The parish was founded in 1874 and the first sanctuary was a frame building at Third and Beech built in 1875 under the leadership of Antonio Ubach on land donated by Alonzo Horton.

[3] St. Joseph became a cathedral in 1936,[4] when the Holy See established the Diocese of San Diego from part of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

The cathedral is built on the site of the earlier churches and was dedicated in 1941.

[6] St. Joseph's Cathedral offers public liturgies every day of the week, including a Sunday Mass in Spanish.

The cathedral frequently hosted concerts by Orchestra Nova San Diego and other classical groups.