Father John Ubel, rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, holds two of his most valuable baseball cards, Jackie Robinson and Hank Aaron. Those cards and more from Father Ubel are the basis of a March 12-14 auction to benefit Aim Higher Foundation, which provides Catholic grade school scholarships to students in need. DAVE HRBACEK | THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT
As he’s prepared to auction off a valuable baseball card collection to benefit Catholic school students, Father John Ubel has attracted others’ generosity — most notably in the form of a signed baseball intended to commemorate an American 9/11 hero.
Father Ubel, rector of the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul, said that his mother’s neighbor at a St. Paul senior residence gave her a baseball signed by Minnesota Twins great Harmon Killebrew. The Twins organization had given her the baseball in honor of her son, Tom Burnett Jr., who died when his hijacked airplane crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 11, 2001. Burnett is remembered as the man who said “let’s roll” as a group of passengers prepared to storm the cockpit in an attempt to regain control of the plane.
Father Ubel shared the story in an interview for the March 12 “Practicing Catholic” radio program. The Killebrew baseball is now part of an auction of about 50 baseball cards that began March 12 and runs through March 14. He is donating proceeds from the sale of his collection to the St. Paul-based Aim Higher Foundation, which gives grade school students from families in need annual scholarships to Catholic schools.
“This is a critical time to support (Catholic schools),” Father Ubel said, “and, hopefully, even encourage them to grow.” He said he meets people who tell him that their closest friends are former Catholic school classmates — even more so than college friends.
“They have great memories of it,” he said, “and it forms them in the faith, it teaches them about sacrifice and teaches them about living a life of virtue, and that is so needed today.”
As a child, two of Father Ubel’s favorite players were Hank Aaron and Jackie Robinson.
“I can remember as a 10-year-old watching Hank Aaron beat Babe Ruth’s (home run) record in that wonderful evening game, so he was always my favorite player who wasn’t a Minnesota Twin.” But at age 10, Father Ubel said he didn’t know the race-related backlash that Aaron faced, nor Robinson’s strong faith.
Asked if he has any sense of loss in parting with the cards, Father Ubel said he hasn’t given it a second thought. But he said the cards that are most difficult to part with aren’t necessarily the most valuable, but the ones that spark the most memories — for example, his 1970 Nolan Ryan card. “That one is more difficult to part with,” he said.
“But they can do so much good, so much more good, than on my shelf,” he said.
Still an avid baseball fan, Father Ubel includes his Minnesota Twins season prediction in the Cathedral’s bulletin the Sunday before opening day.
During the radio show, Father Ubel told Conley the estimated value of the set of cards. To learn the projected value (hint: it’s in the thousands of dollars) and to hear the entire interview, tune in to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show. It airs at 9 p.m. March 12, 1 p.m. March 6 or 2 p.m. March 7 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
To read a more detailed article about Father Ubel’s baseball card collection, visit TheCatholicSpirit.com: tinyurl.com/t596jza.
“Practicing Catholic” is produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and broadcast on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Other guest interviews on the March 12 “Practicing Catholic” show are Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who provides encouraging reflections one year into the pandemic, and Deacon Gordon Bird, who suggests we invite St. Joseph to eucharistic adoration.
Listen to their interviews after they have aired:
soundcloud.com/practicingcatholic
Practicing Catholic on Spotify
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