Did you know that the Confederacy's first military chaplain was a Jesuit priest, Fr. Darius Hubert? I didn't until recently, thanks to Katherine Jeffrey's excellent biography, First Chaplain Of The Confederacy. Hubert served with the Army of Northern Virginia throughout the war and was present at the major battles in the eastern theater as well as, curiously, seeing chaplaincy aboard the ironclad Merrimac.
He was known for outstanding pastoral devotion to the men he served and rose above denominational differences to work alongside protestant chaplains as "brothers in Christ." A remarkable man who bravely followed the call of God regardless of danger to himself, whether on the battlefield or in the hospital wards of those dying with Yellow Fever.
Hubert was a believer in the Cause but graciously so, urging reconciliation and healing after the conflict. He carried a Yankee bullet on his person, which had failed to kill him, as a sign of God's providence and protection. He died in 1893 at the age of 70.
We need more priests like him.
God bless,
LSP
