The presence of the Discalced Carmelite Friars in Singapore began with an invitation extended by His Grace Archbishop Gregory Yong during the Golden Jubilee celebration of the Carmelite Monastery of Christ the King in 1988. In his homily, the Archbishop publicly invited Fr. John Mary Chin, to establish a Carmelite foundation in Singapore. Owing to the shortage of friars, however, the invitation could not be realised immediately.

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Through the intercession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the foundation finally became possible in mid-1996, when Fr. John Mary Chin, Fr. Benedict Chua, and Fr. Thomas Lim, arrived to begin the first community. During the early months, the friars had no permanent residence. Fr. John Mary stayed at the Carmelite Monastery, while Fr. Benedict and Fr. Thomas lived with their respective families. Recognising that community life is essential to the Carmelite vocation, Fr. Charles Serrao, Definitor General, urged the friars to live together, even if it meant renting a house. With the assistance of Fr. Mike Sitaram, the community found temporary accommodation at the former St. Gabriel's Juniorate beside the Church of St. Anne, Sengkang, where they celebrated their first Mass together as a community on 28 October 1996. Their stay there was brief, as the building was later demolished for the construction of CHIJ St. Joseph's Convent.

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Out of his pastoral concern, Archbishop Gregory Yong subsequently offered the friars the use of his country house at Seventeenth Avenue, Punggol, providing the young community with a more suitable home temporarily. During this period, Fr. John Williamson, joined the community to help ease the pastoral workload, serving for about a year before returning to England around July 1997. On 28 September 1997, Fr. Tom Curran, arrived in Singapore. Upon his arrival, he was driven directly to the Church of St. Michael, where the parish priest, Fr. Vincent Lee, was holding a fundraising dinner for the Carmelite community.

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Desiring a permanent residence, the friars requested responsibility for a parish. With the approval of the Definitor General, Archbishop Gregory decided to offer the friars to administer and run the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, a parish of particular historical significance to the Chinese Catholic community in Singapore. The appointment was warmly welcomed by the parish priest, Fr. Claude Barreteau, MEP, who regarded it as an answer to prayer. Advanced in age and declining in health, he had been hoping to retire and was deeply reassured that the parish would be entrusted to the Carmelite friars. 

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In January 1998, the four Carmelite friars moved into the parish, with Fr. John Mary Chin officially served as the parish priest on 13 June 1998. However, spending only less than two years in Singapore, during the Chapter of the General Delegation, Fr. John Mary decided to retire to the Carmelite community in Hsinchu, Taiwan, as his advancing age made it impossible for his work permit to be further extended. He left Singapore on 23 September 1998. Later that year, following his retirement to Hsinchu, Taiwan, Fr. Joseph Koh, the first Singaporean Discalced Carmelite friar, succeeded him as parish priest.

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Since then, the friars have continued to serve the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, fostering both the spiritual growth of the parish community and the wider Carmelite Family in Singapore. Through their pastoral ministry, preaching, retreats, spiritual direction, and the promotion of Carmelite spirituality, they have contributed to the formation of parishioners while nurturing vocations to the Carmelite way of life among the friars, nuns, Secular Order, and lay faithful. Originally known as the Community of St. Elijah, the friars later adopted St. Joseph as the patron of the community, which is today known as The Community of St. Joseph.