The Diocese of Marquette Spending Committee recommends that endowment funds withdraw up to 4.5% in assets for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024. They additionally recommend that funds use a five-year weighted average of investment performance to calculate final distribution amounts. Endowment funds participating in the Upper Peninsula Catholic Foundation will receive 4.5% distributions in July 2023. Please refer to the Diocese of Marquette Spending Policy for all Endowment Funds in Addendum #1 for more information on spending policy recommendations.
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE
Looking for financial assistance with your college education? Applications are now being accepted for the 2023 Bibianne Bessette Scholarship Fund. The scholarships aid graduating high school seniors pursuing a college or vocational education at an accredited degree-granting institution. Consideration is based on academic achievement.
Applicants
must complete the online application found at
https://dioceseofmarquette.org/awards-scholarships and mail an
Official Transcript and ACT/SAT scores (via postal mail) to the
Bessette Scholarship Fund, Diocese of Marquette, 1004 Harbor Hills Drive, Marquette, MI 49855 or email transcripts to Irene McCauley at
imccauley@dioceseofmarquette.org. Applications must be received no later than March 15, 2023. Please contact
Irene McCauley with any questions on Bessette Scholarship requirements at 906-227-9135.
ST. JOSEPH ASSOCIATION (GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY) COLLECTION
Make plans now to promote the annual Good Shepherd Collection scheduled to be taken up on April 29-30 in all parishes. Materials to promote the collection can be found in Addendum #2 and will be emailed to all pastors, associate pastors, and pastoral coordinators on March 16, 2023. Please see the Bulletin Announcements section for materials to include in upcoming parish bulletins to promote this collection.
COLLECTION REMITTANCE DEADLINES
Several diocesan collections are held in the early part of the new year. Please be sure to mark collection remittance deadlines on your calendar to ensure parishioner donations are transferred to individual organizations promptly for maximum impact. Parish contributions should be sent with the Combined Collection Contribution form (attached as
Addendum #3). Please contact
Irene McCauley with questions regarding parish remittance deadlines.
Parishes held the Mission Collection on January 15, 2023, to support the Black & Indian Mission, Catholic Home Mission, Solidarity Fund for the Church in Africa, and the Propagation of the Faith. Please remit collection funds to the Diocese no later than February 28, 2023.
On February 12, parishes will hold the optional U.P. Catholic Newspaper collection. Parishes should retain the proceeds of this collection to offset the expense of providing the newspaper to their parishioners. Please do not mail a check to the diocesan office for funds collected.
The Marquette Diocesan Catholic Schools Collection 2023 was held on February 22 (Ash Wednesday) or February 26 (first Sunday of Lent). Please remit funds to the Diocese by April 30, 2023.
ANNUAL INVESTMENT POOL VIRTUAL CONFERENCE
Have you ever wondered what drives returns in your parish or school investment account? Do you want to know more about what kind of assets the Church invests in? Are you curious about the benefits of joining the National Catholic Investment Pool?
If so, please mark your calendars now to attend the Annual Investment Pool Virtual Conference and get a chance to talk with financial experts from Captrust and Michigan Catholic Conference. This year’s conference will be held on June 20, 2023 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Registration details will be sent to all parish leaders soon. We hope to see you then!
STANDARD PERSONNEL POLICY REMINDER AND MCC BENEFIT PROGRAM CHANGE DEADLINES
As a reminder, parishes are reminded that changes to the supplemental portion of the Standardized Personnel Policy must be submitted to the diocesan office. Any parishes planning to add or remove sections which affect benefits administered by Michigan Catholic Conference (including short-term or long-term disability benefits, as well as health, dental, vision, or life insurance coverage). If you have made changes to your personnel policy benefits, please notify MCC no later than April 15, 2023 for a July 1, 2023 effective date and no later than Sept. 1, 2023 for a Jan. 1, 2024 effective date.
If you are unsure of whether your parish submitted changes to its supplementary personnel policies, please contact
Irene McCauley to verify that your policy was received and approved. All parishes must submit parish supplemental policy drafts to
imccauley@dioceseofmarquette.org before implementing new policies at their parishes. Once supplemental policies are approved by the Diocese, copies will be returned to the parish for approval by the pastor and parish finance council before taking effect.
Parish bookkeepers are also reminded that all parish employees must also sign policy acknowledgment forms to be recorded in employee personnel files.
REMINDER: INTERNAL CONTROL POLICY REQUIRES TAMPER EVIDENT USE BAG
Bishop Doerfler’s updated Internal Control policy requires the use of tamper-evident collection bags to improve security for weekly and special collections. For information on use procedures, please see Addendum #5.
For those parishes using Connover Packaging for their tamper evident bag needs, please also note that materials must be purchased online. To place an order, please visit
www.connoverpackaging.com or email the form in
Addendum#6 to
orders@connoverpackaging.com. Connover Packaging also redesigned the closure on its bags in the past year to improve the quality of tamper-evident containers. Please see
Addendum #7 for a printable instruction sheet for first-time users or new collection volunteers. For more information on tamper evident bag procedures, please contact
Irene McCauley.
CONTACT DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE FOR HIRING ASSISTANCE
Parishes and schools are encouraged to contact the Administration & Finance department for hiring assistance. Diocesan staff will be available to assist pastors, pastoral coordinators, and school principals with hiring procedures and provide advertising services for open positions.
Please remember that we are not to ask about the following during the hiring/interview process:
- Age
- Gender
- Medical information
- Disability
- Religion (unless the position requires that the applicant is Catholic) – Please ask HR first
- Height or weight
- Race, ethnicity, or color
- Marital or family status
- Pregnancy
- Citizenship
Those interested in hiring assistance should contact
Tim Thomas at 906-225-1141, ext. 114.
PROTECT YOUR PARISH FROM PHISHING/ONLINE SCAMS
Please see information from the Internal Revenue Service in Addendum #8 on phishing attempts and ways to avoid online scams.