St. Mark was established in Merriam Park in 1889. It was here that the first Boy Scout troop in St. Paul and the first Catholic troop in the United States was organized in 1910 by Fr. William Hart. In 1911, Fr. Joseph Corrigan was appointed pastor, a role he would maintain for forty-six years. The school was opened in 1913, staffed initially by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. The school operated until 2019 and in its heyday had over 1,600 students in attendance. The preschool remains open. In 2009 the parish was entrusted to the care of the priests of Pro Ecclesia Sancta. Though the neighborhood is no longer dominated by the large, Catholic families that once filled the school, the parish remains a vibrant Catholic community. St. Mark is perhaps best known now for its reverent liturgies, adoration chapel, and frequent confessions hours. The present church, in English Gothic style, was completed in 1919. Its 150-foot spire is a local landmark, visible throughout the Midway District.