On November 16, 1805, Philander Chase, a young minister from Poughkeepsie arrived with a letter of introduction from Bishop Benjamin Moore of New York.

Services were held in various public buildings until 1816 when the first Christ church was erected at the riverside corner of Canal and Bourbon streets.

The building was octagonal in shape, 60 feet (18 m) in diameter with a domed roof surmounted by a cupola and constructed in brick.

The third building was Gothic in style, with buttresses and a central tower, and was erected on the lakeside corner of Canal and Dauphine streets.

Through a devoted benefactor, New Orleans architect Thomas Sully's chapel of matching design was added in 1889.

In 1959 the latest expansion program was begun-providing space for administrative offices, the church school, library, assembly hall, and service areas.

Under Bishop Sessums' sponsorship, Christ Church became a cathedral in 1891 and young Quincy Ewing served briefly as its first dean.

In a broader context, Christ Church has a special interest in the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee, the founding of which was led by the first Bishop of Louisiana, the Right Reverend Leonidas Polk.

Mayfield's composition, entitled "All the Saints", was premiered on November 17, 2005, at the cathedral in conjunction with the bicentennial of Episcopal ministry in New Orleans.