Faith on the Battlefield

The University of Notre Dame is proud of its Catholic identity, and as the University’s academic press and the largest Catholic university press in the world, we strive to honor and explore that identity. Spiritual reflection is not just to be found in churches, however. It is also found on the battlefield. Multiple titles on our military history list explore the legacy of military chaplains throughout the decades, starting with the Crusades and continuing all the way through the Vietnam War. 

Read on to learn about the titles that tell the stories of these incredible men and women.

The Sword of the Lord:
Military Chaplains from the First to the Twenty-First Century

Edited by Doris L. Bergen

The Sword of the Lord is the first book to examine military chaplains and the development of the military chaplaincy across history and geography—from the first to the twenty-first century, from Europe to North America. The scope of this work reveals the astonishing fact that the military chaplaincy has existed in a recognizable form for more than 1,600 years. Contributors analyze specific historical moments in the development of the chaplaincy, beginning in antiquity and progressing through the Crusades, the English Civil War, the American Civil War, both World Wars, and the Vietnam War.

Soldiers of a Different Cloth:
Notre Dame Chaplains in World War II

by John F. Wukovits

In Soldiers of a Different Cloth, New York Times best-selling author and military historian John Wukovits tells the inspiring story of thirty-five chaplains and missionaries who, while garnering little acclaim, performed extraordinary feats of courage and persistence during World War II. Ranging in age from twenty-two to fifty-three, these University of Notre Dame priests and nuns were counselor, friend, parent, and older sibling to the young soldiers they served. Based on a vast collection of letters, papers, records, and photographs in the archives of the University of Notre Dame, as well as other contemporary sources, Wukovits brings to life these nearly forgotten heroes who served wherever duty sent them and wherever the war dictated.

Soldiers of the Cross, the Authoritative Text:
The Heroism of Catholic Chaplains and Sisters in the American Civil War

by David Power Conyngham

Shortly after the Civil War ended, David Power Conyngham, an Irish Catholic journalist and war veteran, began compiling the stories of Catholic chaplains and nuns who served during the war. His manuscript, Soldiers of the Cross, is the fullest record written during the nineteenth century of the Catholic Church’s involvement in the war, as it documents the service of fourteen chaplains and six female religious communities, representing both North and South. Many of Coyngham’s chapters contain new insights into the clergy during the war that are unavailable elsewhere, either during his time or ours, making the work invaluable to Catholic and Civil War historians.

Faith of the Fathers:
The Comprehensive History of Catholic Chaplains in the Civil War

by Robert J. Miller

Faith of the Fathers provides a captivating collective biography of the Catholic priests who served in America’s most deadly war. This title brings to light the forgotten stories of courageous chaplains whose commitments to faith and to men at war during America’s most divisive conflict have long been overlooked. The Reverend Robert J. Miller provides a comprehensive and compelling portrait of the 126 priest-chaplains who served during the Civil War and reflects on the importance of religion and faith in nineteenth-century America. As a culture of death and horror raged around them, Catholic priest-chaplains met the needs of soldiers and officers alike, providing years of faithful and dedicated service in hospitals, prisons, battlefields, and camps.

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