Dominating the skyline of Rathmines is the copper dome of the Catholic Church dedicated to Mary Immaculate, Refuge of Sinners. The story of the church began when Archbishop Daniel Murray officially constituted the parish of Rathmines on 12 December 1823 and appointed Fr William Stafford the first parish priest. The districts of Rathmines and Rathgar had hitherto formed a section of Parish of St. Nicholas Without, Francis Street. In fact Fr. Stafford's appointment predated the church and his early Masses as parish priest were celebrated in his own home. He was assisted by a single curate, Fr. Barry. The issue of where the parish church should be constructed was crucial. At that time, the entire stretch of land extending from the canal along the left-hand side of Rathmines Road as far as Richmond Hill had no buildings on it. Two acres, two roods and thirty-eight perches were purchased from the owner land, the Earl of Meath, in 1824. It was upon this site the foundation stone for the new Catholic church was laid by Lord Brabazon, heir to the Earldom of Meath. This Gothic Church measured 90 feet long by 37 feet wide with a height of 37 feet. It cost approximately £5,000 and it took five years to build, due the settlement problems with one of the walls. This first church was solemnly consecrated under the protection of St. Mary and St. Peter by Archbishop Murray on 15th August 1830. Some of the land originally purchased was eventually sold to obtain funds to finish the interior of the church.

The following year tragedy struck when Fr. Simon McCarthy, a curate in the parish since 1826, was drowned.

One year later, in 1832, Fr. Peter Richard Kendrick was appointed curate. Later, he left for the American mission. In time, he was consecrated Archbishop of Saint Louis, Missouri.

By the middle of the 19th Century the development of the city and the consequent increase in the Catholic population of Rathmines necessitated enlargement of the church.

In July 1848, a visiting missionary priest, Fr. Gentili of the Order of Charity, described some beautiful churches he had observed in Italy and called for the building of a new church in Rathmines. In September of that year, a public meeting was held to discuss the proposition to build a bigger church. Fr Stafford immediately donated £1,000 towards the construction costs. He did not live to see the fruition of the project - he died aged 81 on 2nd November 1848.

In December 1848, Fr. William Meagher was appointed Fr. Stafford's successor as parish priest. Fr Meagher proposed Richmond Hill as a site for the new church but was outvoted. It was decided to retain the existing location with the church facing the main Rathmines Road. On 18th August 1850, the foundation stone of a new church was laid by Archbishop Murray, accompanied by the Bishops of Dromore and Down and Connor who were on their way to the Synod of Thurles. The church was to be built to the Byzantine model in the form of a Greek Cross, the first such construction in the Archdiocese of Dublin since Catholic Emancipation.

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