Corrigan was born on October 25, 1900, in Rochester, Minnesota, the son of Herbert Pink, an engineer, and Catherine Burns, a professional harpist.
He attended the Los Angeles High School, graduating in 1917, and then enlisted in the United States Navy, serving in the submarine service in the North Atlantic during World War I.
He then decided to train for the ordained ministry, choosing to study at Nashotah House, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity in 1925.
[4] He resigned on June 1, 1960, to serve as Director of the Home Department of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church.
Within the Episcopal Church, he was also one of the first prelates to speak out at the general convention advocating for gay rights and the ordination of homosexuals, and participated in the AIDS ministry in Los Angeles.