Jordan Schank ’10, a member of the Notre Dame admissions staff, made immediate plans for the Father Ted stamp:
I'll be using Fr. Ted stamps on my 2017 Christmas cards. Mark my tweet. pic.twitter.com/OSLz3UgYYp
— Jordan Schank (@jschank) September 20, 2016
But there’s no rush. The stamp in honor of the late Notre Dame president Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, CSC, announced this week by the U.S. Postal Service, won’t be issued until September 1, 2017. And, for 47 cents each, they’re good forever. The stamp’s design, featuring a painting of Hesburgh with the Golden Dome in the background, is based on the work of artist Tim O’Brien. An unveiling ceremony will be held on campus next year and the first-day-of-issue stamp will be available at the Notre Dame post office. Next year marks the centennial of Hesburgh’s birth. He died in 2015 at age 97, leaving an indelible legacy at Notre Dame and around the world through his 35-year university presidency and his service to 10 U.S. presidents and four popes on causes from civil rights to atomic energy to refugee policy. Hesburgh’s impact might be measured in his 150 honorary degrees, the most ever awarded to one person. And even in death, he continues to accumulate stamps of approval.
Jason Kelly is an associate editor of this magazine.