A shot in the arm
This morning I got my first Covid vaccine! It was a real shot in the arm, but not for the reason I expected.
After the nurse told me to relax my arm, she asked where I worked. I told her the Catholic diocese. “I get to work with a lot of really great people,” I said. She hesitated for a moment and then told me she used to be Catholic and agreed that Catholics are really great people. She loved the nuns at her Catholic school, they taught great life lessons. As I pulled down my shirt sleeve post-shot, I told her we are working hard to invite people back to Mass in a safe way now that more people are getting vaccinated. “You’re welcome to come back any time,” I told her. She replied, “Thank you. I think I might do that!” I smiled big on my face and in my heart!
Ok, in all honesty, I felt like, “Cool! I did my evangelizing deed for the day! Now I can relax and do nothing for the rest of the day!” But, I had an important meeting on my work calendar in the afternoon and, after a few moments of self-pity, I came up with a more constructive attitude. I asked God to open my eyes to the next person who needed to be invited back to Mass. If I can be made to smile big in the space of a 60-second encounter with someone who professes to be an ex-Catholic, then I need to do this more often. It feels good!
Was this a chance evangelizing encounter? An unexpected opportunity that just fell into my lap? How did the right words tumble out of my mouth, and hers, so that an invitation and a grateful, “definite maybe” response was made?
The answer (this is God speaking now, in the gentle, loving way he talks to me), “Not by chance, my dear daughter, but by my design, which I could not accomplish without you.” Then he said (with a bit more sternness) “Now get back to work!”
In Gratitude,
Terri
Stanley Leaves Legacy Gift to Upper Peninsula Catholic Ministries
Seminarian education and the work of Catholic Social Services of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan will be substantially and permanently enhanced due to a $1.2 million bequest divided equally between the two. The gift was received by The U.P. Catholic Foundation, Inc. from the estate of Don Stanley. Read here how Stanley used his gift to continue what was important to him during his life.
Now and Later Giving Initiative
Through times of boom and bust, Catholics have rallied together to support the Church of the Upper Peninsula and the ministries that mark us as Catholics. Watch this short video to learn how Yooper Catholics have built the church in the Upper Peninsula. And pledge your commitment to do the same here.
Future Holy Name High School Joins Prestigious Chesterton Academy Network
Holy Name High School, Escanaba, will open this fall as a member of the prestigious Chesterton Academy Network. Joe Carlson, principal, says, "Joining the Chesterton Academy Network will afford our students many exciting opportunities to build community with other faithful young adults through pilgrimages, mission trips, and the March for Life in Washington, D.C. The network is a well-oiled machine with a proven track record of academic success." Click here to learn more about Holy Name High School.
Catholic Schools in Virginia Seeking 150 Teachers
Catholic schools in Virginia’s Diocese of Arlington are open for in-person instruction, and finding demand to be so high that 150 more teachers are needed. School officials say there is strong evidence that in-person schooling can be done safely, as long as proper protocols are followed. “Everyone agrees that learning takes place best done in person,” Dr. Joseph Vorbach, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Arlington. To read more, visit the National Catholic Register website here.
Legacy of Faith Grants Offer Online Education Tools
Many parishes in our diocese have taken advantage of Legacy of Faith grants that support a subscription to FORMED. FORMED provides the very best Catholic content from more than 60 organizations to help parishes, families, and individuals explore their faith anywhere with content direct to your browser, mobile, or connected device.
"FORMED has been the best teaching tool I’ve used in 14 years of faith formation, Catholic School and adult ed. Its versatility with people who live far away or are separated during Covid has been a game-changer. I love doing our hybrid model of education with people online and in-person simultaneously. Also, if someone misses the lesson they can watch it on their own and I don’t get lost DVD programs that never return to the office," says Fr. Tim Ekaitis, St. Mary, Norway, and St. Barbara, Vulcan.
To learn more, visit the FORMED website.
Yooper Priest Shares Pizza Recipe
Fr. Ben Hasse, St. Anne's, Chassell, and St. Al's, Houghton, recently shared his pizza recipe with friend Sr. Marie Therese who's part of the Dominican, Vietnamese Vicariate, in Houston (pictured above).
I asked him to share the recipe with us too! Thanks, Fr. Ben!
Fr. Ben's Pizza Recipe (for four big crusts)
7 cups bread flour
3 cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp salt
*dry mix
*make a well in the middle
Put in the well about 1 tbsp honey (less ideally, sugar), and one cup of warm/hot water. Not too warm to touch, but better than lukewarm. One package yeast (more if you want).
*use a fork to whisk honey, yeast, warm water and a LITTLE of the flour... get honey and yeast dissolved, some flour incorporated. Let sit for 5 minutes or so, it should start frothing/bubbling.
Add 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, and 3 more cups warm water. knead adding as little extra flour as you can, just enough to keep it from sticking to your hands. Knead vigorously for 5-10 minutes. You should break a sweat... it's a big dough! It should be consistent, elastic, pliable.
Form into a ball, flour the outside, put in a bowl at least twice as big as the dough, cover with a light towel (dishcloth). Let rise for an hour or two. Divide 4 ways.
Roll out dough, and sprinkle pizza pan with cornmeal before putting the dough on the pan.
Add sauce (I prefer Dei Fratelli), and toppings.
Bake at 450° or 500°
Watch the bottom to make sure it's neither burned nor doughy/sticky.
Time depends on the oven, toppings, how many you're baking at once, etc. 10 to 25 minutes.
With just one sentence in your will, you can extend your support of your parish far into the future. You don’t need to part with your assets today, but your future gift ensures we can continue His work for generations to come. Our diocesan planned giving website can get you started right now.
From the Police Force to the Priesthood
Father Benedetto (Ben) Paris (St. Francis de Sales, Manistique and Divine Infant of Prague, Gulliver) marked his Silver Jubilee as a priest on June 2, 2020. Read his full story in the latest edition of The U.P. Catholic.
Six Ways to Stay Connected
If you enjoy getting this newsletter and keeping up with what's happening around our beautiful diocese, we have good news! We have been working diligently this past year to expand our connections to you. Below is a list of ways you can receive additional diocesan news and information:
Bishop Doerfler Emails - Receive quarterly greetings from Bishop Doerfler as well as any relevant updates as we move forward through the Covid crisis. Sign up here.
Yoopers for Seminarians Newsletter - Join the movement! Yoopers for Seminarians actively promotes a culture of vocations throughout the U.P. Primary means of communication is through three mailed newsletters each year. To get yours, leave your address here.
YooperCatholic.org Website - Contributors from around the diocese keep this website full of fresh news. Check out the website here, and subscribe here to get a free "'Yooper Catholic" sticker to proudly display.
Planned Giving Newsletter - Thinking about leaving a gift to your parish in your will? Wondering about tax-saving benefits for donations to the Church? Sign up here for our twice-yearly newsletter mailed to you with all these answers and more.
Development Roundtable - Are you passionate about stewardship and development as a way to volunteer at your Catholic school or parish? Are you a parish leader interested in learning more about fundraising? The Development Roundtable is an informal network of clergy and laity in the U.P. interested in fundraising and development as ministry. The Roundtable meets quarterly. To sign up for invites, click here.
The U.P. Catholic Newspaper - The latest edition of the Upper Peninsula's Catholic newspaper can always be found online at upcatholic.org
*The Diocese of Marquette will not share your information outside of our organization without your permission.