Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Bounty in the Thrift Store

*****I made a quick stop in one of the thrift stores I frequent. They don't usually have very good books, but I made a quick stop in the book room anyway. There was this clean copy of Short Works of Leo Tolstoy. Not a bad deal at 49 cents and I could pick out another book for free. Hmmmmm - Let me think. Forty nine cents for two books. Well, ok, I guess I can do that.

But............................


Look who was waiting for me inside the book...............



Reverend Father William T. Costello S.J.
  • Born: November 29, 1914
  • Ordained: June 17, 1944
  • Died: May 5, 1963
He was only 48 years old when he passed away almost 46 years ago. I wonder what caused such an early death?

There is a possibility he spent some time in Nez Perce, Idaho so if anyone reading this remembers him, I would appreciate some additional information.

Obviously God thinks he needs some prayers - so into my prayer bowl he goes. But as you see God sent two cards. That tells me that someone else must "adopt" Father Costello. My email is adrienne0645 at gmail dot com. Send me your address and I will mail the second card to you.

He wrote "The Scholastic Curriculum at Early Seventeenth-Century Cambridge" (sounds like a real barn-burner), and a book of poetry and other than that I can't find out much about him.


Update: Father Costello has been adopted by Packrat. What a gal!

6 comments:

Packrat said...

Adrienne, J and I can "adopt" Father Costello since we probably live the closest to Nezperce. (How is that for logic?!) Father passed away when we were both in grade school and long before we ever moved here, but I doubt that matters. :) I'll have J ask some of the older Sisters the next time he's over at St. Gertrudes. Will be sending you an email, too. If someone else wants Father Costello, I'd still like a copy of the card. Thanks, Sue

Adrienne said...

Packie - how inspired! Oh course you and J should have Father Costello.

Pop you address to me and I'll get him sent off. Word of warning - I have been known to include another lonely soul for prayer. Just sayn'....

Adrienne said...

Oh yes - I should have thought of asking around St. Gertrude's...

Lola said...

His name reminds me of that sweet little saint, Margaret of Costello.

http://www.marianland.com/pro-life004.html

MightyMom said...

what a great thing to do with your found memorial cards. Certainly this poor soul is not forgotten

Anonymous said...

Adrienne, I sent you an email via gmail. Fr. Bill is my cousin. He died after a ruptured aneurysm caused a massive stroke. He had been head of the English Dept at Gonzaga; his brother Fr Frank Costello was head of the Political Science Dept at Gonzaga as well. His ties to Cambridge were because he completed his PhD there, and he was the first Jesuit scholar admitted to Cambridge since the Reformation. I don't know if that book of his was a barn-burner or not but I suspect it was his doctoral dissertation. They are not known, generally, to be great reads.
I'd love to have the cards for my mother & I sent you my contact information in an email.
Thanks!
Greg Robbins
Charlotte, NC