St. Catherine's anciently formed part of the parish of St. James, but was separated from it by an act of parliament in 1710.
It contains 23,237 inhabitants, and 1264 houses of the value of £5 and upwards, the total annual value being £31,921.
The living is a vicarage, in the patronage of the Earl of Meath ; the minister's money amounts to £395. 3. 10.
The church, which had been a chapel to St. Thomas the Martyr, was rebuilt in its present form in 1769 : it is situated on the south side of Thomas-street, and is built of mountain granite, in the Doric style : four semi-columns, with their entablature, enriched by triglyphs, support a noble pediment in the centre, and on each side the entablature is continued the entire length, and supported at each extremity by coupled pilasters : above the entablature, at each side of the pediment, is a stone balustrade. Between the centre columns is a handsome Ionic arched door, and the other intermediate spaces are occupied by a double range of windows. The interior is elegantly simple : eight Ionic columns support the galleries, above which the same number of Corinthian pilasters rise to the roof. At the west end of the building is an unfinished belfry. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £126 for its repair. In the interior is a tablet to the memory of Dr. Whitelaw, the historian of Dublin, who was 25 years vicar of this parish, and died in 1813 ; and another to that of William Mylne, engineer, who constructed the waterworks of Dublin : underneath is the family vault of the Earl of Meath.
A free Episcopal church has been opened in Swift's-alley, in a building purchased from the Baptist society in 1835, and consecrated by the archbishop : it is under the management of eight trustees, one-half of whom must be clergymen of the Established Church. Another is in progress at Harold Cross, in this parish.
There are a parochial boarding school for girls, a parochial day school for boys and girls, a school on Erasmus Smith's foundation, three national schools, an evening school, an infants' school, and two Sunday schools.
There are two almshouses for widows, one supported by the parish and the other by a member of the La Touche family.
