All Hallow's Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day. Yep, All Brackets' Day is the day the Lent Madness 2015 bracket will be revealed to the world. Tune in right here to see the bracket on the morning of November 3.
• Two of our world renowned Celebrity Bloggers have retired. Next time you're in the Lent Dome, look up toward the rafters to see the jerseys of Penny Nash and Heidi Shott. Lent Madness won't be the same without them.
• After a global search, the SEC is pleased to announce to new recruits to the Celebrity Blogger team. Please welcome Nancy Frausto and Neva Rae Fox. Nancy serves as priest at two Los Angeles-area congregations, and she's an ECF Fellow. Neva is Public Affairs Officer for The Episcopal Church, and she's active in her New Jersey parish. She is passionate about opera. And saints.

While you are biding your time waiting for the release of the bracket, why not visit the Lentorium and perhaps order a Lent Madness 2014 Golden Halo winner Charles Wesley mug? Or maybe a perpetual Lent Madness purple mug?

All Brackets' Day will be here before you know it!

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.