From that modest beginning, plans moved quickly. The "holy rollers," as they styled themselves laid plans for a parish complex. Lloyd Smith, a local philanthropist and developer of Afton Village homes, donated the site of the church, including the building that served as the sales office and equipment shed for the builders. Ground was broken in October 1951, and the church was formally blessed by Archbishop Thomas A. Boland on Thanksgiving Day 1952.

Attention was then paid to building a parish school for the growing number of children. As the school and convent were being constructed, the Sisters of Christian Charity from Mendham, New Jersey, were enlisted to staff the school which opened its doors in September 1954. Those early days reached a climax in December 1954 when Holy Family was formally elevated to parish status with Father O'Connell as first pastor. During the 1960s additional property was purchased to allow the construction of a school addition, including an-auditorium-gymnasium (1962) and a new rectory (1966). By the tenth anniversary of the church in 1962, the school had reached its peak enrollment of 710 students.