Bishop Henry Tihen of Denver dedicated the first church building of Our Lady of Victory Parish on June 2, 1925. The construction was largely done by Henry Thibault and other parishioners, taking two years and costing $3,500. The original church building is the present day site of St. Mary Church in Flagler. The parish hall for Our Lady of Victory is a converted Army barracks building and was added in 1947. Archbishop Urban J. Vehr of Denver dedicated the present church building on June 8, 1961. To accommodate the moving of the resident priest from Hugo to Limon, a rectory was constructed in 1994.

From 1925 until the Colorado Springs Diocese’s estabishment in 1984, the parish was served by a variety of priests from the Denver area. Father Jerry Kelleher, a Colorado Springs diocesan priest, was assigned pastor from 1984-1992.

A new era was ushered in 1982, when Vincentian priest Father Bill Rhinehart became pastor. The Vincentian Fathers committed themselves to serving the parishes of the diocese on the eastern plains for a 10-year period. That commitment was renewed in 1992, and Vincentians served the community until 2002, when Father George V. Fagan, a previous diocesan chancellor and judicial vicar, was appointed pastor. Benedictine Father Sijo George was named pastor effective July 1, 2025.

The title Our Lady of Victory has a rich, multi-layered history in the Catholic Church, most famously tied to the defense of Europe at the Battle of Lepanto, but also rooted in various other historical military and spiritual triumphs.

1. The Battle of Lepanto (1571)

The most prominent origin of this title dates back to October 7, 1571. A coalition of Catholic maritime states, known as the Holy League, faced the powerful Ottoman Empire fleet in the Gulf of Patras.

• The Power of the Rosary: Knowing the Christian forces were vastly outnumbered, Pope Pius V called on all of Europe to pray the Rosary for victory.
• Miraculous Victory: Despite the odds, the Holy League was victorious, halting the Ottoman expansion into the Mediterranean. The Pope, who was hundreds of miles away in Rome, reportedly had a vision of the victory the moment it occurred.
• Institution of the Feast: In thanksgiving, Pope Pius V established the feast of Our Lady of Victory on October 7. A few years later, Pope Gregory XIII changed the name to the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, which is how it is primarily known in the liturgical calendar.