• Photo of the founder of Divine Child, Monsignor Herbert Weier
  • Photo of 1960's Divine Child High School
  • Photo of long-time pastor of Divine Child, Monsignor Herman Kucyk
  • Photo of Divine Child High School students visiting the Bernardine Franciscan Motherhouse in Pennsylvania

Our Rich Past, Present, and Future


Past...

The Church of the Divine Child was founded by Reverend Monsignor Herbert F. Weier on June 15, 1950. In order to provide enough land for the young parish, the Dearborn City Council unanimously voted in August 1950 to trade 20 acres of its undeveloped land for approximately six acres of developed property.

Construction began on the grade school in December 1952 at a cost of $256,000. In September 1953, the elementary school opened with 297 students, Grades 1-4, with an additional grade added each year. The Divine Child Elementary School now accommodates approximately 800 students.

A raffle in October 1953 enabled the parish to build a convent. It was completed in one year. On October 1, 1954, eight Bernardine sisters moved in. In March 1957, many more additions were made, and at one point in the 1960's there were 24 Bernardine Franciscan sisters teaching in our high school. Today the convent is still a very beautiful home to our beloved Bernardine sisters, some of whom still work in our schools.

On September 4, 1958, Divine Child High School opened its doors to 84 freshmen. The first graduating class was in June 1962 -- 69 students. There were three staff members, two Bernardine sisters and an athletic coach. In 1958, the tuition was $60.

The one-story school building cost $500,000, and consisted of nine classrooms, a library, two science labs, a typing room, and a study hall. In February 1960, the cafeteria and kitchen were completed and in October of that year, the first edition of the high school newspaper, "The Infant Herald," later renamed "The D-sCene," was printed. In June 1962, Fr. Kucyk and a friend composed the Divine Child High School alma mater.

Present

The current high school building has been expanded 14 different times over the years. The latest addition was the gallery hall and activity center in 1999. Our gallery hall now serves as the display area for the numerous awards and trophies our students, teachers, and school have earned over the past half century. Class composite photos are on display here as well, where you can take a minute and browse through pictures of the thousands of students who have walked the halls of Dvine Child over the year.

Since the school opened in 1958, we've grown from three teachers to 70. Of our 70 teachers, over half have a Master's Degree. In that same time period, our student population has grown from 84 to 850 students. We're proud that each year 99% of our graduating seniors attend college.

While Divine Child was originally founded as a regional school serving five local parishes in our vicariate, our geographic appeal has broadened over time. We now draw students from Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Detroit, Redford, Garden City, Westland, Wayne, Canton, Plymouth, Northville, Novi, South Lyon, Riverview, Grosse Ile, Allen Park, Belleville, New Bedford, and Ypsilanti!

The Divine Child High School community enjoys a rich history of school tradition and academic excellence. See why we love Divine Child.

...Future

Divine Child High School needs the support of the parish and the community to continue its mission of providing a Christ-centered, college preparatory education to boys and girls in our area. Please consider what time, talent, and treasure you have to offer to Divine Child High School.