In 1945 the octagonal Buckle St church, which at times was used for functions appropriate to a pro-cathedral,[3] was demolished because of its decrepit state, and the parish shifted to the east of the Basin reserve, into a renovated hall, beside the parish school staffed by the Sisters of Mercy, in Paterson Street, near the residence of Archbishop O'Shea.

[5] The present St Joseph's Church was opened, to great rejoicing, in 2004, replacing the converted hall which had served as the church of the parish for sixty years and after the final definition of the alignment of Paterson St, which is part of State Highway 1 continuing to the Mount Victoria Tunnel and the eastern suburbs and Wellington Airport beyond.

The liturgical area is a large semi-amphitheatre design in a circular-triangular formation seating 300 with the altar at the flattened apse.

[7] The church possesses particularly fine examples of Art Deco stained glass from the studio of Harry Clarke of Dublin.

The images in the window (including fish, taniwha, fantail, open bible, large pot (symbolising the faith), the fleur de lys of France (for Mother Aubert and the Marists) and the alpha and omega, (for Jesus Christ) represent the progress of the pilgrim journey of the faith in New Zealand.