Originally founded in 1834, St. Patrick's was created to serve the large numbers of Roman Catholic Irish immigrant laborers settling in Norristown to work on the railroad between Philadelphia and Reading. The first church was completed in 1839 and the current church as it stands now was completed in 1907. 

Though founded for the Irish, the church embraced all members of the surrounding community. Over the years, the population of Norristown has changed and the church has found many new worshipers. In recent years, the diverse parish has welcomed  a large number of the Spanish-speaking immigrant population in Norristown and provides mass and many additional religious and social services in Spanish.