During the summer of 1919, Reverend Leo Patrick was commissioned by the Archbishop to establish a parish in the Dundee area, a former village annexed by the city of Omaha. Father looked into a suitable place to hold services and chose a public dance hall, located in a cluster of businesses and shops at 50th & Underwood. It was there he said the first parish Mass on Sunday, September 7, 1919. In June 1920 he purchased a house and a lot at 5002 California Street. Services were held in the downstairs of the house, while Father Patrick lived upstairs.
As the congregation grew, plans were made to establish a school. In September 1921, two Sisters of Mercy began teaching grades one through four in two rooms on the first floor of the parish house. A few months later, ground was broken adjacent to the house for a combination church and school. When school began the following September there were 75-80 children in kindergarten through 8th grade. In June 1923, Father Joseph Suneg was appointed to St. Margaret Mary Church. The parish continued to grow and by 1926 it became evident that the little church and school would soon be inadequate. When 6.5 acres became available at 61st & Dodge, Fr. Suneg saw it as the site of a beautiful new church. Over the next several decades his dream became a reality.