Lent Madness in full swing

Fr. Tim made NPR! Score one for him. Oh wait, he's not on the list for this year's brackets.

via http://www.lentmadness.org/about/  

Have a look-see or a listen:
http://www.npr.org/2014/04/02/297822374/for-lent-madness-reverend-pits-saints-against-each-other#

There are others interviewed, of course, including members of a parish where each saint is represented by someone in the congregation.  Most unusually, my favorite line in the interview is NOT from Fr. Tim.

"I'm Catherine of Siena," says 12-year-old Maddie Reifsteck. "She's like some sort of nun or something that gets the job done, apparently."

Naturally, I am all for "some sort of nun or something that gets the job done, apparently."  Maybe I'll even be one of them someday.  Although that depends on the job. 

the brackets so far...

From the follow-up Lent Madness blog post:

Whoever wins this year's bracket, Lent Madness 2014 will go down as a devotion that shows no partiality when it comes to media coverage. What other Lenten devotion can claim it was covered by both FOX News and NPR? Talk about Red State/Blue State ecumenism!

To listen to the story, click here.

Thanks to all of you who continue to embrace this madness in the spirit in which we intend -- as a devotion to help introduce or re-introduce some pretty amazing folks who have served Jesus in their own way and in their own day. Sure, we have some fun along the way and, of course, Lent Madness isn't for everyone (certainly not the humorless). But, as Scott likes to say, "If you don't like it, go start your own online Lenten devotion."
http://www.lentmadness.org/2014/04/lent-madness-love-from-npr/

You will certainly want to take a look for yourself.  And vote, of course!  Surely your spiritual director/pastor/mother/golden retriever/local nun will be duly impressed with your participation.

One caveat to my enthusiasm: I must object to the outcome of March 13th: Harriet Beecher Stowe (51%) defeated James Holly (49%)  Mgr Holly, the first bishop of the Episcopal Church of Haiti, was clearly the best choice.  See this earlier fan post, which proves my point. Sniff.
http://srsarah.blogspot.com/2012/11/james-theodore-holly-and-first.html

Bishop James Theodore Holly,  1900

Finally, as we enter into another exciting and occasionally heart-wrenching day of voting, remember that what we say about confessing our sins to a priest in the Episcopal Church also applies to engaging in Lent Madness: “All may, none must, some should.”
http://www.lentmadness.org/2014/03/james-holly-vs-harriet-beecher-stowe/

So come cheer on your own favorite saints. You wouldn't want yours to suffer the same fate.  It's not over till it's over!