Archbishop Weisenburger blesses St. Peter Claver Chapel, welcome center as school caps $9 million 'Empower Loyola' campaign
DETROIT — Loyola High School students have a new place in which to worship the Lord on campus.
Archbishop Edward J. Weisenburger, along with leaders of Loyola High School, the Detroit Jesuit community, and donors to the "Empower Loyola" campaign, dedicated the St. Peter Claver Chapel, part of the John & Margaret Clark Memorial Chapel Complex, during a blessing ceremony April 2.
The new 5,250-square-foot, 225-seat chapel is the first Catholic worship space constructed in the city of Detroit since the mid-1960s.
Loyola’s campus used to be home to the former St. Peter Claver Church, but in January 2018, the roof of the chapel collapsed, forcing the school to celebrate Mass and prayer time in the school’s gym, which is located inside the edifice of the former St. Francis de Sales Parish.
Having a dedicated chapel on the school's campus once again is a true blessing for the all-boys Catholic high school, Deborale Richardson-Phillips, Ph.D., president of Loyola High School, told Detroit Catholic.
“The transition from praying in a gym, where we play and we laugh and eat popcorn, to this beautiful new space on our campus where there’s a different set of reverence is really exciting for our students,” Richardson-Phillips said. “It’s really exciting for our students, and it’s exciting for me to see them connecting at what I consider to be the heart of our mission, which is faith formation.”
It was a special honor to welcome the Detroit's new archbishop to Loyola and introduce him to the school, which is jointly sponsored by the Archdiocese of Detroit and the Society of Jesus, Richardson-Phillips said.
“It was truly an honor to have Archbishop Weisenburger join us today,” Richardson-Phillips said. “Throughout his career, His Excellency has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to encouraging young people to grow in their faith and service toward others, which mirrors our mission at Loyola.”
The chapel’s dedication is the capstone of the $9 million “Empower Loyola” campaign, which includes the chapel complex and student courtyard as well as the construction of the Wayne & Joan Webber Welcome Center, a $1.5 million student tuition assistance fund and a $1 million faculty development fund.
The welcome center makes Loyola High School more forward-facing to Fenkell Avenue, a main thoroughfare in the city of Detroit, which increases the school’s visibility and presence in the neighborhood, said Bill McGrail, director of advancement at Loyola.
“The new center will welcome students, parents, guests and visitors and show them where they should be coming in,” McGrail said. “We have a building that is over 100 years old with multiple entrances, and there is general confusion when we bring folks down on where to come in, where to check-in. The welcome center ties that all together, not just for visitors but for all students. We have a common entrance now.”
The chapel was designed in collaboration with Fr. Gilbert Sunghera, SJ, former adjunct professor of architecture at the University of Detroit Mercy, Sr. Esther Mary Nickel, RSM, director of sacred worship for the Archdiocese of Detroit, and architect Tom Roberts.
The chapel features sacred items donated from across the Archdiocese of Detroit, including chairs from St. James Parish in Novi, Stations of the Cross from the former St. Philomena Parish in Detroit, a statue of Our Lady from the former St. Ladislaus Parish in Hamtramck, and a tabernacle from St. Daniel Parish in Clarkston.
In a callback to the campus's history, the crucifix is the original crucifix from St. Francis de Sales Parish.
Fr. Thomas McClain, SJ, superior of the Detroit Jesuit community, addressed the assembly, chronicling the history of Loyola High School, which began in 1993 as a collaborative effort led by Cardinal Adam J. Maida and Fr. Joseph Daoust, SJ, the provincial of the Detroit Jesuits at the time, who sought to establish an all-boys school in inner-city Detroit to help young men facing the challenges of urban life.
For the past 14 years, 100 percent of Loyola's graduates have been accepted to either a two-year or a four-year college.
Fr. McClain then presented Richardson-Phillips with a relic of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, as a reminder to the school "to look to Christ as the model to follow," he said.
Before blessing the chapel and welcome center, Archbishop Weisenburger spoke about his time being taught by Jesuits in Europe and the work of the Society of Jesus in his former Diocese of Tucson, including the operation of the Vatican Observatory's telescope in Graham County, Arizona.
“There were times I was deeply intimidated by the Jesuits, because we also had the Vatican Observatory, so we had a team of about seven Jesuit priests who all had doctorates in physics, astrophysics and astronomy,” Archbishop Weisenburger said, tongue-in-cheek, to laughter from the assembly.
“They were fascinating men, and their grasp of science, as well as their deep faith, was an inspiration to all,” Archbishop Weisenburger added.
Major benefactors of the "Empower Loyola" campaign, including members of the family of John and Margaret Clark, members of the Raymond M. and Jane E. Cracchiolo Foundation, the Wayne and Joan Webber Foundation, and the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation, were on hand for the chapel blessing and dedication.
Members of the Loyola community and Archbishop Weisenburger expressed thanks for their generosity in making the campaign a success.
“On behalf of the archdiocese, I want to say to our benefactors and donors, these things would not have happened without you,” Archbishop Weisenburger said. “God sees these things, and for those of us who are called to leadership, this and the way that you have made this possible matters. Our God sees it."
The archbishop added his gratitude to those who have served — past or present — at Loyola, saying those who serve the school's mission will not be forgotten.
"It’s not just the gift you give, but there are those among us here who are giving their lives to this school, and they matter," Archbishop Weisenburger said. "So for all here who were part of this place, your witness will belong here forever.”
After further words of gratitude from a current Loyola student and an alumnus, the school's pep musical group led a rousing rendition of the Loyola alma mater, and the assembly was invited to tour the new chapel and welcome center.
The new chapel, welcome center and the infusion of investment in the school is a tremendous source of pride for students, alumni, faculty and staff, who continue to educate young Detroiters as "Men for Others," McGrail said.
“We have prospective families that were just driving by now stopping in, because they never noticed this school in their backyard," McGrail said. "You have a neighborhood that hasn’t had a lot of investment in it in recent years coming to us about collaboration in this space. This new chapel and welcome center will only strengthen our presence in the neighborhood and our mission in Detroit.”
