IAMI - Holy chad.
Centuries before the spotlight turned to bits of paper punched on this year's election cards - creating debris known as chads - the Catholic Church consecrated St. Chad, who preserved the peace within the church by willingly stepping aside after wrongfully holding office.
The dispute involved his appointment as bishop of York in 665.
Four years later, a new archbishop of Canterbury, Theodore of Tarsus, realized that two of the three bishops who consecrated Chad belonged to a Celtic church.
The English church didn't recognize the Celtic church at the time, and Chad gave up his see to the bishop who previously held the post.
''If you know I have not duly received episcopal ordination, I willingly resign the office, for I never thought myself worthy of it,'' Chad wrote to Theodore after the announcement, according to biographies.
''Chad conceded immediately, meekly giving up the post,'' said Joseph Harbaugh, the law dean at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, who has researched Chad's episcopacy.
Theodore was so impressed that he created a new diocese for Chad among the Mercians in Lichfield, England.
''It certainly benefited St. Chad when he humbly stepped aside,'' Harbaugh said.
''Who knows if doing that might benefit Governor Bush or Vice President Gore.''
For now, Harbaugh said, the lesson from Chad is that prayers for patience are needed.
''This has no significance except that there are those who are frustrated with the pace of resolving the presidential dispute,'' he said.
''They may offer a prayer to St. Chad.''
The prayer for the Feast of St. Chad says in part: ''Keep us, we pray Thee, from thinking more highly than we ought to think, and ready at all times to step aside for others.''
With any luck, impatient voters won't still be praying on the date of his feast, March 2.
