The seeds of the present St. Mary's Catholic Church were planted on Oct. 21, 1945, when Santa Maria Mission on West 22nd St. in Ogden was dedicated by Bishop Duane G. Hunt.

Care for the spiritual needs of the mission's people transferred to the California Province of the Society of Jesus in July 1954. The Rev. Louis Kern S.J. was placed in charge of Santa Maria Mission.

The following year, in August 1955, the Rev. Neale Herrlich S.J. joined the Rev. Kern. These two taught at St. Joseph's High School and took care of the mission. The Rev. Kern spent time organizing the Spanish-speaking people with help from the Missionary Sisters of Our Lady of Victory.

Construction of St. Mary's began on Oct. 10, 1956. The church and parish were canonically constituted by Bishop Hunt, and dedication ceremonies were held Sept. 8, 1957. The Rev. Kern was appointed as pastor, and the parish included, besides the Spanish-speaking people, all the Catholics living in the area of West Weber, Roy, Hooper and the area around Riverdale.

The Rev. Kern retired to the position of pastor emeritus in 1974 and was succeeded by the Rev. Herrlich.

On June 1, 1974, the Rev. Herrlich was appointed pastor of St. Mary's parish and superior of all Jesuit Communities of Utah. He retired from teaching in 1986 after 31 years of teaching and involvement, which included founding the schools' Boosters Club.

The Rev. Herrlich oversaw replacement of the original windows with stained glass. The first 12 stained-glass windows were blessed by Bishop William Weigand on June 4, 1985. The stained-glass windows adjacent to the main entrance were completed in 1987.

In January 1993, Martin I Rock assumed duties as pastor of St. Mary's Church and superior of all Jesuit Communities in Utah. In addition to remodeling the parish offices and rectory, he instituted the Children's Sunday Liturgies.