Rev. William Corby, CSC (October 2, 1833 – December 28, 1897) was a priest of the Congregation of Holy Cross

Congregation of Holy Cross

The Congregation of Holy Cross or Congregatio a Sancta Cruce is a Catholic congregation of priests and brothers founded in 1837 by Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau, CSC, in Le Mans, France....

. Corby is perhaps best known for his giving general absolution

Absolution

Absolution is a traditional theological term for the forgiveness experienced in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. This concept is found in the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the Eastern Orthodox churches, the Anglican churches, and most Lutheran churches....

 to the Irish Brigade on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg

Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...

, which was dramatized in the film Gettysburg. Fr. Corby also served twice as President of the University of Notre Dame

University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...

. The school's Corby Hall is named for him, and a statue of him similar to that at Gettysburg stands outside this building on the Notre Dame campus.

Fr. Corby was born in Detroit, Michigan

Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...

, to Daniel, an Irish native, and Elizabeth, a Canadian.

Widely remembered among military chaplains and celebrated by Irish-American fraternal organizations

Ancient Order of Hibernians

The Ancient Order of Hibernians is an Irish Catholic fraternal organization. Members must be Catholic and either Irish born or of Irish descent. Its largest membership is now in the United States, where it was founded in New York City in 1836...

, his statue with right hand raised in the gesture of blessing was the first statue of a non-general erected on the Gettysburg Battlefield

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 4 acre site of the first shot & at on the west of the borough, to East...

.

External links

• http://www.irish-society.org/home/hedgemaster-archives-2/people/corby-father-william
• William Corby Archives, University of Notre Dame

Further reading

• Bergen, Doris L. (ed.), The Sword of the Lord, University of Notre Dame Press: Notre Dame, IN. 2004. ISBN 0-268-01275-9.
• Corby, Rev. William, CSC., Memoirs of Chaplain Life: Three Years with the Irish Brigade in the Army of the Potomac Edited by Lawrence F. Kohl. Fordham University Press: New York. 1992. ISBN 0-8232-1251-3