The church was founded by Edith Arendrup, a member of the wealthy Courtauld family who came to live in Wimbledon in 1877.

At the time, there were few Catholics in the area, so she convinced the Jesuits at Roehampton to start a Mass-centre at her house in Cottenham Park.

Seven years later, she commissioned the construction of a large church in a prominent position on the slopes of Edge Hill.

The original plan called for a large tower on the west front, but money ran out and it was replaced by twin turrets and a massive, traceried window.

She was the wealthy widow of the banker Bertram Wodehouse Currie, and paid for the north aisle, along with a chapel dedicated to the founder of the Jesuits, St. Ignatius, and the baptistery.

[2] On 17 November 2012, it was announced that the Jesuits would no longer be involved in the direct administration of the church after serving the parish for over 130 years.

[9][10] It distributes news about the activities of overseas Jesuits and other missionaries, such as the imprisonment of Stan Swamy,[11][12] and the murders of La Salle laybrother Paul McAuley in Peru, and Fr Victor-Luke Odhiambo in Kenya.