The city’s first Roman Catholic church was built in 1837, Our Lady of Peace in the Fallsview area. The Roman Catholic population was large enough to warrant a second parish, and the first St. Patrick’s Church was erected in Clifton at the corner of Victoria Avenue and Maple Street. Father Mulligan served as priest for both churches.

In 1872, the building was enlarged, and property for a new school was purchased from an adjacent plot. The school wasn’t constructed until 1892, and work began immediately on the construction of a new church.  The new St. Patrick’s architecture was based on cathedrals from England and Europe. The first mass was held there in December 1895.

Over the years, the school was expanded and a meeting hall constructed. Today, the 1895 church remains a focal point of the downtown area.