Detroit, MI
Detroit sees first new Catholic place of worship in over 60 years
DETROIT (WXYZ) — Loyola High School in Detroit, a private Catholic school for boys, is seeing some major improvements including a new chapel.
It’s big news for the city as it marks the first new Catholic place of worship in Detroit in more than 60 years.
On Wednesday, students, school leaders and community members gathered together to celebrate the grand opening of the new St. Peter Claver Chapel and the new Wayne and Joan Webber Welcome Center.
Both spaces are extensions of Loyola High School.
VIDEO: Take a walk-through tour of the new chapel
VIDEO: Walk-through tour of the new chapel
“It feels wonderful for me to still be in my initial weeks here and to be able to do something this joyful,” said Detroit’s new Archbishop Edward Weisenburger, who led Wednesday’s service in the new chapel.
Related video: Detroit’s next Archbishop talks about the future and the challenges he faces
Detroit’s next Archbishop talks about the future and the challenges he faces
Students now not only have a new entrance to the school, they also have a new facility for daily prayer and reflection whereas before, services were held in the gym.
“What this chapel means to me is I get to grow in my faith and my beliefs in God more,” Rommell Murry said.
The Archdiocese of Detroit told 7 News Detroit like many other dioceses around the country, they too have experienced a decrease in the number of parishes and church buildings.
“This is going to be a blessing not just for a 100 or 150 young men at a time; this will be a blessing for the whole community,” Weisenburger said.
Deborale Richardson-Phillips, Ph.D., Loyola High School’s first female school president, agrees.
“Loyola High School is part of the revitalization of the Detroit area,” she said. “This chapel, and certainly our welcome center, will give people the opportunity to welcome people into our home in ways that we haven’t before.
Everything in the chapel — the chairs, piano and pieces on the chancel — was donated, and school leaders say it’s the community’s support that made it happen.
“This remarkable addition to our campus would not have been possible without the generosity and vision of those of who supported Empower Loyola,” Richardson-Phillips said.
A campaign generated more than $9 million in donations. Cynthia Webber Helisek was one of those donors.
“It took no thoughts whatsoever to say yes to the projects,” she said.
The welcome center is named after her uncle Wayne and aunt Joan Webber, who were big supporters of school — and so is she.
“Most importantly, I want the boys to know they are very valued in this space, and they deserve a beautiful space to learn,” Helisek said.
A woman died, and a person is in custody, in the aftermath of a two-vehicle crash on Friday evening in Detroit.
An emergency call was placed at 7:39 p.m., reporting the crash at Collingwood and Belleterre streets. The Detroit Police Department said one of the drivers was traveling at a high rate of speed on Collingwood and disregarded a stop sign at the intersection, striking the other vehicle.
The crash killed a woman who is in her 40s and injured a man who is also in his 40s. A medical condition was not available for the injured man.
The Detroit Police Department said a suspect is in custody and they are continuing to investigate.
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Federal regulators say the autonomous vehicle company Waymo must stop its cars from blocking first responders. Waymo has been testing its vehicles in Detroit. The head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the agency found several cases of Waymo driver-less vehicles traveling into emergency scenes, blocking firefighters or failing to stop for flashing lights and flares. Federal regulators say they will meet with autonomous vehicle developers to devise ways to address the problem. A Waymo vehicle will stop, however, if it notices nefarious activity from kids riding in it. A Waymo car in California recently stopped in a parking lot and called police after two teens in its back seat allegedly began drinking alcohol and shooting water beads from a toy gun.
Additional headlines for Friday, July 10, 2026
Bar IX location coming soon?
Detroit’s first women’s sports bar is crowdfunding to open a permanent space. Bar IX hosts pop-up watch parties for women’s sports. The bar has raised 65 percent of if its 125-thousand-dollar goal since the campaign kicked off on June 30. Organizers are giving away merchandise such as stickers, keychains, and t-shirts with donations.
African World Festival
The African World Festival is this weekend at Hart Plaza. The festival celebrates culture and history with music, spoken word, food and a retail marketplace. The festival starts today and runs through Sunday. Visit Charles H Wright museum website at for more info and to buy tickets.
Lake St. Clair Metropark to receive updates
Lake St. Clair Metropark is getting 15 million dollars in improvements. The improvements include reopening the North Marina, expanding accessibility across the park, adding new trail connections and modernizing infrastructure. It’s the biggest investment in the park in decades. Renovations at the marina will fully reopen the marina with 78 boat slips for transient docking and bring accessible floating finger docks back to the North Marina basin. All renovations are expected to be completed by the end of summer 2027.
Detroit Riverfront tour
The Detroit Parks Coalition is hosting a free walking tour about the Detroit Riverfront tomorrow, July 11 from 10 a.m. to 11a.m. The tour will give an overview of the history of the riverfront as a well as more info on the newest Ralph C Wilson Centennial Park. Meet at the Dock, located near the Huron-Clinton Metroparks Water Garden across from the Plaza. Parking is available along Jefferson Ave, Rosa Parks, and in the nearby Bagley Mobility Hub and Assembly garages.
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