About Our Lady of Victory · Paris, Texas
Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church is a bilingual (English/Spanish) Roman Catholic parish serving Paris, Texas, and the surrounding Lamar County area from its campus at 3300 Clarksville Street. Founded in the mission years of the 1860s and organized as a parish in 1880, it belongs to the Diocese of Tyler and is currently pastored by Rev. Gavin N. Vaverek, JCL, with Rev. Raymundo Garcia as Parochial Vicar. The parish offers daily and Sunday Mass in English, Spanish, and a bilingual liturgy, a full confession schedule, faith formation staffed by the Dominican Sisters of Fatima, youth programs such as Totus Tuus and Steubenville Lone Star, and an active stewardship and outreach life — including a recent capital campaign to re-roof the church, rectory, and Herzig House.
- Established
- 1880
- Patron
- Our Lady of Victory (commemorating the 1571 naval victory at Lepanto)
- Rector
- Rev. Gavin N. Vaverek, JCL
- Diocese
- Diocese of Tyler
Why belong here
Our Lady of Victory welcomes English- and Spanish-speaking Catholics of northeast Texas with one of the most generous Mass schedules in the area — three Sunday liturgies (English, Spanish, and bilingual), five daily Masses with extra Spanish and bilingual options, and daily confessions. The parish runs ongoing faith formation staffed by the Dominican Sisters of Fatima, a strong youth program (Totus Tuus, Steubenville Lone Star, Maidens of the Altar), bilingual staff and sacramental emergency coverage, and active stewardship including online giving and a current capital campaign to maintain the parish campus. For families in Paris and Lamar County looking for a historic, bilingual, mission-driven Catholic community in the Diocese of Tyler, this is it.
Mass times at Our Lady of Victory
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Monday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Tuesday: 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
- Wednesday: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Thursday: 7:00 PM – 7:45 PM
- Friday: 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM
- Saturday: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM
About Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church
Our Lady of Victory is a bilingual Roman Catholic parish in the Diocese of Tyler serving Paris, Texas and the surrounding communities of Lamar County. The parish campus is at 3300 Clarksville Street and includes a 400-seat worship space, a chapel for daily Mass, parish offices, the rectory, the Herzig Center, classrooms, and a parish hall. The current pastor is Rev. Gavin N. Vaverek, JCL, with Rev. Raymundo Garcia serving as Parochial Vicar, Deacon Luis Garza assisting, and faith formation led by the Dominican Sisters of Fatima.
- Parish name: Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church
- Diocese: Diocese of Tyler
- Address: 3300 Clarksville Street, Paris, TX 75460
- Phone: (903) 784-1000
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: olvparis.org
Pastoral History of the Parish
Catholic life in Paris began in 1863 with the first known Mass celebrated by Father Thomas Hennessay in the home of Dr. Birmingham. The mission grew through the 1870s, and in 1880 the first Catholic Church in Paris was built — a small frame structure on Pine Bluff Street — and named Our Lady of Victory, commemorating Pope Pius V's 1571 Lepanto victory and its Rosary connection. The parish has since passed through four church buildings: the original 1880 frame church (moved to Clarksville Street and destroyed by fire in 1897), the 1908 brick church (dedicated by Bishop E.J. Dunne, served by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and home to Notre Dame Academy), the 1964 church on East Austin (built under Father Bronsislaus S. Mysliwiec), and the present church at 3300 Clarksville Street, dedicated in October 1986 by Bishop Thomas Tschoepe. In February 1987 the parish became part of the newly formed Diocese of Tyler under Bishop Charles E. Herzig.
- 1863 — First Catholic Mass in Paris (Father Thomas Hennessay)
- 1870 — Mission attended by Father Martiniere
- 1880 — First Catholic church built in Paris and named Our Lady of Victory
- 1888 — The historic bell inscribed 'V. Quenon 1880' donated by the Thebo family
- 1892 — Father Joseph Moder becomes first resident priest
- 1908 — New church dedicated by Bishop E.J. Dunne on November 15
- 1964 — New church built on East Austin and 8th Street SE under Father Mysliwiec
- 1967 — Parish school closes; building becomes CCD religious education center
- 1986 — Present church dedicated by Bishop Thomas Tschoepe in October
- 1987 — Parish joins the new Diocese of Tyler under Bishop Herzig
Our Priests, Deacon & Staff
Our Lady of Victory is led by a pastor and parochial vicar, supported by a permanent deacon, the Dominican Sisters of Fatima, and lay staff. Sacramental emergencies are covered 24/7 through dedicated phone lines for English- and Spanish-speaking parishioners.
- Rev. Gavin N. Vaverek, JCL — Pastor (Ext. 11), [email protected]
- Rev. Raymundo Garcia — Parochial Vicar (Ext. 19)
- Deacon Luis Garza, KHS
- Sor Gisela, OP — Faith Formation (Ext. 17), faitholvparis.org
- Sor Ester, OP — Coordinator of Pastoral Care of Families, familyolvparis.org
- Sor Andrea, OP — Coordinator of Youth Discipleship, youtholvparis.org
- Laura Aguilar — Parish Business Manager (Ext. 12), lauraolvparis.org
- Gayle Wilhelm — Bookkeeper (Ext. 10), gayleolvparis.org
- Rosa Aguinaga — Custodian
- Sacramental emergency: 903-571-7069 or 936-404-8182
Office Hours & Contact
The parish office is staffed Monday through Thursday 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM (closed for lunch 12:30–1:30 PM) and Friday 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Outside of office hours, sacramental emergencies are handled through dedicated hotline numbers. The parish also communicates through Flocknote and Facebook, and streams Mass live on its Facebook page.
- Office: 3300 Clarksville Street, Paris, TX 75460
- Phone: (903) 784-1000
- Email: [email protected]
- Sacramental emergency hotline: 903-571-7069 / 936-404-8182
Faith Formation & Youth
Faith Formation at Our Lady of Victory is led by the Dominican Sisters of Fatima, with three sisters coordinating faith formation, pastoral care of families, and youth discipleship. The parish participates in the Totus Tuus summer catechetical program and sends youth to the Steubenville Lone Star conference. The Maidens of the Altar is a girls' altar-server society highlighted in the parish's photo gallery, and a 2024 Graduation Mass is celebrated for parish high-school seniors.
- Dominican Sisters of Fatima on staff (Sor Gisela, Sor Ester, Sor Andrea)
- Totus Tuus 2024 summer youth program
- Steubenville Lone Star 2024 youth conference
- Maidens of the Altar society
- Annual Graduation Mass for parish seniors
Capital Campaign — 'A Holy Coverup'
The parish has recently replaced the roof on the church, rectory, and Herzig House, and has begun a two-year capital campaign — 'A Holy Coverup' — to replenish the $325,000 spent on this much-needed maintenance. Pledge cards are available in both English and Spanish through the parish office.
- Re-roofed: church, rectory, Herzig House
- Goal: replenish $325,000 over two years
- English and Spanish pledge cards available
Online Giving & Parish Registration
Parishioners and visitors can support the parish through the online giving platform linked from olvparis.org, and new members can register as parishioners through the online Parish Registration Form. The parish also uses Flocknote for email/text communications and live-streams Sunday Mass on its Facebook page.
- Online Giving via olvparis.org
- Online Parish Registration Form
- Flocknote email/text communications
- Live-streamed Mass on the parish Facebook page
Why Paris Catholics call it 'Our Lady of Victory'
The parish's name — and its feast day, October 7 — recall the 1571 Battle of Lepanto. Pope Pius V organized a crusade of Catholic maritime states against the Ottoman fleet and publicly recited the Rosary during the battle, attributing the Christian victory to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The original Paris church was named Our Lady of Victory in thanksgiving for that victory, and the parish preserves that devotion today through its Marian identity.
- Name recalls the 1571 Battle of Lepanto
- Pope Pius V prayed the Rosary during the battle
- Universal feast: October 7 (Our Lady of the Rosary, formerly Our Lady of Victory)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Rev. Thomas Hennessay1863
Celebrant of the first Catholic Mass in Paris, in the home of Dr. Birmingham
- Rev. Martiniere1870
Early missionary
- Rev. Buffard1871
Early missionary
- Rev. Benford1873–1877
Possibly Buffard above
- Rev. Blum (and other mission priests)1880–?
Served as missionary from Sherman when first church was built
- Rev. A. Herchimer1887
Missionary from Clarksville
- Rev. V. Quenon1888
Missionary; donated/blessed the historic 1888 bell inscribed with his name
- Rev. Joseph Moder1892
First resident priest of the parish
- Rev. J. A. Hartnett1892–1894
Died March 7, 1899 of smallpox contracted while on priestly duty
- Rev. Jeremiah Lehane1894(?)–1895
- Rev. Edward J. Campbell1895–1896
Remodeled the church and built a rectory
- Rev. Giblinafter 1896
A noted English priest from Birmingham, England
- Rev. Philip O'Donohue
- Rev. J. L. Campbell
- Rev. James Whalen1898
Of All Saints Church, Chicago
- Rev. James Malloy1898
- Rev. Thomas J. Haggerty
- Rev. D. H. Harrington
- Rev. B. J. Deeney
- Rev. B. H. Diamond1902
Of Ireland; laid the cornerstone for the new church in 1907
- Rev. E. F. Campbell1911–1916
- Rev. Sidney B. Adams1923
Built a new rectory
- Rev. Enid Gerlick1927–1928
- Rev. Silk
- Rev. Morris
- Rev. Peter Molloy1928–1936
- Rev. F. J. Schiessl1936–1948
Served until his death in October 1948
- Rev. William Francis O'Brien1948–1949
- Rev. Lucius Hellstern, O.F.M.1949–1950
- Rev. John Donnelly1950–1953
- Rev. James P. CallahanDecember 1952
- Rev. John V. McCallum1953–1956
- Rev. John H. Morse1956–1959
- Rev. Bronsislaus S. Mysliwiec1959–1972
Lovingly known as Father "Ben"; built 1964 church
- Rev. Samuel S. Metzger1972–1978
- Rev. J. Carl Vogel1978–1984
Centennial of the parish celebrated during his tenure in 1980
- Rev. Michael J. Barone1984–1995
Supervised construction of the present 3300 Clarksville Street church, dedicated October 1986
- Rev. Anthony Alphonse1995–2002
25th pastor; arrived from India in 1995; oversaw 2001 building project (11 classrooms + gymnasium)
- Rev. Msgr. Ronald Diegel2002–2005
- Rev. Morgan M. White, KCHS2005–2014
- Rev. Anthony J. Stoeppel2014–2017
- Rev. Denzil J. Vithanage2017–2020
- Rev. Gavin N. Vaverek, JCL2020–present
Current pastor; appointed July 1, 2020 by Bishop Joseph E. Strickland