The Our Lady of Victory Basilica is a Catholic parish church and national shrine in Lackawanna, New York. Due to the multiple charities of founder Father Nelson Baker, the shrine is a popular pilgrimage and visitor destination in Lackawanna. It is part of the Diocese of Buffalo. History In 1916, fire seriously damaged St. Patrick's Parish Church in Lackawanna, New York. Repairs were made, but Father Baker, superintendent priest of the busy parish developed plans to replace the church. On May 7, 1921, Father Baker celebrated the last Mass at St. Patrick's. The structure was immediately dismantled to make way for something larger. Construction on the basilica began in 1921 after Father Baker unveiled plans at a parish council meeting to build a shrine in homage to the Blessed Mother. Because of Baker's influence in the community and well-known charitable reputation across the nation, he was able to get sufficient financial support to begin construction quickly. Baker solicited support for his project, and thousands from across the nation contributed funding both large and small, mostly through a direct-mail fundraising club. Designed by Emile Ulrich, the basilica was constructed at a cost of $3.2 million, but the project was completed without the parish incurring any debt. By late 1925, construction on the sanctuary of Our Lady of Victory was complete, and the first Mass was held there on Christmas of that year. On May 25, 1926, a consecration ceremony took place presided over by Father Baker, Bishop William Turner of the Diocese of Buffalo, and Cardinal Patrick Hayes. Thousands of priests, religious sisters, and believers from across the nation attended the event. Two months later, Pope Pius XI designated the shrine with the honorable title of "Minor Basilica" via an apostolic decree. Baker was in charge of the basilica and the parish's various institutions of charity, until his death on July 29, 1936. The basilica has had only two significant changes to its original design. The first came in 1941 during a violent lightning storm that caused significant damage to the basilica's twin towers (a style associated with Portuguese churches). Baker's first successor, Monsignor Joseph Maguire, took charge of the efforts to refurbish the structures. He had the marble towers replaced with the lower, enclosed, copper dome-tipped towers that still top the basilica today. Following the harsh winter of 2001–2002, the roof of the National Shrine was found to have significantly