St. Gerard Majella was established in 1970 to meet the needs of the developing communities of Brooklyn Park and Champlin. In the early days, Masses were held at the Riverview United Methodist Church a few miles away. The first parish facility was dedicated in May 1971, and included a multi-use worship space, a daily Mass chapel, offices, kitchen, and meeting rooms, as well as housing for the Redemptorist community serving the parish at the time. The present church was completed in October 1998 by the priests of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis (T.O.R.), who served the parish until 2016.