Dear Friends,

I was able to attend a "Now & Later" presentation at St. Anthony's in Gwinn where Fr. Al Mott shared the importance of planned giving and creating an endowment alongside giving for day-to-day operations. I like to think of this balance as having both checking and savings accounts for each institution. Each serves a different function, and each is necessary for the financial success of the institution.

During the presentation, Kay Ghiardi (shown in the above photo), a St Anthony's parishioner, gave a wonderful speech recalling her family's dedicated history to the parish. If you'd like to watch the full Now & Later presentation, it is available to watch here.

I am honored to serve as the new Executive Director of Stewardship & Development for the Diocese of Marquette. I must confess that I am coming to the U.P. as a complete outsider to the area. My former town of Red Bluff was a cowboy town in Northern California – a place of rodeos, deserts, blistering hot summers, and not-so-snowy winters. Looking out my office window here in Marquette yields a view that could not be more different than that Sacramento Valley setting. But my brief time here has shown me more similarities than differences between the two communities. Like the cowboy culture of my former town, the U.P. is a place full of humble, salt-of-the earth people; of neighbors-helping-neighbors; of strong work ethic, resilience, and faith in God. Those are the things that have drawn me to the area, and I am coming here with a drive to foster and grow our local Catholic faith and heritage.

Being from one of those towns in the “far reaches” of my former Diocese, I want to make certain that our office’s presence and energies are invested as much into the remote locales of our Diocese as they are in its central vicariate here in Marquette. I want to ensure a Diocesan culture that seeks the stability and longevity of our missions, parishes, schools, and other Catholic institutions. During the pandemic, I witnessed my former town’s local Catholic high school (Mercy High School) close for good. The school had been a part of our community going back to the 1880s, was seen as a permanent staple of the town, but it too fell victim to a world of rising costs and secularization. It was an all-around depressing event for me and for many in that Catholic community. 

Avoiding these situations in today’s world takes more than charity; it also requires careful planning. In the coming months, I plan to travel across the U.P. to discern the needs and understand the dreams that exist in Yoopers’ hearts. So, with that in mind, I ask for you all to pray for me, and in turn I will pray for you. I look forward to getting to know you, and may God bless you.

In Christ,

Executive Director

Stewardship & Development, Diocese of Marquette

Upper Peninsula Catholic Foundation

Send Your Prayer Intentions to Bishop John
Helping to fulfill one of his primary obligations, to pray for the people of the Diocese of Marquette, Bishop John Doerfler invites parishioners to send personal prayer requests. You should have received an invitation in the mail recently from Bishop Doerfler to share your prayer intentions with him. Returned prayer cards are kept in his private chapel, where he will pray for the intentions for the next year.
If you need to print another copy of the prayer intention request card, you can do so at this link. If you would like to enter your prayer intention online, you can do so here.

If you have ever been a donor to the Legacy of Faith fund, we THANK YOU! For 10 years, Legacy of Faith grants have supported Totus Tuus in the Upper Peninsula. Totus Tuus (meaning "Totally Yours') is a summer Catholic youth program dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic Faith through evangelization, catechesis, Christian witness, and Eucharistic worship. 

According to an article in the National Catholic Register, 113-year-old Venezuelan Juan Vicente Pérez Mora is passionate about his faith, prays the rosary twice a day, and is in the Guinness World Records as the oldest man in the world. He says his family and friends are his greatest life companions and that the greatest thing he has learned in life is “the love of God, the love of family, and that we must get up early to work.” To read the full article, click here. (photo: Jhonny Parra /AFP/Getty)