Our Lady of Victory sits on Westerly Parkway in State College, Pennsylvania, the university town that anchors Centre County. The Roman Catholic parish was founded in 1917 and today counts more than 2,000 families among its members. It belongs to the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown and counts itself a friendly stop for the steady stream of visitors who pass through the area each year. A quilt depicting the parish's history hangs as a reminder of more than a century of Catholic life in Happy Valley. At the heart of the parish is a clear mission: to welcome all people, churched and unchurched, into the Body of Christ through word, Sacrament, and community, and to help each person explore a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Sunday and Daily Mass
Mass is celebrated three times on Sunday at 7:30 AM, 9:30 AM, and 11:30 AM, with a Saturday Vigil Mass at 5:00 PM. Daily Mass is offered Monday through Friday at 8:00 AM, with an additional evening Mass on Thursday at 6:30 PM, and a Saturday morning Mass at 9:00 AM. Holy Day and holiday schedules are posted to the church calendar and the news and announcements page.
Confession, Adoration, and the Rosary
The Sacrament of Penance is heard on Thursdays from 5:30 PM to 6:30 PM, and on Saturdays from 4:00 PM to 4:30 PM and again from 6:00 PM to 6:30 PM.
The Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration on Tuesdays after the 8:00 AM Mass until Reposition at 4:00 PM, and on Thursdays after the 8:00 AM Mass until Reposition. Two people must be present at all times, and volunteers are needed to serve as committed adorers or substitutes.
The Rosary is recited as a group every day. It gathers at 7:25 AM on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and at 8:25 AM on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. The Catholic Daughters of the Americas sponsor a Seven Sorrows Rosary after the 9:00 AM Mass on the first Saturday of every month.
The Seven Sacraments at OLV
OLV celebrates the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. The parish walks each family through its own preparation programs.
Baptisms are generally held on Sundays at 1:30 PM. Parents should contact the parish office to begin arrangements, and godparents must complete a sponsor form and, if they are not parishioners of OLV, a Sponsor Certificate.
First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion are typically received in the second grade through parish CCD classes, homeschool CCD, or religion classes at OLV Catholic School. Preparation includes catechesis, parent and student retreats, chalice painting, and a rehearsal, with the schedule varying slightly between CCD and OLVCS students.
Confirmation is celebrated in ninth grade. Candidates prepare through retreats, Discipleship Events, service hours, and the curriculum at St. Joseph's Catholic Academy or OLV CCD. The 9th grade CCD textbook is "YOU. Life, Love, and the Theology of the Body" from Ascension Press, a Theology of the Body curriculum for teens.
Couples wishing to be married at OLV are asked to give the parish nine months' notice, in keeping with diocesan regulations, and to first contact Fr. George or Deacon Dave. A "Together for Life" book and the appropriate wedding form (with or without Mass) are obtained from the parish office; if one party is not Catholic, a Testimony of Free Status form is also required.
The Anointing of the Sick is arranged through the parish office for oneself or a loved one. Men discerning Holy Orders are encouraged to speak with a priest or deacon.
Becoming Catholic through OCIA
Adults and children beyond second grade who wish to join the Catholic Church take part in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. The process prepares the unbaptized for Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil; already-baptized Christians from another tradition for Confirmation and Eucharist; and baptized Catholics who have not yet received the Eucharist or Confirmation to complete their initiation. Weekly OCIA sessions meet on Thursdays at 7:00 PM in the OLV Activities Center. Deacon David Lapinski, the Director of Christian Initiation, invites inquirers to call the parish office before attending.
Religious Education and the Parish School
OLV Catholic School serves students from preschool through middle school on the same campus, and the parish also partners with St. Joseph's Catholic Academy for high school. Religious education for parish children not enrolled at OLVCS is provided through the CCD program, which meets on Sunday mornings. Susan Ishmael leads the Religious Education office.
Vacation Bible School is offered each summer. The 2026 program, "Radical Ride on the Wings of Prayer," runs July 27-31 at the Activities Center for rising kindergartners through fifth graders. The Middle School and High School Youth Groups both meet on Thursdays at 7:00 PM in the Activities Center.
Music Ministries
Music Director Joe Malafarina oversees a wide range of ensembles. Three regular organists accompany the five Sunday Masses. The Sanctuary Choir, the parish's adult choir, sings three Masses a month from September through May, rehearsing Thursday evenings in the Music Suite of the Activities Center. The Contemporary Ensemble, led by Mary Weidenhof, sings three Sundays a month with piano, guitars, flute, and occasional percussion, rehearsing the hour before Mass. Spirits of Fire, a contemporary group filled with what its members call the "spirit of fire," performs once a month at the Saturday 5:00 PM Mass, rehearsing in the church at 4:00 PM. The Resurrection Choir, mostly retired seniors, sings at funerals throughout the year. Cantors lead the congregation at Masses, and instrumentalists are called upon for special occasions. A Handbell Choir welcomes new ringers.
Liturgical Ministries
Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion assist with distribution at Mass and bring Communion to patients at Mt. Nittany Medical Center, area nursing facilities, and homebound parishioners. Lectors proclaim the Scriptures, trained by a parishioner appointed by Fr. George. Commentators read the General Intercessions and may make announcements. Sacristans prepare the vessels for Mass. Altar servers, boys and girls in fourth grade and older, assist the priest and deacon. Ushers greet, seat, take up the collection, and serve as a basic level of security during Mass, with training available on responding to medical emergencies and active intruders. The Floral Committee orders and arranges flowers for the liturgical seasons and special celebrations.
Prayer Ministries
Beyond Adoration and the daily Rosary, the parish supports the Seven Sisters Apostolate, in which women each commit to one hour of prayer per week for all fifty-two weeks of the year for the clergy of the parish. Rosary Makers craft and repair rosaries for the missions and as gifts, gathering on the second Tuesday of the month in the library of the Activities Center, with no meetings held in July or August. The Traveling Chalice and Sacred Heart Statue program sends a chalice and statue home with a parishioner each Sunday for a week of prayer for vocations to the priesthood and religious life for the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.
The parish also partners with Hallow, the Catholic prayer app. A dedicated parish page allows parishioners to share prayer requests, join prayer challenges, and pray along with content featuring Fr. Mike Schmidt, Sr. Miriam James, and others.
The OLV Bazaar and Community Life
The OLV Bazaar is a long-running tradition. It began in 1963 as a social and fund-raising ministry, helping to kick off the Million Dollar Building Campaign that produced the present school and church complex on Westerly Parkway. For years it was called the Election Day Bazaar. Today the committee is made up of subcommittees covering kitchen and food preparation, a money raffle, craft makers and sellers, theme basket raffles, home-baked goods, a silent auction, children's games, a pull-tab game of chance, a Penn State tailgate, and a sale of gently used toys, games, and puzzles.
The Donut Committee hosts a fellowship gathering with donuts after the 9:30 AM Sunday Mass in the Gardener Social Hall of the Activities Center. Funeral Luncheons are prepared and served by rotating teams of parishioners to grieving families.
The Marian Gift Shop is open Sundays from 10:00 AM to 11:15 AM in the Activities Center, offering rosaries, crucifixes, Catholic books and Bibles, cards, medals, and items for Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation.
The Gabriel Project and Jared Boxes
The Gabriel Project is a parish-based pro-life ministry that walks alongside women in crisis pregnancies, providing friendship, prayer, and practical help. Each mother receives a crib, complete layette, diapers, car seat, and other items for the newborn, with diapers continuing for six months after birth. A donation bin in the back of the church accepts diapers in sizes newborn through 4, baby clothing up to one year, receiving blankets, swaddlers, baby hygiene products, Dreft detergent, heavier blankets, and pack-and-play sheets.
Jared Boxes have a special origin at Our Lady of Victory: the project was started by students at OLV Catholic School in honor of their classmate Jared, who battled cancer. Each Lent, students fill plastic shoeboxes with small toys, cards, games, and activities to donate to pediatric patients. More than a million Jared Boxes have since been distributed to over 600 hospitals across the country. Locally, the boxes go to Mount Nittany Medical Center, Geisinger Gray's Woods Surgical Center, Penn Highlands State College, Centre Volunteers in Medicine, and MedExpress.
Prison Ministry and Outreach
The Prison Ministry supports Mass, Mission Week, classes, Bible study, and Centering Prayer at the State Correctional Institutions in the area. Volunteers must complete a state-required Clearance Sheet, which must be renewed annually.
Parishioners also belong to local chapters of the Catholic Daughters of the Americas (Court Blessed Madonna), the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and the Centre County Citizens Concerned for Human Life.
Visits to the Hospital, Nursing Homes, and the Homebound
Fr. George or a Eucharistic Minister visits Mt. Nittany Medical Center by request, arranged through the parish office. The parish also visits local assisted living and retirement communities: regular Communion services are held at Foxdale Village on Mondays, Juniper at Brookline on Wednesdays (with Mass viewed on TV followed by Communion on Sundays), Stonebridge Senior Apartments on Thursdays, and Wellspring Memory Care on Wednesdays and Sundays. Other facilities are visited regularly but without a set schedule. Homebound parishioners who would like to receive Communion contact Betty Gummo in the parish office.
Adult Faith Formation
Adult Catechesis classes meet on Sundays from 10:35 AM to 11:15 AM in the Activities Center Assembly Room, between the 9:30 and 11:30 Masses, during the school year. All are welcome, especially parents of CCD students and high schoolers who have finished CCD.
St. Paul's Men's Group gathers one or two Saturday mornings a month from September through May, 7:30 AM to 9:00 AM in the Activities Center, for discussion of the Catechism and the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
The OLV Women's Bible Study meets Friday mornings from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM in the Activities Center (with babysitting available) and Wednesday evenings from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM on Zoom. In the summer, the group shifts into an informal book club meeting twice a month on Wednesday evenings.
Clergy, Staff, and Giving
The parish is served by Fr. George Jackopac and Deacon David Lapinski. Joe Malafarina is the Music Director, Susan Ishmael directs Religious Education, and Chris Kirkpatrick serves as Director of Development.
Registered parishioners receive envelopes through the mail for in-person giving. Online giving is available through Abundant at abundant.co/olvsc/give, by texting OLVSC to 73256, or through the Abundant Giving App. A Parish Registration and Census form, a Facility Use form, and various sacramental and ministry forms are available online.