Saint Joseph's Church is noted for its Portuguese-inspired religious traditions, such as the annual Good Friday celebrations.

When Father Francisco da Silva Pinto e Maia of Porto, head of the Portuguese Mission died in 1850, he left his money and some land for the building of a small church.

Part of that money came from the Portuguese Missions in China, whose procuration house was St Joseph's Seminary in Macau.

The church, which was called São José (in English: Saint Joseph), was built by the priest who succeeded him, the Rev.

Vincente de Santa Catarina, from 1851 to 1853, to mainly serve the Portuguese and Eurasian Catholics in Singapore.

[1] Situated in the church compound and attached to the mission was Saint Anthony's Boys' and Girls' School.

It was first opened by Father José Pedro Santa Ana da Cunha in 1879 as Saint Anna's School in a small house along Middle Road.

[4] By August 2017, the church raised $25 million, inclusive $1.953 million from the National Heritage Board's National Monuments Fund to restore the church's main building and Parochial House, a conserved building, and started restoration work.

There is a host of saints in the form of statues standing in canopied niches and stained glass windows in the church.

Saint Joseph's Church and its congregation continues to practice many Portuguese-inspired religious traditions, such as the Holy Week commemoration with the re-enactment of the passion and death of Christ on Good Friday.