Stray bullet hits new chapel at Loyola High School in Detroit

Detroit’s newest Catholic worship space in 60 years, a chapel at the Jesuits’ all-boys Loyola High School, has been hit by a stray bullet just days after opening,  

40 students were inside the new St. Peter Claver Chapel on Monday morning when the incident occurred. According to police, no one was injured. The school also released a statement, stating that the bullet came through a window just before the students were to begin prayer.

“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and will keep you informed with any updates as they become available,” wrote school president Dr. Deborale Richardson-Phillips.

“Please join us in prayer for the continued safety of our entire school community.”

Police said an investigation was underway earlier this week, with officers attempting to obtain video footage of the incident, according to local media. The school is located in the city’s predominantly Black Bethune Community neighborhood, which had reportedly seen a recent decrease in violent crime.

Loyola High’s campus is the former home of St. Peter Claver Church, a historically African-American parish whose roof collapsed in 2018 after heavy snowfall and years of deterioration. Students had used the church for prayer before the building became unstable.

The school thereafter celebrated Masses and prayer in its gym while administrators embarked on a $9 million fundraising campaign, including the construction of a new chapel and welcome center. Archbishop Edward Weisenburger of Detroit christened the new spaces on April 2.

According to Detroit Catholic, the chapel was designed in collaboration with a Jesuit priest-architect, Fr Gilbert Sunghera; Mercy Sister Mary Nickel, the archdiocesan director of sacred worship; and architect Tom Roberts. The larger chapel complex is named in honor of donors John and Margaret Clark.

Loyola High, which currently serves some 150 students—nearly all of them African American—was founded in 1993 by the Jesuits and the Archdiocese of Detroit in an effort to reach the inner city with education and mentorship. In the past 14 years, the school has achieved a 100% college acceptance rate for its graduates.

“We have prospective families that were just driving by now stopping in because they never noticed this school in their backyard,” said Loyola advancement director Bill McGrail at the chapel dedication ceremony. 

“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.”

The chapel shooting is only the most recent instance of violent crime affecting the school. Roughly a year ago, the school lost one of its students, 15-year-old Tyler Johnson, when he was killed in a shooting involving other teens at a Detroit hotel. As of this February, Detroit police were still seeking info for the investigation.

The school has not publicly announced this month's stray bullet breach but noted on Saturday that its planned open house event this weekend has been postponed to Sunday, May 4.

Anyone with information regarding either shooting is asked to call the DPD’s 12th precinct at 313-596-1240, or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.

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