''Chaplain Corby of Gettysburg'' is an outdoor sculpture by American artist Samuel Murray (1869–1941). It is located on the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

campus, and is owned by the University. The sculpture, made of bronze and

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, depicts Father William Corby giving

absolution Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness imparted by ordained Christian priests and experienced by Christian penitents. It is a universal feature of the historic churches of Christendom, although the theology and the pr ...

to soldiers at the

Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, by Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In the battle, Union Major General George Meade's Army of the Po ...

Description

''Chaplain Corby of Gettysburg'' is an outdoor sculpture in front of Corby Hall on the campus of the University of Notre Dame. The sculpture depicts Father Corby giving general absolution to the soldiers of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

's Irish Brigade on July 2, 1863. The sculpture is a replica of Samuel Murray's ''Father William Corby'' on

Cemetery Ridge Cemetery Ridge is a geographic feature in Gettysburg National Military Park, south of the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, that figured prominently in the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1 to July 3, 1863. It formed a primary defensive position for th ...

on the

Gettysburg Battlefield The Gettysburg Battlefield is the area of the July 1–3, 1863, military engagements of the Battle of Gettysburg within and around the borough of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Locations of military engagements extend from the site of the first shot ...

. The bronze figure of Father Corby stands atop a limestone boulder brought to Notre Dame from the Gettysburg National Battlefield. The work was dedicated on May 30, 1911 as a part of a Notre Dame Decoration Day celebration.

Historical Information

Father Corby at Gettysburg

During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Father William Corby was chaplain of the 88th New York Infantry, one of the five original regiments in the Union Army's Irish Brigade. On July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Irish Brigade was preparing to enter battle when Father Corby stood on a boulder and began giving the soldiers general absolution. As Father Corby recounted in his memoir, ''Memoirs of Chaplain Life'': "That general absolution was intended for all – in quantum possum – not only for our brigade, but for all, North or South, who were susceptible of it and who were about to appear before their Judge." The scene of the absolution is represented in Paul Wood's 1891 painting, ''Absolution Under Fire'', which is on display at Notre Dame's

Snite Museum of Art The Snite Museum of Art is the fine art museum on the University of Notre Dame campus, near South Bend, Indiana. With about 30,000 works of art that span cultures, eras, and media, the Snite Museum's permanent collection serves as a rich resource ...

. The painting helped shape historical understanding of the absolution as a dramatic, heroic, and sacred event.

Gettysburg Sculpture

General St. Clair Mulholland, president of the Gettysburg Memorial Commission and a member of the Irish Brigade, began the movement for the installation of a tribute to Corby at Gettysburg as early as the 1890s. He did not manage to raise much money through his initial efforts. In January 1909, The Catholic Alumni Sodality of Philadelphia proposed the creation of a monument to Father Corby on the Gettysburg National Battlefield. The archbishops of New York City,

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

, and

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

also supported the proposal. They sought contributions from Notre Dame alumni and veterans of the battle to pay for the work, with the cost estimated at $7,000. These groups commissioned Samuel Murray, a sculptor from Philadelphia, to complete the project. After the death of Mulholland in February 1910, Henry A. Daily of the Catholic Sodality of Philadelphia took control of the project. Murray completed a first model of the project on March 3, 1910, but the committee denied the model, as Murray depicted Father Corby in military officer's attire, rather than chaplain's attire. The final sculpture, ''Father William Corby'', was dedicated on October 29, 1910. On the 25th, 50th, 100th, and 150th anniversary of the absolution, priests from Notre Dame, including Father

Theodore Hesburgh Theodore Martin Hesburgh, CSC (May 25, 1917 – February 26, 2015) was a native of Syracuse, New York, who became an ordained priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross and is best known for his service as the president of the University of No ...

and Father John Jenkins, celebrated the

Catholic Mass The Mass is the central liturgical service of the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, in which bread and wine are consecrated and become the body and blood of Christ. As defined by the Church at the Council of Trent, in the Mass, "the same Christ ...

at Gettysburg. The Notre Dame Club of Gettysburg organized the 150th anniversary Mass at the statue.

Acquisition of Sculpture at Notre Dame

On March 10, 1911, the residents of Corby Hall submitted a proposal to the University administration to obtain a replica of ''Father William Corby'' in Gettysburg to "call attention to the historic merits of a great alumnus and official of the University." The proposal stated that the residents would collect the necessary $1,500 from members of the student body. The residents of Corby Hall would also oversee the sculpture's installation and unveiling. University president Father John W. Cavanaugh, who attended the dedication of the sculpture in Gettysburg, endorsed the effort. The student newspaper, ''Notre Dame Scholastic'' published weekly fundraising updates with the names of each donor for the following three months. By June 1911, the Corby Monument Fund raised $848 with 132 donations from students, alumni, and others. The University funded the remaining sum. The University held a Decoration Day unveiling event on May 30, 1911 with addresses from General

John C. Black John Charles Black (January 27, 1839 – August 17, 1915) was a Democratic U.S. Congressman from Illinois. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions as a Union Army lieutenant colonel and regimental commander at the Battle of Prairie Grove ...

, former Commander-in-Chief of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Il ...

and Father John P. Chadwick.

Artist

The Catholic Alumni Sodality of Philadelphia chose Samuel Murray, a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

and son of Irish immigrants, to sculpt the piece. Murray had been the student of

Thomas Eakins Thomas Cowperthwait Eakins (; July 25, 1844 – June 25, 1916) was an American realist painter, photographer, sculptor, and fine arts educator. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important American artists. For the length ...

and was one of the preeminent sculptors in Philadelphia at the time.

Condition

The area surrounding the sculpture is annually decorated with flowers and flags on July 2 to commemorate the anniversary of Father Corby's absolution. The sculpture is popularly known as "Fair Catch Corby."

References

External links

Notre Dame Scholastic Archives

Snite Museum of Art

Chaplain Corby of Gettysburg Image
{{University of Notre Dame 1911 sculptures Outdoor sculptures in Notre Dame University of Notre Dame Public Art Collection