Pope Paul VI raised the shrine to the status of Minor Basilica via the Pontifical Decree Quamquam Christianus on 15 September 1969.

The parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help was established by Bishop Charles Edward McDonnell in November 1892 to serve the residents of the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn.

The Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) purchased land, bordered by 59th and 60th Streets and by Fifth and Sixth Avenues in what was then a relatively rural area.

A wooden frame church on Fifth Avenue between 59th and 60th Streets was dedicated by Bishop Charles Edward McDonnell on January 14, 1894.

Some of the family names include Collins, Brennan, Wade, Connors, Burns, McCaffrey, Healy, and Coffey.

The basilica enjoys large attendance, particularly on holidays such as Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday and Christmas.

[2] The basilica, founded and still staffed by the Redemptorists, is a Roman Catholic parish church of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

The upstairs church was commonly only used to host weddings and special group services such as confirmation and communion, but has come back into more frequent use.