RESOLUTION HONORING OUR LADY OF VICTORY PARISH
WHEREAS, Our Lady of Victory Parish, 5212 W. Agatite in Chicago, has been a mainstay ofthe Portage and Jefferson Park communities, providing spiritual and educational direction to so many who are better people for it; and
WHEREAS, Our Lady of Victory Parish (OLV) was founded on July 16,1906 and was officially organized in September of 1906 as a Mission of St. Edward Parish. Rev. Martin Lennartz cared for the small Catholic community and celebrated Mass in a hall on Milwaukee Avenue just north of Lawrence Avenue; and
WHEREAS, Our Lady of Victory flourished in those times of wooden sidewalks, streets and horse drawn carriagesl Wilson Park was a corn field and apple trees, strawberries and violets covered the fields. It is rumored that President Lincoln slept at the Dickenson Inn then located on Milwaukee Avenue near Warner; and
WHEREAS, on Thanksgiving Day, 1907, Fr. Francis Chickozki began his long tenure as Pastor of OLV and under his leadership, a new Church and school building was constructed on its present site at 4444 N. Laramie; and
WHEREAS, Archbishop James E. Quigley officially dedicated the new Church and School building on May 28,1911. The Parish school was opened in the fall of 1910 and was staffed by the School Sisters of St. Francis from Milwaukee. At that time there were six sisters and 200 children in the school; and
WHEREAS, Our Lady of Victory Parish continued to grow, becoming one ofthe largest parishes on the northwest side of Chicago, educating and guiding a multitude of children who would grow up with strong Catholic values and become decent and strong men and women and productive members of society and God's family; and
WHEREAS, Our Lady of Victory Parish thrived under the direction of 13 pastors: Fr. Martin Lennartz, CSV, Fr. Edward Mullaly, Fr. Francis Cichozki, Fr. Daniel Stokes, Fr. Henry Fitzgerald, Fr. Raymond Zock, Fr. Francis Nolan, Fr. John Kuzinskas, Fr. Daniel McCarthy, Fr. Phillip Cy...
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