After her husband's death in 1871, Polly Berling was able to dispose freely of the land and wealth and wanted to do something for her new faith.

Her original intention was to build an orphanage led by Sisters of St. Joseph on the estate but Father Hermann Grüder, Prefect of Denmark, convinced her that there was a greater need for a Jesuit boys' school.

The number increased to over 200 after the surrounding fields were built over with single family detached homes in about 1900.

The German Jesuits moved back to Germany after the end of World War I and the school closed in 1920.

The parish was taken over by French Dominicans in 1953 at the initiative of Bishop Johannes Theodor Suhr.