Located at 101 N. 7th St. in a community about 10 miles North East of Cortez. Turn West on 7th St. Church is located at 7th and Central. Serving About 110 Families. (Handicapped Accessible)
Before there was a church in Dolores there was great faith. From about 1895 until 1901, the various pastors of Telluride traveled at irregular intervals to celebrate mass in the homes of Catholics in Dolores. Then in 1901, construction on Our Lady of Victory began. Completed in 1903, it was dedicated in June. Still being attended by priests from Telluride, they would often come by horseback or the Narrow Gauge Railroad. In 1913, Father Joseph Brunner was assigned to Mancos and its attending missions which made it possible for mass to be celebrated twice a month in Dolores.
Our Lady of Victory is truly victorious in that it survived two fires - a small one in 1949 in the interior of the newly constructed hall and another in 1956 that damaged the interior of the church. Fortunately, most of the church was saved and restored after the second fire although evidence of it can still be seen in a few places inside.
Our Lady of Victory
Our Lady of Victory was coined to commemorate the victory of the Christian Armada over the Turks on October 7, 1571, Pope Pius V introduced in 1572 the "festem BMV de victoria" (Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mother of Victory). In 1573 his successor, Pope Gregory XIII, changed this title to "Feast of the Holy Rosary" to be celebrated on the first Sunday of October. The privilege to celebrate this feast was granted to all those churches which had a Rosary altar. Clemens XI extended it to the whole Church. Under Pius X the feast was again scheduled for October 7; it changed name in 1960 and became "Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Rosary." This appellation was changed again in 1969 to "Our Lady of the Rosary" and it is now a mandatory memorial. The reference to victory or Our Lady of Victory was maintained in titles and for sanctuaries the world over, in particular in Spain, Italy, France and Germany. The title frequently commemorates, even before Lepanto, the victory over heresy and paganism. Already Gregory Pisides (ca 600-650) sees in Mary the only and unique victor over nature (miraculous birth of Christ and unarmed victory over the Avares in 626). One of the most famous sanctuaries dedicated to Our Lady of Victories is in Paris (Notre Dame des Victoires, 2eme arrondissement). The sanctuary is intimately connected with the Miraculous Medal and the Archconfraternity devoted to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
This devotion had its origin at the church of Notre Dame des Victoires in Paris and expanded during the latter half of last century over much of the Catholic world.
The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute/University of Dayton, OH
The Montelores Catholic Community Church Office 28 E. Montezuma Ave. Cortez, CO 81321 970-565-7308 Parish Office Secretary - Rosa Sabido smm@fone.net Web Design Copyright 2011, Marilynn Hughes
