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.
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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.
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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.
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“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.
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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.
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“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.
Troy Melton allowed one hit in six innings and the Detroit Tigers’ offense came alive late in a 4-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday.
Dillon Dingler had two hits, including a home run, and drove in two runs as Detroit won its second straight game after losing four of five.
Melton (4-0) gave up a homer to Sam Antonacci on his second pitch of the game but allowed only four more baserunners — on three walks and a hit batter. He struck out five while allowing two or fewer runs for the fourth time in five starts this season.
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Two Tigers relievers finished, with Kenley Jansen pitching the ninth for his ninth save.
Sean Newcomb started Chicago’s bullpen game with three perfect innings, but Tyler Davis walked the bases loaded with two out in the fourth. Joe Rock came out of the White Sox bullpen and struck out pinch-hitter Jahmai Jones to loud boos from the Comerica Park crowd.
With a runner on first and two out in the fifth, Kevin McGonigle got Detroit’s first hit of the game — the first hit for either team since Antonacci’s leadoff homer.
Dillon Dingler followed with an RBI single off Rock (0-1) to tie the game.
Detroit took the lead in the sixth when Spencer Torkelson doubled and scored on James Outman’s single. Jake Rogers made it 3-1 later in the inning with an RBI single.
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Chicago didn’t get its second hit until Braden Montgomery doubled off Tyler Holton with one out in the seventh.
Dingler hit his 17th homer in the seventh, giving Detroit a 4-1 lead.
Up next
The teams finish the series Sunday in what was originally scheduled to be Justin Verlander’s first start as a Tigers player in Detroit since 2017. His hamstring strain means RHP Keider Montero (3-5, 3.67) will come back from the bullpen to face RHP Davis Martin (9-3, 3.31).
Today is Saturday, June 20, the 171st day of 2026. There are 194 days left in the year.
Today in history:
On June 20, 1943, race-related rioting erupted in Detroit; federal troops were sent in by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to quell the violence that resulted in more than 30 deaths.
Also on this date:
In 1782, the Continental Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States, featuring the emblem of the bald eagle.
In 1837, Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV.
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In 1893, a jury in New Bedford, Massachusetts, found Lizzie Borden not guilty of the ax murders of her father and stepmother.
In 1947, gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel was shot dead at the Beverly Hills, California, home of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, likely at the order of mob associates.
In 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted and was sentenced to five years in prison. (Ali’s conviction would ultimately be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court).
In 1972, three days after the arrest of the Watergate burglars, President Richard Nixon met at the White House with his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman; the secretly made tape recording of this meeting ended up with a notorious 18 1/2-minute gap.
In 2002, in Atkins v. Virginia, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that executing people with intellectual disabilities qualified as cruel and unusual punishment and was therefore in violation of the Eighth Amendment.
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In 2025, a powerful tornado tore across southeastern North Dakota with winds topping 200 mph (322 kph) and an EF5 category, the strongest classification for a tornado and the first of that strength confirmed on U.S. soil in a dozen years. The tornado killed three people and heavily damaged a regional airport.
Voting on finalists open from June 22 through July 20
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What is the barbershop in Metro Detroit? We’ve got our finalists for this year’s Vote 4 The Best category for best barbershop.
Here are this year’s finalists:
Andino’s Barbershop in St. Clair Shores
Bennies Barbershop in Trenton
Chivalry Barber Co. in Royal Oak
The Garage Cuts and Coffee in Plymouth
Walter T’s Grooming Company in Waterford Township
We received more than 16,700 nominations across our 80 Vote 4 The Best categories this year. Each category was then narrowed down to five finalists.
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Click here to view the full list of finalists.
Now that nominations are over, voting on finalists can begin. Voting is open from June 22 through July 20, and you can vote for each category once per day during that time.
Click here to vote for finalists in all 80 categories.
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About the Authors
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Derick Hutchinson
Derick is the Digital Executive Producer for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.
