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St Michael's continued to grow in the early part of the 20th Century despite the very hard times brought on the families of the parish. The Great War and the Depression had a marked effect on a number of the families in the Linlithgow area. The demand for Shale Oil dried up during the depression and many families found themselves with little or no earnings.
In 1938 the parish celebrated the 50th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the church. Soon after this the Second World War started and many of the men folk left to join the forces.
In 1946 the church celebrated the consecration of the high altar.
In 1940 Father Michael McGovern became parish priest at St. Michael's. Father McGovern was an untiring priest in his work for the parish and achieved many great things during his 40 years as parish priest. These included the development of the tennis courts and the Queen Margaret Hall. Another memorable development of Father McGovern is the Laetare International Youth Centre which he opened in 1942 (originally a small two bedroomed cottage). Laetare has grown in size over the years and still serves as a Hostel (situated in the grounds of the church) and is visited by numerous people of all nationalities. During the war the area covered by Laetare served to house Polish Soldiers. During their Stay in Linlithgow they erected a Shrine to the Blessed Virgin. This still stands in the grounds of the church.
The church population continued to grow during the later years of the century with the increasing development of Linlithgow as a commuter town for both Glasgow and Edinburgh and with the development of the new industries in and around West Lothian. During the latter part of the 20th Century the parish was server by the late Canon Hugh Gordon and Father James Ferrari. Father Ferrari was parish priest when the church celebrated its centenary. On his retiral Father Ferrari was succeeded by Father Pat Boylan.