Fathers of Mercy, a French community of priests, established the Church of Notre Dame in 1910 as a mission of the St. Vincent de Paul Parish on West 23rd Street.

From the beginning of the parish, a special arrangement was made with the ecclesiastical authorities in Lourdes that water from the miraculous spring there would be sent directly to the Church of Notre Dame.

It was still a center for New York's French community when Cardinal Charost of Rennes visited the church in June 1926[4] and when Bishop Alfred Baudrillart of the Institut Catholique de Paris presided at a ceremony in April 1927.

[9] In 1988, some parishioners sued under canon law to prevent the remodeling of the sanctuary, specifically relocating the altar in accordance with liturgical reforms established by Second Vatican Council.

[citation needed] In 2003, the Archdiocese of New York entrusted the Polish Province of the Dominican Order with the responsibility of taking care of Notre Dame Parish and all its ministries.

Notre Dame's community includes ministry at St. Luke's Hospital and the nearby Amsterdam Nursing Home, part of NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System.