In 1947 more property on Wood Street was purchased for the construction of a church, rectory, and social hall. The hall was the first to be built and was dedicated on November 21, 1948. It served as an auditorium, gymnasium, social hall, and for a short period of time, as our church until the construction of the current one.
Also in 1947, land was purchased in Allen Park for the site of another much-needed parish. Fr. Clare Murphy, the pastor of the newly formed St. Frances Cabrini Parish, celebrated their first Mass on July 13, 1947 at the Lapham School. Many Allen Park parish members left us to join the new parish. St. Sebastian Parish in Dearborn also opened in 1947 taking more of our parish members. Even though the parish boundaries have been changing the parish is still thriving and the school population increases annually.
Festivals, fish dinners, chicken dinners, card parties, and bingo games benefitted the parish financially in the late 1940s and were very well attended.