Building, building everywhere

In November 1957, Fr. Bernard Piening was appointed as our new pastor. He soon determined the necessity for a larger church with new classrooms and an expansion of the living quarters. He presented his observations to the parishioners emphasizing that they would have to be responsible for the debt that would be incurred. Always willing to rise to the occasion, the parishioners gave their approval. The response was so encouraging that Fr. Piening approached the Archbishop and soon announced that St. Margaret Mary was to get a new church.
 
Plans got underway immediately for a new church and an adjoining rectory with the approval of the Archdiocesan Building Committee. In January 1959 all surplus furniture and equipment was sold at auction in the “old” church. The house which served as the rectory was sold and moved inch by inch across Galbraith Rd. to its new site on Goodman Ave. where it still stands today. The 37 year old "mission-style" church was completely demolished and excavation began in February 1959. The cornerstone was blessed by Bishop Liebold and laid in place on May 17, 1959.
 
Temporarily left without a church building, the school cafeteria was converted each Saturday into a temporary church by the men of the parish. A house trailer provided dining facilities for the two priests and sleeping space for Fr. Piening while the school’s first aid room became
Fr. Lang’s “apartment”. The new structure was completed and on March 27, 1960 the congregation gathered to celebrate the dedication and first Mass.