Loading...Yes, it is that time of the year that our thoughts turn to that most revered Spring ritual: Lent Madness! Nope, not that lesser-known college basketball tournament but rather the saintly showdown between 32 servants of God competing for the coveted Golden Halo.
So what is Lent Madness? It is a unique, interactive Lenten devotion that introduces us to saints recognized in the Church’s calendar. Thirty-two saints are arranged into brackets for daily competitions. The winners advance to the Saintly 16, followed by the Elate 8, then the Faithful 4, and one of the Faithful 4 wins the Golden Halo! Winners are determined from daily on-line voting. Anyone can vote (one vote per day) just by going to the Lent Madness website.
Many of the 32 saints are not what you would call household names, so the organizers provide daily mini-biographies for each competition. Though only a few hundred words in length, these background stories are well written and provide meaningful insight into the saints’ lives and contributions.
Lent Madness 2019 officially begins on Thursday, March 7th, which is the day after Ash Wednesday. You can subscribe to the site via email and receive daily notifications of the matchups. Competitions are held from Monday through Friday each week during Lent. The winner of the Golden Halo will be decided on Wednesday of Holy Week, April 17th.
You can learn much more on the official Lent Madness website and sign up for daily email notifications during the competitions. There is also information on the history of Lent Madness, prior winners, blogs from the organizers, etc.:
Joe John will post the official Lent Madness bracket in Gleason Hall prior to the start of Lent, and will keep it updated, so you can follow the results.
Also, I will post an article each week with a quick summary of the upcoming competitions, my personal picks, plus any comments that come to mind!
Lent Madness is an ideal Lenten exercise and religious education opportunity for individuals and families to learn more about the men and women whose lives can be an inspiration for our own. Please join us
