[2] St. Mary's boundaries once included Sacred Heart parish to the north and Our Lady Queen of the Angels Church, as well as the former Cathedral of Saint Vibiana to the west.

[5] The first church building was built in 1897 on the corner of Fourth and Chicago Streets in the neighborhood of Boyle Heights.

Sofia at Constantinople, from the Cathedral and St. Apollinaris at Ravenna and from St. Mark's at Venice furnished bits of detail for capitals and panels of various portions.

The bell tower at St. Mary's was originally 136 feet tall and included a steeple and roman cross.

The mural depicting the Annunciation of Mary in the church sanctuary was commissioned and painted by ecclesiastical German artist Theodore Brasch.

[6] In 1992, renowned Chicano muralist George Yepes donated a large, three-panel canvas mural of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ painted with trompe l'oeil elements.

A statue of St. Patrick was donated to the Salesian parish in Watsonville, California, by Father Avelino Lorenzo, SDB, pastor of the Church at various times.

In 1987, the Church was devastated by the Whittier Narrows earthquake, which caused major structural damage and led to the current remodel.

[2] In 1994, the Church was once again closed due to the Northridge earthquake, which caused only cosmetic damage to the outside walls and inside artwork.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles and Misioneros Servidores de la Palabra agreed to merge St. Mary's and Santa Isabel into one parish.