About Our Lady of Victory · Cincinnati, Ohio
Our Lady of Victory (OLV) is a Roman Catholic parish in the Delhi Township neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, and part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's SW-3 Family of Parishes. Founded in 1834 as the Catholic Society of Delhi Township and canonically established in 1842 as St. Stephen's, it is the third-oldest parish in Hamilton County and was rededicated to Our Lady of Victory in 1853 by a pastor who had been ordained at the Our Lady of Victory Cathedral in Paris. Today the parish worships in its 1979 church, operates a PreK–8 elementary school (the Vipers), runs an active St. Vincent de Paul conference, manages an historic on-site cemetery, and streams its Sunday 11:00 a.m. Mass on YouTube.
- Established
- 1834 (society formed); 1842 (first parish structure); 1853 (rededicated as Our Lady of Victory)
- Patron
- The Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title Our Lady of Victory — a Marian title linked to Pope Pius V's prayer of the Rosary before the 1571 Battle of Lepanto.
- Rector
- Father Benedict O'Cinnsealaigh
- Diocese
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Why belong here
OLV is a long-rooted West Side parish where generations of Delhi families have worshipped, sent their children to school, and been buried — its cemetery still holds the graves of early German immigrant parishioners and 19th-century pastors. Worshippers find a full traditional schedule (daily Mass, two Sunday Masses plus a Saturday Vigil, weekly Monday Eucharistic Adoration, and regular confession times), live-streamed Sunday Mass on YouTube, an active St. Vincent de Paul conference serving neighbors in need, a thriving PreK–8 parish school with the Viper athletics tradition, and parish commissions on Worship, Education, and Peace & Justice that give every parishioner a way to participate in the life of the church.
Mass times at Our Lady of Victory
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday: 7:30–8:00 PM
- Saturday: 3:30–4:00 PM
- Other times by appointment
Adoration times
- Monday: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM (Eucharistic Adoration)
Parish History
OLV's roots go back to 1834, when the Catholic farmers of Delhi Township began gathering for Mass in one another's homes because the trip to Holy Trinity downtown was too long. In 1842 Adam Emge donated land and logs for a log church that doubled as a school, and the parish was dedicated to St. Stephen. In 1852 the log church was hauled log by log to Neeb Road, and in 1853 Father Engelbert Stehle dedicated a new brick church as Maria Zum Siege — Our Lady of Victory — because he had been ordained at the cathedral of that name in Paris. A second brick church was built in 1908, and the present church was built in 1979, with its first Mass celebrated on March 23, 1980. The parish marked its 175th anniversary in 2017 with a closing Mass celebrated by Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr.
- 1834 — Catholic Society of Delhi Township formed at the home of Philip Owens
- 1842 — First log church/school built on land donated by Adam Emge on Rapid Run Pike
- 1852 — Log church moved log by log to Neeb Road
- 1853 (Dec 4) — Brick church dedicated as Maria Zum Siege / Our Lady of Victory
- 1908 — Second brick church built; eleven acres added for parish and cemetery
- 1979–1980 — Present church built; first Mass March 23, 1980
- 2017 — 175th anniversary closed by Archbishop Schnurr
Parish Staff & Clergy
OLV is led by a pastor and supported by two parochial vicars, two deacons, a pastor emeritus, and a lay staff who coordinate communications, religious education, sacred music, business operations, planning, and school-parish support. During the business day the pastor can be reached through the parish administrative assistant; voicemail is also available after hours.
- Father Benedict O'Cinnsealaigh — Pastor (Parish Priest)
- Father Michael Cordier — Parochial Vicar
- Father Don Rettig — Parochial Vicar
- Father Chris Lack — Parochial Vicar
- Deacon Charley Jenkins
- Deacon Mark Machuga
- Father James Reutter — Pastor Emeritus
- Kelly Fulwiler — Director of Communications
- Judy Gerdsen — Parish Office Administrative Assistant (513-347-8826)
- Stefanie Busch — Business Manager
- Elaina McCormick — Director of Sacred Music
- Julie Vaughn — Director of Religious Education
- Andy Spinney — Director of Planning & Development
- Sara Gonnella — School & Parish Support Coordinator
Liturgical & Music Ministries
OLV's Worship Commission recruits and trains liturgical ministers, prepares rites and devotions, and tends to the art and environment of the church. The Music Ministry offers both traditional and contemporary ensembles to support the parish's weekend Masses.
- Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion (EMHCs), including visits to the homebound and a local nursing home
- Lectors
- Altar Servers
- Cantors — lead song at the 4:30 PM Saturday and 8:45 AM Sunday Masses
- Adult Choir — sings at the 8:45 AM Sunday Mass under Director Elaina McCormick
- Victory's Praise Contemporary Music Group — leads music at Mass
Faith Formation & School
Faith formation at OLV centers on the parish school for children in PreK through grade 8, supplemented by a Parish School of Religion (PSR) for parish children attending non-Catholic schools, plus sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation, First Communion, and Confirmation.
- Our Lady of Victory School — PreK–8 (mascot: Victor E. Viper; colors: blue, gold, light blue)
- School principal: Amy Mattews (since 2015); enrollment 470 (2017)
- Extracurriculars: technology, art, Spanish, music, physical education
- Athletics: football, soccer, baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, golf
- PSR (Grades 1–8) — held at St. Simon's Plagge Hall, two Sundays a month, 9:00–10:45 AM
- First Reconciliation & First Communion preparation (requires one prior year of religious education and a parent meeting)
- Confirmation preparation
- Graduates typically attend Elder, Seton, St. Ursula Academy, or St. Xavier High School
Peace & Justice / Outreach
The Peace & Justice Commission educates the parish and coordinates service to those in need locally and abroad, working with several long-running parish programs and collections throughout the year.
- St. Vincent de Paul Society — material and spiritual help for needy families of the parish and community
- Care Barrels / Food Pantry
- Fair Trade product sales
- The Giving Tree (Christmas gift program)
- Christmas in July collection
- Tender Mercies support
- Legislative advocacy letter writing
- Medical Missions overseas
Sacraments
OLV prepares parishioners for and celebrates the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion preparation requires one prior year of religious education (in either the parish school or Monday Night Classes) and a parent meeting. The parish also visits the homebound and a local nursing home with Holy Communion.
- Baptism — contact the Parish Office
- First Reconciliation & First Communion — parent meeting required; Religious Education Office: 513-347-2071
- Confirmation — multi-year preparation
- Marriage — contact the Parish Office
- Anointing & Communion of the Sick — First Friday nursing-home visits; homebound visits on request (contact Deacon Charley Jenkins or the Parish Office at 922-4460)
Parish Cemetery
The Our Lady of Victory Cemetery, located behind the church property, dates to the early 1850s and holds a great deal of the parish's history. The original pioneer burial ground in front of the church was relocated to the rear grounds in the early twentieth century. Burial options today include single graves, lawn crypts, and a designated cremation section, with space available through pre-need arrangements.
- First recorded burial: March 4, 1854
- 1871 — Archbishop Purcell approved purchase of rear property to expand the cemetery
- 1908 — Eleven additional acres purchased; graves moved from the front of the church
- Sections 1–3 (opened by ~1910) hold about 1,400 burial plots
- Section 4 — flat-marker section with space for over 2,000 plots; designated area for cremated remains added in 2010
- Section 5 — 50 double-depth lawn crypts, opened in the late 1990s, with room for 300+
- 1988 — Statue of St. Francis of Assisi placed near Section 4 (patron of cemeteries)
- 2000 — Infant loss memorial added near Section 3
- 2009 — Replica of Michelangelo's Pietà installed as a meditation area
- Notable graves: Fathers Florian Karge OFM (1875), Francis X. Messmer (1907), and Joseph F. Sund (1952)
- Contact for plots / pre-need: Carol Weisker, 513-347-8812, [email protected]
Family of Parishes & Beacons of Light
As part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati's Beacons of Light pastoral initiative, Our Lady of Victory belongs to the SW-3 Family of Parishes, working collaboratively with neighboring parishes on the West Side of Cincinnati for shared mission, worship, and pastoral care.
- SW-3 Family of Parishes includes: Our Lady of Victory (Delhi Twp.), St. Aloysius on the Ohio, St. Dominic (Delhi), St. Simon the Apostle, and St. Vincent de Paul
- PSR (Grades 1–8) is run jointly through the Mary, Queen of All Saints grouping with St. Simon and St. Dominic
Parish Life & Festival
Beyond Mass and the sacraments, OLV is known for its strong community life, anchored by its mid-May parish festival and the annual Holy Barbecue Competition.
- Annual Parish Festival in mid-May with rides, raffles, poker, a Sunday chicken dinner, booths, games of chance, bands, and food and drink
- Holy Barbecue Competition — a Kansas City Barbeque Society–sanctioned event
- Weekly parish bulletin (available on olvdelhi.org) with news, events, and spiritual reflections
- Live-streamed Sunday 11:00 AM Mass on YouTube
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Father Engelbert Stehle1853 dedication
First pastor to dedicate the brick church as Maria Zum Siege / Our Lady of Victory; had been ordained at the Our Lady of Victory Cathedral in Paris, France.
- Father Florian Karge, OFMd. 1875
Buried in the parish cemetery (Section 2).
- Reverend Francis X. Messmerd. 1907
Buried in the parish cemetery (Section 2).
- Reverend Joseph F. Sundd. 1952
Buried in the parish cemetery (Section 2).
- Father James Reutterserved into 2017
28th pastor of Our Lady of Victory and, as of 2017, the parish's third-longest-serving pastor; now Pastor Emeritus.