• Home
  • Diocese
  • Bishop Burns
  • Synod
  • Columnists
  • Revista Catolica
  • Vatican
  • Subscribe
The Texas Catholic
The Texas Catholic

Dallas, Texas

Today is Thursday, March 23, 2023
  • Home
  • Diocese
  • Bishop Burns
  • Synod
  • Columnists
  • Revista Catolica
  • Vatican
  • Subscribe
  • Follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Linkedin
    • Instagram
Home
Father Timothy Gollob

Father Gollob: Stamps and Coins

Friday, September 6, 2019

Father Timothy Gollob, pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Church, accepts the Gold Medal of Merit from the Knights of Peter Claver Council 102, and Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary on Aug. 24 at the Oak Cliff church. The award is the highest bestowed upon a non-member who has demonstrated significant social, humanitarian and religious contributions.

By Father Timothy Gollob
Special to The Texas Catholic

In the mid 1940s, my father purchased a small house in Tyler for his family before he cast off to the Norfolk Naval Yard to join the crew of the AKA 97, an attack cargo landing craft. He was to be involved in WWII by being in the huge flotilla of ships in the Pacific Ocean, preparing to land troops in Japan. But a typhoon delayed the invasion and soon the war was over.

We did not know where he was as his V-Mail letters were short and edited of any precise information. “V” stood for “victory” as the micro-filmed correspondence saved valuable cargo space on the ships.

In the interim, my brother, Mike, and I played ping pong and softball at Tyler Hillside Park near our house. It had an unique playing field — a large drainage ditch separated the left infield from the outfield! That made the outfielders very vigilant.

Across the street from the park was a two-story house where Mrs. Angela Kaemmerlen, a widow, lived with her daughter, Catherine Royce. Our mother learned that Angela’s husband had left her his nice stamp collection and she was selling it, stamp by stamp, to help with her groceries.

We were neophytes to the world of philatelics. She actually gave us more stamps than we bought. But the colorful stamps opened up to us all the countries of the world. We learned about their names and history and products from those little pieces of paper.Stamp collecting knew no borders!

Later, as a seminarian in Rome, I noticed that all our mail bore the 15-cent green airmail stamp of the 1950s. I contacted the H.E. Harris Stamp Co. and they offered to buy used stamps from me in bundles of 100, soaked off the envelopes.

I recruited my classmates with the promise that any money gained would go to the Mission Account. I set up boxes on the hall bulletin boards and my friends kept them full.

At that time we had to use the Vatican Post Office for our mail to the states. Consequently, our families had complete sets of these (once valuable) stamps. Times have changed. Who writes letters? Who collects stamps? If you do, I would like to make a deal with you.

Father Timothy Gollob is the pastor of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Oak Cliff.

  • Tags
  • Father Timothy Gollob
  • Holy Cross Catholic Church
  • Knights of Peter Claver
  • Knights of Peter Claver Ladies Auxiliary
Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn Pinterest
Next article Father Esposito: The possibility and privilege of friendship with God
Previous article A new model, familiar faces for Christ The King Catholic School’s vision

Related Posts

Father Esposito: Happiness as the blessed life Columnists
Friday, March 10, 2023

Father Esposito: Happiness as the blessed life

Father Dankasa: Two voices in one Columnists
Thursday, March 9, 2023

Father Dankasa: Two voices in one

Prayerfully using Lenten seeds for Easter growth Columnists
Friday, March 3, 2023

Prayerfully using Lenten seeds for Easter growth

Texas Catholic Classics

A look at the five Dallas law enforcement officers who gave their lives while protecting citizens during a mass shooting in downtown Dallas in July 2016.

 

How a child with special needs inspired a high school volleyball team, community and a family who heeded God’s call to protect life.

 

After a young runner collapsed at a Dallas marathon, grace and providence unfolded for those involved in the valiant effort to help her.

   

In the summer of 2016, 50 students and 25 chaperones from Dallas Catholic high schools traveled to Nicaragua for a 10-day mission trip.

 

Early on a November morning, Kenndrick Mendieta bounded from the gym at Cristo Rey Dallas College Prep toward the campus’ athletic fields as clouds lifted on a fresh new day.

 

Subscribe

Get the award-winning Texas Catholic delivered to your door. Use the menu below to subscribe now.


Subscription length




 

Photo Gallery

Click here to find your favorite Texas Catholic photographs.

The Texas Catholic Newspaper

Catholic Diocese of Dallas
Michael Gresham, Editor

3725 Blackburn Street
Dallas, Texas 75219
(214) 379-2800

Our Affiliated Sites

Texas Catholic Youth

Revista Católica

Legal and Other

Contact us

Terms of service

Privacy policy

Site map

Site powered by TexasCatholicMedia

© 2013-2019 The Texas Catholic Publishing Company. All rights reserved.