The sculpture, made of bronze and limestone, depicts Father William Corby giving absolution to soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg.

[1][2][3] The sculpture depicts Father Corby giving general absolution to the soldiers of the Union Army's Irish Brigade on July 2, 1863.

The bronze figure of Father Corby stands atop a limestone boulder brought to Notre Dame from the Gettysburg National Battlefield.

[5] During the Civil War, Father William Corby was chaplain of the 88th New York Infantry, one of the five original regiments in the Union Army's Irish Brigade.

In January 1909, The Catholic Alumni Sodality of Philadelphia proposed the creation of a monument to Father Corby on the Gettysburg National Battlefield.

[14] The student newspaper, Notre Dame Scholastic published weekly fundraising updates with the names of each donor for the following three months.

[9] The area surrounding the sculpture is annually decorated with flowers and flags on July 2 to commemorate the anniversary of Father Corby's absolution.