The parish was founded in 1887 and the current church building was completed in 1912 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

[2] The parish was founded in 1887 by Archbishop John Ireland, who wanted to serve German-speaking immigrants who were settling in the Frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul to find work with the Great Northern Railway.

[5] Ries modeled his design after Stift Schlägl, a Praemonstratensian monastery in Northern Austria near Aigen im Mühlkreis.

[6] Brass chandeliers were salvaged from the former Minnesota State Capitol building which was located on Wabasha and Exchange Streets in downtown St. Paul.

The altar has a mosaic depicting the Crucifixion of Jesus with the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint John.