Lent Madness

09/29/2026

Today is the FINAL DAY of Nominations for the 2027 Lent Madness tournament! Make sure to head on over to the post and comment your pick for the next winner of the Golden Halo!

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lentmadness.org%2F2026%2F09%2Fhappy-nominationtide-5%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAcGRvZgFicmlkETFpMWI3bmM3T3ZlOXowTzZ3c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHiVQm7OF27iDDrWiAIgbsLOf6p7K0faTaJwCD7xhIqCLkHHqDJMhq2jA7Jm4_aem_zVzAiGvXyUKWDs1Pj1Y-wg&h=AUAFUacn6--svLyBXJ1KNUZlClX7E5-DCkzoD00OILf9vIOLDmUAGT4ivxPvntOSYLhZ8Owr6SWPU3_tTHrluqwQ3KulXVmyvWdBJile7LGLYgMPKc3so2fQIXCTQouKHQoC_Wyqhp018XVSX4E&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AUAsPRdZXGHQRL6fYdVOcP2oGIPSJXfDPoYT09hyIb06Yeo8_LqS3jHZr8W-HVOf-HVpY2QwSooj-wnpgP7BzkjjeVoRl5BoyHdes1veyQ_kF27LoftbnDpBlnBthG7MaCmf0fKYQCvLBxC5YtS1EuLGirdk9efVWdsEBA0nhHFhvRZN59gDGstEeBz0pWaylNENvZgjs7siwEklcZntLxdLdA

Before we can pit saint against saint in the madness, we need you, yes, you in the pew, the pulpit, or just procrastinating at your desk, to help us decide who will enter the Lenten bracket! For one glorious week, you get to nominate a saint you believe is fit for a chance to win the coveted Golden....

09/22/2026

🚨 IT’S LENT MADNESS NOMINATIONTIDE! 🚨

Before saint can face saint in the annual Saintly Smackdown, we need YOU to help decide who makes the bracket!

For one glorious week, nominate a saint you think deserves a shot at the coveted Golden Halo. Fr. Michael and Fr. Christian are back for another season of laughter, bracketology, and surprisingly intense saintly showdowns as we learn more about the lives and witness of the saints.

Before submitting your nomination, remember the sacred rules:
😇 Your nominee must be dead. (We cannot stress this enough.)
📅 They must appear on an official calendar of saints in some church.
☝️ ONE nomination per person. Choose wisely.
✍️ Tell us WHY you’re nominating them. Give us a paragraph making your case!
And check the list of ineligible saints before submitting. The 2026 field, the 2025 and 2024 Elate Eight, and the 2023 Faithful Four are sitting this one out. Don’t waste your one precious nomination on an ineligible saint. It happens more than you’d think.
🏆 Choose your saint. Make your case. Dream of Golden Halo glory.
Happy Nominationtide!
https://www.lentmadness.org/2026/09/happy-nominationtide-5/

Ineligible Saints: The entire 2026 Bracket

John Wesley
Martin Luther
Elizabeth Ann Seton
Desmond Tutu
Basil the Great
Benedict of Nursia
Paul the Apostle
Peter the Apostle
Thomas Cranmer
Richard Ho**er
Amy Carmichael
Edith Stein
Paul of Thebes
Anthony the Great
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus
Thomas the Apostle
Gregory the Illuminator
Nino of Georgia
Wang Zhiming
Janani Luwum
Scholastica
Clare of Assisi
Priscilla and Aquila
Cosmas and Damian
Macrina the Younger
Joan of Arc
Brother Roger of Taizé
Damien of Hawai'i
Julie Billiart
Blessed Gerard
Martyrs of Uganda
Constance and Her Companions
2025 Elate Eight

Irenaeus of Lyons
Zechariah
Sundar Singh
Emily Cooper
Elizabeth of Hungary
Verena of Zurzach
Philip, Deacon and Evangelist
Nicolaus Zinzendorf
2024 Elate Eight

Albert Schweitzer
Cornelius the Centurion
Henry Whipple
Canaire
Joseph of Arimathea
Julian of Norwich
Ambrose of Milan
Andrew the Fisherman
2023 Faithful Four

Joanna the Myrrhbearer
Martin de Porres
Jonathan Daniels
Chief Seattle
Past Golden Halo Winners
George Herbert
C. S. Lewis
Mary Magdalene
Frances Perkins
Charles Wesley
Francis of Assisi
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Florence Nightingale
Anna Alexander
Martha of Bethany
Harriet Tubman
Absalom Jones
José Hernández
Jonathan Daniels
Julian of Norwich
Zechariah
Constance and Her Companions
Eligible again: 2022 Faithful Four: Teresa of Avila, Madeleine Barart, Thomas of Villanova, Jose Hernandez

Before we can pit saint against saint in the madness, we need you, yes, you in the pew, the pulpit, or just procrastinating at your desk, to help us decide who will enter the Lenten bracket! For one glorious week, you get to nominate a saint you believe is fit for a chance to win the coveted Golden....

04/02/2026

Bishop Phoebe Roaf at St Mary’s Cathedral in Memphis sharing the good news of this years Golden Halo winner!!
The Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee

04/02/2026

👑 Announcing this year’s Golden Halo winner 👑

But first… what an incredible season it has been. We have learned, laughed, and lived into the witness of some truly amazing saints.

A special thank you to everyone who joined us on Facebook Live to meet our bloggers, vloggers, and the Forward Movement team. If you missed it, you can catch the replay on Facebook or YouTube 🎥

This year was all about community makers and bridge builders, and we are so grateful you were part of this growing, faithful, joy filled community as we deepen our knowledge and love of Jesus 🙏

And remember, Lent Madness is not just for Lent…
Join us this summer for 2027 saint nominations 📝
Tune in this November for the bracket reveal 🤩
And stay connected for fun all year long ⛪️

But now… the moment we have all been waiting for… 🎉 THE GOLDEN HALO WINNER OF 2026 🎉

✨ CONSTANCE AND HER COMPANIONS ✨

Thanks Be to God, and as always….. Happy Lent!!

Meet our bloggers, vloggers, and celebrate all things Lent Madness as we crown the Golden Halo winner!

04/01/2026

👑 The Golden Halo matchup is here 👑

And to celebrate, join us today at 12pm EST on Facebook Live as we meet some of our bloggers, connect with friends of Forward Movement, and celebrate all things Lent Madness 2026! 🎥

On behalf of Fr. Christian and me, thank you for an incredible season of fun, faith, and fellowship. Together we have lifted up community makers and bridge builders, and hopefully become a little more like them along the way. This has truly been a labor of love, and we are so grateful for all of you 🙏

But before we celebrate… we still have a Golden Halo to award ✨

Will it be St. Mary’s champions, Constance and her companions

or

The Arch himself, Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Two incredible witnesses. One final vote! As always, it is up to you. Pray about it, join us live, and VOTE 🗳️

We’ll see you on Facebook live today, this summer for 2027 Saint nominations, & in November for All Bracketstide!!!💜

03/31/2026

🔥 IT IS THE PENULTIMATE DAY OF LENT MADNESS 🔥 Which means tomorrow at noon we go LIVE 🎥 Join us for our Livestream Watch Party on Facebook Live as we meet bloggers, vloggers, and the amazing people who make Lent Madness happen and love it just as much as you do. We will see you tomorrow at 12:00pm 👀

But first… yesterday 😏 The tournament is almost complete and we have our final Faithful Four matchup to decide who will face Constance and her companions in the Golden Halo final. The martyrs of Memphis just sent all the Lutherans to Heartbreak Hotel 🎸 after defeating Martin Luther 69.68% to 30.32%

But that was yesterday…Today’s matchup is our toughest choice yet 🔥

First up, the man who wrote the rule of life, shaped monasticism, transformed worship, and built a legacy of discipleship across the world ⛪

It's... Benedict of Nursia!!!
vs
A man who lived the Golden Rule, stood against injustice, and helped transform a nation, a communion, and the world ✝️🌍

It's...Archbishop Desmond Tutu!!!

Two giants of the faith. One final spot in the Golden Halo. Who will meet Constance and her companions in tomorrow’s final… you decide

03/30/2026

4️⃣The Faithful Four is here!!4️⃣
In today’s video we are kicking things off with a different kind of faithful four, the past and present SEC!

We hope you had a blessed Palm Sunday as we step into Holy Week and move closer to crowning this year’s Golden Halo winner 😇

The Faithful Four speaks for itself. We have read the bios, heard the legends, and seen the merch. Now it comes down to one simple question… who is most deserving of the Golden Halo?

First matchup of the round 👀
The Graces from Graceland, Constance and her companions, take on the man who made Reformation cool… Martin Luther

Do the girls of St. Mary’s School have what it takes to topple the Lutherans?
Will Wittenberg prevail over Memphis?
Only one will advance to the finals… and that choice is yours

Either of these two may face the winner of Friday’s matchup, Saint Benedict of Nursia who took down Blessed Gerard 55.09% to 44.91% 🔥

Watch the video, read the blogs, and VOTE 🗳️
https://www.lentmadness.org/2026/03/martin-luther-vs-constance-and-her-companions/

03/29/2026

Shout out to Forward Movement on this Palm Sunday.
www.ForwardMovement.org/donate

03/28/2026

[Episcopal News Service] Lent Madness, the annual matchups of saints in a sports-tournament-style bracket, is nearing its final showdown of the year, with the announcement of the “Golden Halo” winn…

03/27/2026

Thank you Episcopal News Service for writing about Lent Madness today!

Lent Madness’ new organizers seek to bring saintly tournament to larger audience – Episcopal News Service

[Episcopal News Service] Lent Madness, the annual matchups of saints in a sports-tournament-style bracket, is nearing its final showdown of the year, with the announcement of the “Golden Halo” winn…