Before the arrival of pioneer priest Father Ambrose Maistre in 1852, there was already a significant Catholic community in Aukang (Teochew moniker for Hougang) or Kangkar, the area surrounding Serangoon River.

An attap (thatched roof) chapel and small presbytery was also erected after Father Maistre acquired approximately 37-acres of land from the British East India company.

The parish consisted mainly of Teochew farmers and fish dealers residing in Serangoon, Hougang and Punggol.

[3] The first settlers were Chinese Catholics who hailed from Siam and Malacca whereas later migrants were mainly from Teochew Swatow in Southeastern China.

[4] While some converted to Catholicism after arriving in Singapore, missionary activities of the Dominican and Franciscan friars in Southeastern China as early as the seventeenth century meant that many already embraced the faith before their migration.

[3] The present building of the church was commissioned to be built in 1898 to cater to the burgeoning Catholic community in the district by Father Jean Casimir Saleilles, parish priest from 1881 to 1911.

It was designed in a neo-Gothic style by French priest Father Charles Bénédict Nain,[6][5] and could accommodate around 650 parishioners.

[5] The church also played a prominent role in offering education and religious instruction to parishioners and settlers in Hougang.

[12] The St Francis Xavier Minor Seminary was also built opposite the church in 1924 to provide instruction to potential candidates to the priesthood.

[5] Parishioners were resettled elsewhere in Singapore, such as Whampoa, Ang Mo Kio and Marine Parade while other Singaporeans moved into Hougang with the mass building of Housing Development Board (HDB) flats in the area.

In the 1980s especially, food and fun fairs, Feast Day processions, film shows and outings were regularly organized.

[5] At the front end of the church stands a belfry tower capped with a spire and ornate brass cross.

Responding to the then impending economic crisis, Father Henry Siew, parish priest, initiated the establishment of Matthew 25, a soup kitchen, in April 2008.

[18] Other than serving approximately 140 residents who walk into the church premises daily, volunteers also deliver about another 190 packed meals to Senior Activity Centres in the vicinity.

The organist for the Salve Regina Choir, Terence Teo, also composed music for famous artists like Sammi Cheng as well as Fei Yu-ching.