Category Archives: First Round
Genesius vs. Quiteria
Today is the one and only weekend vote of Lent Madness 2018. Every other matchup will take place on the weekdays of Lent. And it’s an intriguing pairing! We get Genesius, a saintly cut-up (he was a comedian and, more literally, had his head chopped off) facing off against Quiteria, a nonuplet Christian warrior and […]
Margaret of Scotland vs. Charles I
Whew! Well, that was quite a start to Lent Madness 2018. The epic battle between Peter and Paul did not disappoint. In very heavy and heart-thumpingly close voting, Peter edged Paul 51% to 49% with nearly 9,500 votes cast and will face the winner of Phoebe vs. John the Evangelist in the Round of the […]
Peter vs. Paul
Lent Madness 2018 has officially begun! After months of soul-aching anticipation, “Ash Thursday” has arrived. Over the next (more or less) 40 days and 40 nights, you will have the opportunity to re-immortalize one of our 32 competing saints with the coveted Golden Halo. Today we see two heavyweights facing off in the Apostolic Rumble. […]
Fanny Crosby vs. G.F. Handel
We started this little competition on Ash Thursday with 32 saints. After today’s vote, the field will have been whittled down to 16 remaining saintly souls. But in order to get there we must first make it through the Battle of the Bands as Fanny Crosby faces G.F. Handel. Who will retain the last seat […]
Elizabeth Ann Seton vs. Sarah
Today we make Lent Madness hist0ry. While Old Testament figures are considered saints in some traditions, we have never before had one participate in the Saintly Smackdown. That ends today as Sarah the Matriarch faces Elizabeth Ann Seton in a pairing that spans many, many generations. Yesterday, in the Battle of the Consonants, Samuel Isaac […]
Joseph Schereschewsky vs. Nikolaus von Zinzendorf
Thirty-four consonants between them! That’s what we’re talking about in the long-anticipated Battle of the Consonants between Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky and Nikolaus von Zinzendorf. You have 24-hours (or 10 fewer hours than consonants) to decide this tongue twister of a matchup. With only three battles left in the Round of 32, we will be […]
Scholastica vs. Macrina the Younger
OF COURSE we finish up a full week of saintly action by ignoring the cultural phenomenon of St. Patrick’s Day. No green beer for us — we’re all purple all the time anyway. No, today in Lent Madness it’s Scholastica vs. Macrina the Younger with nary a shamrock in sight! This contest is chock-full of […]
Amelia Bloomer vs. Philipp Melanchthon
Today in Lent Madness it’s a 19th century reformer taking on a 16th century Reformer (see what we did there?). It’s an intriguing matchup between an educator on the forefront of the Women’s Rights movement and a theologian on the forefront of the Protestant Reformation. Who will advance to the Saintly Sixteen? That, dear friends, […]
Franz Jägerstätter vs. Joan of Arc
Another day, another tough matchup. Today it’s Franz Jägerstätter (double umlaut!) vs Joan of Arc. One, a little-known (until today) conscientious objector and opponent of the Nazis; the other, a well-known if often misunderstood saint from France. Yesterday, Martin Luther overwhelmed the upstart David Oakerhater, despite a valiant showing, 58% to 42% to advance to […]
Martin Luther vs. David Oakerhater
“It’s not fair!” We sometimes hear such complaints about Lent Madness. And..of course it’s not fair. Which is why we call this little devotion Lent MADNESS and not Lent FAIRNESS. Thus, we end up with matchups such as today’s that pit a well-known Reformer of the Middle Ages against a lesser known late 19th, early […]
