"Saint Ambrose Parish was established in 1909 by Archbishop Patrick Riordan of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco. It was named after Ambrose of Milan, a fourth century nobleman who converted to Christianity and became a Bishop and Doctor of the Church. Upon his conversion, Ambrose gave away his wealth to the poor. He became known as a great preacher and prolific writer, and was instrumental in the conversion of Saint Augustine of Hippo.

The original church was a wood-framed building with a shingle exterior, which stood at the intersection of Gilman Street and Stannage Avenue, the site of the current rectory. The parish's first Mass was celebrated on Christmas Day, 1910.

The current church building, at the intersection of Gilman Street and Cornell Avenue, was completed and dedicated in 1952. 

December 7, 1952, the date of the dedication of the new church building by San Francisco Archbishop John Mitty, held a threefold significance. In the year 374, this had been the date on which Ambrose of Milan was baptized into the Catholic Church. In 1909, in celebration of Saint Ambrose's feast day, the original church building was dedicated by Archbishop Riordan. And perhaps most prominent in the minds of its parishioners this date recalled the Japanese attack on the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor, only eleven years earlier.

The new building has withstood over fifty years of earthquakes, floods, and even vandalism. It has also seen great changes in the membership of Saint Ambrose Parish, as the ethnic and cultural makeup of the entire Bay Area has changed in dramatic ways over the past half-century. The parish became a part of the Diocese of Oakland when it was established in 1962 by Pope John XXIII."

-Excerpt from "Saint Ambrose Ministries Guide Centennial Year Inaugural Special 2009"