The group was formed by singer Claude Bessy (AKA "Kickboy Face"), a writer and editor for Slash magazine; guitarist Susan Gottlieb (AKA "Phranc"), also of Nervous Gender; bassist Rick Brodey, also of Bpeople; keyboardist Richard Meade; and drummer Craig Lee, also of The Bags. After some early shows, Meade was replaced by Robert Lopez, formerly of The Zeros. Catholic Discipline was one of the bands filmed for The Decline Of Western Civilization, but disbanded in the spring of 1980. Bessy emigrated to the U.K., Phranc went on to Castration Squad and then a solo career as a folk singer, Lee wrote for Flipside, and Lopez later launched a career as undefined.

The band's performances of "Barbee Doll Lust" and "Underground Babylon" were included in The Decline Of Western Civilization, released in 1981, with the recording of "Underground Babylon" included on the film's soundtrack album. These were the only Catholic Discipline recordings released for over twenty years. Lee died in 1991, and Bessy in 1999. In 2004 Artifix Records released the compilation album Underground Babylon, consisting of live recordings from 1979 and 1980.