And then there were eight. With Dietrich Bonhoeffer securing the eighth and final spot with a victory over Barnabas 68% to 32%, this is the list of the eight saintly souls remaining in Lent Madness: Constance, Vida Dutton Scudder, Albert Schweitzer, Julian of Norwich, Columba, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Sojourner Truth, and Absalom Jones. Quite a stellar list for the Elate Eight!
Veterans of Lent Madness know that this round is also known as the Saintly Kitsch round. After basic biographies, quotes and quirks, what else could there be? There are always some folks who take offense to this approach — we call them Kitsch Kranks and have written about this phenomenon in years past. This is not 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 to our goal. The Supreme Executive Committee addressed this very issue in yesterday’s epic edition of Monday Madness.
Today in a matchup of two modern-ish saints, Constance meets Vida Dutton Scudder. To get to this point, Constance defeated Dominic and Helena while Vida got past F.D. Maurice and Clare (click the Bracket tab and scroll down to see previous battles and read the earlier write-ups). And we’re reminded, as ever, that some saints lend themselves to kitsch more than others…
Constance
It is 1878 and yellow fever has hit your home in Memphis, Tennessee. The town has tagged your household with a “Yellow Jack” flag to announce to all visitors that the epidemic has descended upon your home and all who enter, enter at their own risk.
A traveling door-to-door salesman is feeling bold as brass and stops by with a box of Sappington’s Anti-Fever pills to protect you from what is sure to be death. You wisely tell that joker to get off your front porch or you will breathe yellow fever all over him.
Next, the quack doctors arrive, with Hungarian leeches. Evidently, Hungarian leeches like yellow fever and will suck that evilness right out of your body.
If leeches gross you out (like me), then you can always have the quack doctor bleed you into your tin coffee cup to balance your humors. I am not sure about you, but bleeding of any sort, does not leave me feeling humorous, and there better not be anything in my coffee cup other than good ole joe.
If you are really, really smart, you will tell those quack doctors to get a life too. What you need is not a doctor; it is Constance and her Companions! Constance and her companions will bring care, comfort, warm compresses, broth, love, and prayer to your bedside. If you live, they leave a “Team Constance” shirt for you to wear during your recovery.
If you die, you can be buried with Constance and her Companions in Elmwood Cemetery in the shape of a cross. Inquiring readers wanted to know: What happened to the prostitute that helped Constance? Well this famous madam was known as Annie Cook. She was originally buried in unconsecrated ground due to her profession, but can now be found in Elmwood Cemetery as well. Annie’s fans felt that she deserved to be buried on hallowed ground for her helping hands during the epidemic.
Now, imagine googling images of “yellow fever” for two hours. If you are as stressed out as I, you may need to arm yourself with a “Yellow Fever” cocktail before voting:
1 1/2 oz vodka
1/4 oz Galliano® herbal liqueur
1/4 oz lemon juice
2 oz pineapple juice
Now that you have armed yourself with liquid courage, remember as you vote, #ConstanceWouldGo
Vida Dutton Scudder
Vida Dutton Scudder lives on in her work.
There aren’t many images of Vida in the public arena. There aren’t depictions of her in stained glass windows in churches or college halls. There aren’t mugs or t-shirts emblazoned with her visage or heralding her name.
Vida is a quiet saint. Hers is not a household name or an easily recognizable face. Nonetheless, her drive is felt everywhere, even after more than 60 years following her death. Her legacy is ubiquitous and discreet. Her quiet influence and deep commitment shine through in all that she touched.
Rather, Vida is found in her books. In her writings. In her thoughts. In her dreams that she converted into action and activism. Her unabashed dedication is evident in her lifelong work of social conscience and deep spirituality. Her legacy is apparent in her work that lives on – the books, the movements, the organizations.
Vida was an Episcopalian who lived out her Christian beliefs as a social reformer, writer and editor, professor, lecturer, prominent lesbian author, groundbreaker in addressing social and women’s issues, untiring welfare activist, and peace proponent.
Her open-minded heart was non-stop: founder of the College Settlements Association; member of the Society of Christian Socialists; associated with the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross; advocate of the settlement movement and founder of Denison House in Boston, MA; active in organizing the Women’s Trade Union League; founder of the Episcopal Church Socialist League; a 1930s lecturer at the New School for Social Research in New York.
Add to all her social activity is the fact that she wrote more than three dozen books, essays and commentaries; 16 books were penned during her retirement years. The titles of her works speak to her zeal and spirituality: The Witness of Denial; Socialism and Spiritual Progress: A Speculation; Christian Simplicity; Saint Catherine of Siena as Seen in Her Letters; Socialism and Character; The Church and the Hour: Reflections of A Socialist Churchwoman.
So it appears that Vida didn’t have time to pose for photos or portraits or stained glass. Rather, peek into her books and writings and movements, and you see her heart, her face, her image, her likeness as an untiring child of God.
Vida Dutton Scudder lives on in her work.
Constance vs. Vida Dutton Scudder
- Constance (61%, 3,508 Votes)
- Vida Dutton Scudder (39%, 2,206 Votes)
Total Voters: 5,714
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I voted for Constance because she took care of all the sick people.
You are right, Oluver!
Go Barbara! Greetings from South Florida
NO! Don’t G Barbara!! We like you right here.
I thought of something else fun to do, after reading about the lack representation of Vida in stained glass windows.
I am going to start picking out the Saints in the windows at different churches.
LentMadness epiphany!!
I voted for Constance❤️
You should stop by St. Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral in Memphis if you are ever in town. There is a hallway behind the alter (I am sure there is an official name for such that I do not know) that has beautiful stain glass depictions of Constance and her companions. Constance and her companions are prayed for every Sunday in many parishes throughout the diocese of West Tennesee.
It is known as an ambulatory
thank you for sharing this with us!
So right, Oliver!
I have decided that when I’m really torn and can’t make up my mind I might just vote for whomever got Oliver’s vote! I like the way you think and am so glad you’re adding your voice to Lent Madness this year.
I’m with you, Oliver!
Constance all the way.. That is all
*fistpump*
Constance Would Go all the way to the Golden Halo for this Memphis girl. I’ve visited their graves at Elmwood Cemetery. Memphis is quite blessed with such a beautiful, historic place. Bravo, Anna, on your delightful write-up!
Thank you!
The dedication and sacrifice of Constance won me over once again. More interesting kitsch as well!
Yes!
And here’s more kitsch for Constance: mosquito repelling citronella candles, available at most hardware stores.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/PATIO-COMPANION-Outdoor-Citronella-Candles-in-Wavy-Texture-Pot-3-Assorted-Styles-P01207/206426243
Totally agree. Having recently read the building of the Panama Canal and how yellow fever brought slow death to many of the laborers, I had to vote for Constance.
#Constancewouldgo
Amen to that one ! I voted for Constance as well.
Brilliant write-up for Constance, Anna Fitch Courie! I love the Saintly Kitsch round, and you nailed it!
Yes, indeed.
Thank you!
I second that big woot woot for Anna Fitch Courie! Her quirks and quotes write up was good, but this one clinched my vote!
My Daughters of the King chapter was named in honor of Constance. She also serves as a reminder of monastics in our midst.
I hoping to see Constance in the finals.
Me too!:)
Poor Vida – she looks to fall short today due to lack of kitsch.
I thought the same thing, Deborah.
True. It’s too bad that such a worthy person leaves nothing behind for us to slap on a coffee mug.
What about “Viva Vida!”?
OK, it was just a thought . . . .
Connie got me because healing the sick is one of our primary calls from Jesus himself.
Viva la pura Vida!
Thanks LM for calling attention to this gloriously worthy saint previously unkown to me. And I’m sure the lack of kitsch (though no doubt many have a bag of Pura Vida coffee in their pantry even now) will send voters back to earlier posts to be reminded of her positive impact and prophetic voice for our present. I can see a COME-FROM-BEHIND on the horizon!
I hadn’t noticed that when I proposed my pallid substitute above. Maybe the coffee company would underwrite the mugs.
Or, how about Vidalia Onions?
Hey, come on California central valley: farmworkers unite! it’s only 7:25 your time. Plenty of time to pull together for Vida and a stunning victory! Only 1,300 votes will do it!
There are illnesses like yellow fever and illnesses like greed and selfishness. This is another of the Madness’s impossible choices. But for a lifetime of doctoring the sickness of society, I have to come down with Vida.
Agreed!
I second that thought, Alan — tough choice, but once again I cast my vote for V ida!
Well stated, Alan.
I, too, found this to be an impossible choice, and I voted for Vida for the same reasons you did.
#Constancewouldgo. Constance all the way!
Vita for me. She lived her faith in words and actions especially for the poor working women and children. We need more voices like hers today. We have good healthcare today if you can afford it, but need more people to speak out for access to healthcare and a living wage whic if Vita were alive today she would be speaking and working for. Vote for Vita!
Very well put Betty! I agree completely!! GO VIDA GOOOOO VIDA!!!!! Constance certainly was a wonderful woman, but Vida did soooo much more as an incredible role model working for the basic rights of the people and helping to shape the direction of the country in the fair treatment of everyone through her writing and tireless work. I think she had the bigger impact on the world for good then and continues to. That’s I’m voting for Vida
I agree with both of you. A little puzzled by the Constance fever (will her companions also be on the mug?) except that the write-up was so good!
That’s funny, Kate – “Constance fever” – but I too was swayed by Vida’s example.
My buddy Betty is a Companion in the Society of the the Companions of the Holy Cross as am I. Constance was wonderful and she indeed has her reward in heaven and probably a gold coffee mug in recognition for her dedicated service, but its Vida Scudder for moi. Generations of working poor women were brought to the faith, fed, clothed, and educated because of Vida and others in the SCHC.
I’m with Betty and Cynthia, and other Companions for whom Vida is our model.
Betty, I’m glad to read your thoughts on this vote. I too have voted again for Vida and want to look into her writings again. When I sponsored a friend to SCHC, she regaled me with what she’s learned from Vida.
Judy
Constance. and I want the bumper sticker
Staples will allow you to design your own bumper stickers with slogans for any saint:
http://www.staples.com/Custom-Bumper-Stickers/product_350496
🙂
Kim on the Bayou, you are full of good ideas today (not to say you’re not full of good ideas every day, that is….)!
😉
If #ConstanceWouldGo all the way to the finals, do her companions go with her? There is no “I” in “Golden Halo.”
Absolutely! 🙂
Vida can stand on her own merits. She doesn’t need Tee Shirts, coffee mugs or key chains. Kitsch is for e-Bay, not the Golden halo!
Amen! So Vida doesn’t possess kitch–isn’t she the one who said:
“It is through creating, not possessing, that life is revealed.”
Let’s create a groundswell underdog win!!! Organize!
On competition shows, sometimes eliminated players return in later rounds to help out the finalists. Maybe those saints who are blessed in spirit yet tchotchke-deficient could get an assist from a fallen friend. For example, Joseph could step in and lend Vida a bottle of aspirin or instructions for a tongue depressor nativity set.
But seriously, folks, Lent Madness voters who make it this far really are taking in the whole story, not just tee shirt shopping. One year the Golden Halo winner was Frances Perkins, and in the kitsch department, her cupboards were all but bare. Kitsch is fun. Saints are good. All shall be well. (Oops, I’m tipping my hand.)
Go Connie!
How could you not vote for VIDA???
My thoughts exactly — Go VIDA!!!!
Oh man, this is getting harder! “Constance would go” got my vote today because it’s a trait that I admire greatly.
Oh, Anna, great job! You won me over with the cocktail! Go Constance!
Cheers!:)
Two brave women; one tough choice! But I’m going to agree with Judy Fleener and vote for Constance as a show of solidarity to all monastics who willingly sacrifice their lives and ambitions to care for others.
Amen! Constance and her Companions stayed and served when they could have left and gave their very lives so that others could live.
Constant on Constance.
Wow! Tough choice. As much as I honor and admire Constance, I had to vote for my LGBT sister Vida.
Like Vida, I am a devoted member of SCHC, but am also the great granddaughter of 1 of Constance’s Companions (Rev. Charles Carroll Parsons) who chose to remain in Memphis to help the Yellow Fever victims & died of Yellow Jack himself leaving a young wife, a son & my 18 month old grandmother who he’d forced to leave the state when the fever descended on Memphis. Accordingly, I voted for the greatest sacrifice — Constance & Her Companions.
What a cool story!!!!
Wow! Thank you for sharing this bit of history.
I had to vote for Constance, and by the way, I love the kitsch. Vida did great work, but moving the madam’s remains to hallowed ground shows that even the Church can repent and practice what we preach.
Yep, that cinched it for me …. that and the part about the coffee cup. I don’t want anything but Joe in mine either. Ick. #ConstanceWouldGo!
Gotta go with my sister;
Vida for me – Duh
Had to vote for Vida–this made me want to pick up one of her books! If her time is up this round, I’ll be very sad to see her go.
I read her last bio at work, and several of her quotes went right into my notebook (I’m working towards becoming a social worker). Her wisdom has been helpful in the field.
If only Vida had a cocktail….
But she DOES have a song! “Living La Vida Loca” — this one from “Shrek” is tamer than Ricky Martin’s version!!
It’s Vida for me, remembering the closing line of George Eliot’s Middlemarch: “But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”
Very nice quote! I started reading George Elliot because someone I respected called Middlemarch the best novel written in the English language.
Middlemarch is definitely not the greatest novel. If you want to read George Eliot, I am sure you will enjoy it. However, George Eliot is definitely, definitely not the greatests novelist, nor is Middlemarch the greatest novel.
I bet you are not interested in critical opinion, nor scholarship, but they would not support that wild statement. I know there are many women who love Middlemarch and take it with them on vacations, while they read it in the backseat of the car and feel good about their sacrifices. I had a vacation to Tuscany ruined by such a person (the wife of my husband’s good friend). I admit that it is an accomplished novel with an enduring importance.
Hmmmmm, I thought this was about Saints, not a criticism about what books we deem acceptable in the upper eschelons of intelegencia !
Oh my goodness.
Thanks for this wonderful quote Margaret. I too voted for Vida – loved today’s description of her as a quiet saint and her open-minded heart, and especially the graphic of with her reaching for a star as the I in Vida – so fitting for this wonderful, inspiring woman!
That is indeed a wonderful thought and Eliot–a genius for ending her magnificent novel with it.
Vida Scudder has long been a personal heroine. Her vision of social justice shaped by a catholic spirituality has had an important influence on my understanding of the mission of the Church.
I felt bad for not voting for Constance in the last round amid the deafening cries of “Constance must go”. There was something irresistible about her competition. Honestly, two social workers–it’s a toss up and I will be delighted for which ever goes in to the whatever you call it four. My vote for Constance is a vote for her celebrity blogger–so creative to give us the snake oil remedies of the day: now that’s kitsch! But I do admire Vida too, she’s just not…kitschy!
I agree, Betsy. I think both bloggers did a great job with what they had to work with, but Constance’s got an A+ in Creative Writing I. And I want a tee-shirt.
Faithful Four
Oh dear….such a decision. But in my hands I hold Vida’s book “On Journey”. She signed it and inscribed it to a Companion in 1954 who then gave it to another Companion in 1973 who passed it on to me in 2010. Alas, at some point in time I must pass it along to another member of the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross. And so in spite of Constance’s selfless efforts to cure the sick, I too will vote for Vida and her efforts to cure a whole society (thank you Alan Justice).
My disappointment in Scudder’s earlier defeat of FD Maurice led me to inquire of any connection between the two. Yes, she does bear his legacy, through her uncle Horace Elijah Scudder, editor of Atlantic Monthly, 1890-18998. Regardless, I voted for Constance, who bears the legacy of Absolom Jones, who nursed those afflicted by Yellow Fever in 1793 in Philadelphia.
Thank you for pointing out that connection! Of course, you are right
I can see it now. If Constance wins the Golden Halo the new Lent Madness mug will be a tin cup with the slogan #ConstanceWouldGo. Scott and Tim, can I order mine now?
That’s an AWESOME idea. #ConstanceWouldGod
*Go
I’m sure Constance did “Go God”. Anyway, she certainly has gone further than my first century patron saint Constance would have. Go Constance!!
There is a “Victorian” cocktail, which would be appropriate for Vida Dutton Scudder. This is from the Wonder How to site:
Martini glass;
Mandarin-infused vodka;
St. Germain;
Bitter juice.
Pour an ounce of each of these into a shaker with some cubed ice. Mix this with a spoon instead of shaking it. Do this until the sorbet comes out of it and then strain it into the martini glass. Add a bit of food coloring to the glass in the middle. (You decide whether red or blue is your preferred color for social activism.) Garnish with a blood orange peel.
Return to earnest social justice efforts.
Terrific! “Return to earnest social justice efforts” — as soon as you aren’t wobbly!
What I want to know is when are the “Constance Would Go” bumper stickers going to be available for sale in the LM online store? And what about my suggestion for the “ECW chicks dig Lent Madness” t-shirts? You guys could solve all the financial woes of TEC with the merchandising possibilities here.
People in Hawaii will have no idea what a “Constance would Go” bumper sticker is about; but we all know that Eddie definitely would go! I certainly would like to see her go all the way to the golden halo but there is some really stiff competition ahead. Yikes!
ConstanceWouldGo! (and the Yellow Fever Cocktail!
Impossible to choose on the merits — both Constance and Vida have nothing but merits. I voted for Vida because I’d like to see a lesbian in the Faithful Four. Also a socialist.
Two fabulous saints, but I live in Memphis! It must be Constance today.
The Yellow Fever Cocktailwas my deciding factor. Sounds like a great remedy.
Vida would lead.
One of the toughest choices in the bracket so far. wow.
I googled to find more about Constance since I missed the original post. Nice to have facts not only myths.
Love them both, but really like a saint who feels confident enough to go by one name.
Would Vida would be a HUGE Bernie supporter! or a faithful follower of Hillary?
So very much for Bernie! I hope he is aware of her !
Definitely Hillary. Throughout her life Vida showed a down-in-the-trenches pragmatism – guided by what should be but working with the messiness of what IS.
Constance will go all the way to Halo!
*fistpump*
Yes. Constance for the Golden Halo. I supported Francis Perkins with unwavering loyalty. Now I turn to Constance with the same fidelity.
Thank you!
As others have said, the lack of Kitsch KO’s Scudder. Her fans have some work to do to give her a chance another year. Where can I buy a $1 box of Sappington’s Anti Fever Pills to cure me of Constance Fever?
Outbreaks of contagious diseases wreak horror and terror in communities. I’m 78 and remember the polio terror before the Salk vaccine…the iron lungs..the paralysis. Yellow fever outbreaks were worse as there were no cures, only dedicated souls like Constance and the lone prostitute. The health professionals fled the city to avoid being contaminated. I remember the stricken look on mothers’ faces when a child would say: “Mama, my head hurts!”-one symptom of polio and that was in the 20th century. Today for Constance and her companions and for both bloggers.
I am also 78 years old, and remember all too well with what relief we children and our parents reached October each year without our contracting polio. I also remember beginning my chaplaincy training in the midst of the AIDS epidemic and being so grateful for our infection control training, which taught me how various diseases are spread and what to do to avoid catching them and/or spreading them. And the complicated procedures we went through when I was serving in pediatrics and we had two families whose children were suffering from tuberculosis. That was in the late twentieth century! I could not fail to vote for Constance.
Both saints were incredible and meritorious. Even though it was a tough decision, my vote goes to Vida. It is just good to see the words “Christian socialism” in print today! (I might have tipped toward Constance if I had time to try the cocktail!) Well shucks, “Constance would go” might make me regret my vote!
I voted for Vida! The strong, quiet ones should get as much ink as the more out-in-the-community ones. Those who toil in the background deserve recognition!
voted for two socialists today.
editing comment
Voted for two long shot socialists today.
I’m still laughing at “Constance.” That was fun!
Anna Fitch Courie, thank you for that wonderful write up about Constance. That is the coolest collection of images for such a kitsch challenged entry that I have read. Thank you, thank you!
Thank you! Constance has been super fun to work with since the beginning. I’ve truly enjoyed getting to know her!
Tough to battle a saint with such a compelling slogan as Constance Would Go. How about “Go Vida Go Vida Go Go Go!”? You got my vote, Vida!
I have to go with Vida. Her social activism, dedication to others and her underrepresentation did it for me. It isn’t just underrepresented with stained glass windows, its about representing people whose “differentness” is underrepresented. When I think about friends and family who are LBGT and how great they would feel to know that there is someone like them that is acknowledged and deeply respected in the Christian community – that means a lot, and tips my hand decisively.
Much as Constance (and her unnamed companions) did — and I have voted for her until now, I agree with those who point out that the illness of society and culture can kill as many folks as yellow fever. For her work on behalf of women, the poor, and LBGTQ people (still dying or being excluded in many parts of the world — even in the US), I voted for Vida today.
Constance would go!
I’m for Vida! The bumper sticker of reaching for the star is my choice of emblem. I think that because her work lives on, and her influence is felt by so many who are not even aware of her work, she is the definition of the hardworking woman/saint living among us unrecognized.
Words are surely important, but I vote for action every time. Constance is a great example of what Christian action meant then and means today.
Constance Would Go. I can see it on her coffee mug as this year’s winner of the Golden Halo.
*fistpump*
I voted for Vida – a somewhat ratioal decision, but my heart is with Constance, so whoever wins, it’s all good!
I voted for Vida today because the sum total of her life’s work impressed me more than Constance’s admittedly impressive ministry during the yellow fever epidemic. However, I must say that Anna’s post today was the BEST Saintly Kitsch I have ever seen on Lent Madness (not that I would be likely to see it anywhere else). Well done.
Thank you!
I like Vida A LOT – academic, activist, determined lady in a man’s world, and all that. However, after living in Memphis for four years, that city’s in my blood, so too now are Constance and her Companions! #ConstanceWouldGo
I found Vida inspiring. A truly amazing and prolific woman.
I’ve always thought the story of Constance and her companions would make an amazing movie. Where do we get a “Team Constance” tshirt?
I have great affection for both of these strong and brave women. Constance (and her companions) gave their lives to save others during the yellow fever epidemic. Vida fought for a just wage and safe working conditions for women and men. This is a tough choice, but my vote goes to Vida.
A tough choice. I voted for Vida, but I did like the leeches. I don’t know about leeches, but equally gross maggot have been used in recent years for wound cleansing. More proof that God doesn’t waste anything.
Vida addressed the problem of the leeches on the social body, sapping its God-intended vitality. GO VIDA!
Equally gross maggots have been used in recent years for wound cleansing. There must also be a use for leeches, Hungarian or Swedish. More proof that God doesn’t waste anything.
I was all set to vote for Constance, but after reading the comments on Vida and how she dedicated her life to healing the endemic sicknesses in her society (which sadly are still epidemic) I had to go with the saintly socialist today.
Two equally remarkable women. I went with Vida because I like to read, and she was a prolific writer. That said, I loved the leeches. How was one to choose a Swedish or a Hungarian leech? Tough decision, like the one today. All honor to both.
Both women, not both nationalities of leeches.
Voting for Vida today, because of a long life of inspiring activism and as a role model for those still all too often excluded by the church.
I’m leading a short youth trip to Memphis next month. You better believe after all I’ve learned about Constance, we’re visiting her resting place!
It’s very hard to NOT cast my vote for a good socialist, democratic or otherwise, but I’ve got to stick with Constance. Facing down yellow fever took guts, and she was the forerunner of those who care for people with polio (which my mother had), and people with AIDS (which was where I played a small role in the 80s). Gimme my t-shirt!
I’m with you, Fiona! Vida for me.
This was extremely difficult. Both women were saints in their own way. While my heart was with Constance and her work during the Yellow Fever outbreak (it reminded me of our own flu pandemic), I couldn’t completely turn my back on a fellow writer, author, and editor. My vote went to Vida.
Just a bit of a quibble: in light of the actions of those with means during Yellow Fever epidemics, wouldn’t “Constancy Would Stay” be a more fitting tag? Just sayin’.
*Constance* I hate, I despise autocorrect! 🙁
I like Constancy, but hey, those of us with the name are used to all the play on its meanings. I remember a friend saying that “Constance’s only constant is her inconstancy”. That certainly is not the case with our St. Constance.
Constance demonstrated such bravery and compassion.
Viida may have helped feed an clothe poor women, but Constance had to preserve their lives, for that to happen. Constance it is.
I had a hard time but in the end Constance laid down her life for the ill. I agree with Oliver, she did take care of the sick people. I admire Vida and her writing and organizing but had to go with Constance. Besides the cocktail sounds good.
I love a good Socialist Episcopalian, but I have been enchanted with “Constance Would Go”. I hope, like Constance, I would go. She has my vote.
I am a fan of any fan of Catherine of Siena.
Any fan of Catherine of Siena is a madinee idol of mine.
(I originally tried “I am a fan of any fan of Catherine of Siena” but was told I’d already said that — not so, to the best of my fading recollection. I’ve vented my frustration by means of a horrible pun.)
In another hard choice, I have to go with the Martyr(s) of Memphis.
This was to date the toughest decision for me, because I have great respect and admiration for both. As I voted for Constance, I took great comfort in the words of the Supreme Executive Committee when they assured us all that the contestants in this year’s bracket have already achieved their halos. I will do penance by reading one of Vida’s books.
Constance for the kitch!
This was a truly difficult choice. Both of them are true venerable heroes of the Church.
Vida, being an unknown, the lesser of the two deserves the nod.
Although Constance has a strong impact, Vida gets my vote for her quiet ways, lack of stained glass and example to all of us that our quiet, behind the scenes striving toward sainthood is not forgotten.
Constance has a name that befits her; Constance would go – but more importantly, Constance stayed and ministered to the sick. She was heroic.
And I’m always happy to cast a vote for a nun or religious sister.
The Kitsch won me over to Constance when the prostitute Annie Cook was reburied in consecrated ground. Reminds me of the Christians in the Hague who buried Spinoza in their consecrated ground when this great philosopher, rationalist and liberal, was refused burial in the Jewish cemetery there on account of his “atheism.” Spinoza’s constant acts of charity–he gave away his personal fortune and most of his earnings as a lens grinder–made him a saint in the eyes of the people in the Hague whose lives he touched. Will Durant put it well in his History of Philosophy: “Nietzsche said that the last Christian died on the Gross. He had forgotten Spinoza.” As for Vida, I will read her books with the same reverence as I read those of Spinoza!
Ok, I’m going to vote for Constance (way to go on a tough write-up!) but I’m going to read Scudder, and hope that honours both the saints and their hard-working celebrity bloggers.
This was one of the toughest for me because I voted for both of them in the first round. A self-sacrificing ministry to the sick versus social and welfare activism. Yellow fever may be more or less under control, but there will always be a need for social activism and welfare workers. (And of course there will also always be a need for people fighting other diseases.) Underdog vote goes to Scudder this time.
I voted for Constance in memory of my Aunt Connie, nurse and lover of such kitschas t-shirts that seem to say Ford until you look closely and see they say Fart. Connie died last Saturday. I hope she’s chuckling with the saints.
Let Light Perpetual shine upon her.
Team Constance rules.
Boy this was the toughest one by far! I really wanted to go with Constance but went with Vida. I felt her social change was on a larger scale than Constance. Needless to say, both ladies were tremendous individuals that we could All aspire!
Such a tough choice. The intellectual Episcopal socialist in me leans to Vida, but the coward in me is in awe and admiration of Constance and her companions, who answered the call of Jesus, despite great personal risk. Will probably just close my eyes and point!
Visa, against all odds. Imagine you’re an immigrant woman living in a tenement working seven days a week in a clothing factory to support your children, and Vida and the Companions of the Holy Cross create refuges and make it possible for you and your children to escape for a vacation in the open air.
I voted for Vida – Intellectual, writer, socialist, lesbian supporter, and Episcopalian! Mind you, the native Memphian with the “Yellow Fever Cocktail” named in her honor almost got me.
As a nurse I had to vote for Contance. My sister’s name is Connie. The drink clinched it for me.
Two American Episcopalian women with a social conscience who lived in the modern era. Each has had their enthusiastic supporters in earlier brackets. I don’t see either as an automatic favourite or “underdog”. I voted for Constance because her faithfulness claimed her life, and because her ministry was carried out in the midst of the social hostilities of the Reconstruction-era South.
Constance — her back-breaking work and commitment to those who suffered was admirable and convinced me. Hers was the “hardest” life.
I voted for Constance, but I like the smaller photo of Vida, with the faint smile upon her face. Smiling was a rare thing in photos of that era.
A toast to Constance!
I can see Lent Madness producing a Saintly Cocktails Book… I hope some of the recipes will be mock tails so that everyone can join it the tasty frivolity. Go Constance!
I voted for Constance because she helped people with yellow fever and whether I live in Louisiana there was a bad yellow fever epidemic.
For a moment I thought one of Vida’s books was The Church and the Coffee Hour -in which case I would have voted for her.
Ah, the Coffee Hour….The Eighth Sacrament.
Constance Would Go! The “Yellow Fever Cocktail” and the bumper sticker got me. Also her nursing the sick. Thank you, Oliver.
Where is Sarah 15 years old? I haven’t seen any comments from her in a while?
The Victorians liked punch, although it was out of favor by the mid nineteenth century, when our intrepid women were at their prime. According to National Public Radio, British sailors were entitled to 10 pints of beer per day. But when they sailed into the tropics, the beer spoiled, so they turned to punch. Punch recipes serve a lot of people, and that fuels a lot of activism.
Here’s a Victorian gin punch recipe from The New York Times (serves 20):
Ingredients
• 3 lemons
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 750-milliliter bottle gin
• ½ cup orange liqueur
• 1 liter seltzer, chilled.
Preparation
1. Use a vegetable peeler to peel long strips of pith-free skin from the lemons. Place peels in a bowl, add sugar, muddle vigorously and allow to steep 2 to 3 hours. Juice lemons to obtain 3/4 cup. Pour lemon juice over peels and stir to dissolve sugar. Transfer to a 3-quart pitcher half-filled with ice.
2. Add gin, liqueur and seltzer. Stir and pour into punch cups or short-stemmed glasses, and serve.
Here’s a recipe for Bombay Government Punch, from NPR (also serves 20, or according to NPR, 10 journalists):
To prepare, first stir 2 cups of Demerara or Turbinado sugar in 1 cup water over a low flame until the sugar has dissolved (about 5 minutes). Let this cool. Then squeeze 12 limes and combine the juice in a large bowl with 12 oz of the Demerara sugar syrup and stir. Add 2 750-ml bottles of fragrant, Navy-style rum or 1 bottle of rum and 1 750-ml bottle of VSOP-grade cognac and top off with 2 quarts water or, for a more stimulating concoction, cold black or green tea (use 2 1/2 tablespoons loose tea or 8 tea-bags). Stir again and refrigerate. Half an hour before serving, add a large block of ice (this can be made by freezing 2 quarts of water in a bowl overnight), taste and adjust for sweetness, if necessary, with the additional syrup. Grate nutmeg over the top.
NPR recommends a rum that is “rich and funky.”
Here is a non-alcoholic wassail punch from All Recipes (must like spices!):
1 1/2 cups white sugar
8 whole cloves
3 cups water
3 cinnamon sticks
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 cup lemon juice
1 gallon apple juice
1. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, cloves, water, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, and continue to boil for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and allow to cool for 1 hour.
2. Stir in the orange juice, lemon juice, and apple juice. Return to the heat, and boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove cloves and cinnamon sticks before serving.
Remember to drink and pray responsibly.
Sorry, I got carried away by the kitsch. That’s way longer than it looked in Word. However, I enjoyed the research.
Wunnerful!
founder of the College Settlements Association; member of the Society of Christian Socialists; associated with the Society of the Companions of the Holy Cross; advocate of the settlement movement and founder of Denison House in Boston, MA; active in organizing the Women’s Trade Union League; founder of the Episcopal Church Socialist League; a 1930s lecturer at the New School for Social Research in New York.
Hmm, you’d think there would be some kitsch associated with all those places & programs!
Vida’s book on Catherine of Siena appealed to me too. 🙂
Greatly enjoyed the Constance writeup! and love the idea of a Constance Would Go tin cup if she wins (or if she comes in 2nd… would follow precedent set by Brigid’s pint glass!)
For all the women religious, in every denomination, whose value has historically been considered to be far lower than their male counterparts, who quietly step in to teach, to nurse, to comfort, to pray, and finally to bury us, yet rarely are recognized beyond their convent walls by any but their Maker, I vote for Constance and her Companions. Vida worked in the world and chose her path. Constance followed the path set for her by God.
Ack. Too late to vote, but I’m glad to see that Constance won, as I was intending to vote for her. Kudos to Anna Fitch Courie, who did a lovely job digging up historical nuggets from the time of the yellow fever epidemic. Very creatively done!