Category Archives: Lent Madness 2020

Elizabeth vs. Joseph

On the last day of a full (in some ways endless?) week, the Saintly Sixteen heads back to the Biblical quadrant for a showdown between Elizabeth and Joseph. To get here, Elizabeth got past Andrew while Joseph bested Joshua. Reminder before you start complaining: No one said any of this was fair. It’s called Lent […]

Thomas More vs. Herman of Alaska

Welcome to the Saintly Sixteen! With your help, we have successfully cut our 32 saints in half. Numerically speaking, that is, not in a martyred kind of way. 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 […]

Clare of Assisi vs. Isidore of Seville

Today we dangle the FINAL spot in the Saintly Sixteen in front of two worthy saints, Clare of Assisi and Isidore or Seville. But that’s not all that’s at stake here. You see, Clare is the patron saint of television while Isidore is the patron saint of the internet. So, when the votes are counted, […]

Gregory of Nazianzus vs. Elizabeth the New Martyr

In the penultimate battle of the Round of 32, Gregory of Nazianzus squares off against Elizabeth the New Martyr. This marks the appearance of the fourth and final Elizabeth of Lent Madness 2020. How have the Elizabeths fared so far? Elizabeth of Hungary went down in flames, losing to Herman of Alaska, but the Biblical […]

Monday Madness — March 16, 2020

This week, even in the midst of a crisis that seems to bring new disruptions every day, Tim and Scott are here with another action-packed, fact-filled episode of Monday Madness. They remind you that Lent Madness will be here to offer you online community and a measure of joy just when many people are craving […]

Joanna the Myrrhbearer vs. Junia

Hold onto your halos as we move into another full week of saintly thrills and spills! With only three matchups left in the Round of 32, we’ll soon find ourselves in the Saintly Sixteen. Time flies when you’re spending time with the saints. (Oh, and for those of you who didn’t get Friday’s results, Harriet […]

Lent Madness Carries On

Dear friends in Christ, These are strange times. Who would have imagined that the other bracket-based tournament that takes place in March — the one where a “three pointer” doesn’t refer to the Holy Trinity — would be canceled? And while we’re pleased to claim the title of Longest-Running Consecutive Madness in the World, we […]

Harriet Tubman vs. Julie Billiart

One of the joys of Lent Madness is engaging with both well-known and virtually unknown saintly souls. Many have heard of Harriet Tubman and know of her work as a conductor on the Underground Railroad. Few, perhaps, know the story of Julie Billiart, a courageous French nun who lived through the French Revolution. That’s your […]

Elizabeth Fry vs. Florian

With today’s matchup we jump out of the frying pan and into the fire. Yes, it’s Elizabeth Fry vs. Florian, patron saint of firefighters. Sometimes matchups are engineered by the Supreme Executive Committee just to keep themselves amused. We assure you, It doesn’t take much. Yesterday, it was Hildegard of Bingen in a romp as […]

Hildegard of Bingen vs. Romanos the Melodist

Only in Lent Madness will you find a 12th century mystic facing off against a 6th century hymn writer. Well, maybe you can find a matchup between the likes of Hildegard of Bingen and Romanos the Melodist elsewhere in the world. But we’re dubious. In yesterday’s Biblical battle, Bartimaeus saw his way past Jude 54% […]