The congregation first met in a donated colonial-style house that also included classrooms and sleeping quarters for the students of nearby Academy of the Holy Infancy, the precursor to the present Manhattan College. The cornerstone of the church was laid at West 131st St and Old Broadway on November 27, 1853, by Archbishop Gaetano Bedini, the first Papal envoy to the United States. The church was completed and dedicated in the Winter of 1854 by the Very Reverend William Stares, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of New York. Students of Manhattan College used the church for prayer, retreats, baccalaureate Masses and graduation.
