In April 2021, the owners of the buildings, the International Catholic Programme of Evangelisation (ICPE), announced that the church would close at the end of the following month due to safety concerns.

[5] The church was built in 1908, to the design of John Swan, for the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, known as Redemptorists, a religious institute of priests and brothers.

The church is noted for its assemblage of fine stained glass windows produced by Hardman and Son of Birmingham,[6] "rated by the company the best they had ever exported.

[6] Frederick de Jersey Clere is usually regarded as the architect for the monastery in succession to, or in collaboration with his architectural practice partner, John Swan.

[6] The structure is of reinforced concrete with brick in-fill panels, Gothic windows and red-brick arches for the cloisters which are situated to benefit from the northern sun.

Eighteen "Schools of Mission" were held, with groups of young people from many countries engaging in a five-month, fully residential faith formation programme that ended with a month of "missionary outreach".

They presented programmes in schools and also engaged in social service activities such as serving the homeless in Wellington by working in the Compassion soup kitchen.

After 30 years of occupation, the ICPE Mission decided to sell the buildings when they struggled to raise the $11 to $13 million needed to pay for strengthening.

[4] Pending its departure from St Gerard's, the Institute for World Evangelisation-ICPE Mission entered a "period of discernment to re-think its long-term presence in Wellington".

[15] The complex was acquired on 27 March 2023 for just under $NZ5 million by St Gerard's Limited, with its shares held by a professional trustee company from Mahony Horner Lawyers.