Because of the rising Catholic population on the South Side of Columbus in the early 1900s, Bishop Henry K. Moeller called upon Father Charles Kessler, then the assistant pastor of St. Joseph Cathedral[2]: 221–222  to organize a new parish from the territory of St. Mary Church[3] under the patronage of St. Leo the Great.

[2] In 1972, the parish school, which previously had been free, began charging tuition due to declining contributions and increasing costs.

[11] The church saw occasional use for weddings, funerals, and Masses for Korean Catholics in the Diocese, as well as a worship location for parishioners of St. Mary during its 2019 restoration.

[14][15] On the 16th of September 2020, the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a traditional Catholic order of secular canons announced that it would establish an oratory at the church and celebrate Mass there according to the Tridentine Missal.

[17] Brennan's successor, Earl Fernandes, visited the Oratory for the first time in February of 2023, offering Pontifical Assistance from the Throne for the feast of Candlemas.