The Diocesan Communicator is now being delivered through Flocknote.  You are now able to read the information right in your email message!

If you have any thoughts or suggestions to share, please email Sara at sshusta@dioceseofmarquette.org and John at jfee@dioceseofmarquette.org.

If you are looking for past issues, please visit:  

April 22, 2023     St. Peter Cathedral Vicariate Confirmation, St. Michael's Marquette, 1:30 pm ET

April 23, 2023     Diocesan Confirmation, St. Peter Cathedral, Marquette,

3:30 pm ET

April 29, 2023     St. Joseph Association/Good Shepherd Sunday Collection (Administration & Finance)

April 30, 2023     St. Joseph Association/Good Shepherd Sunday Collection (Administration & Finance)

April 30, 2023     Diocesan Catholic Schools Collection Remittance Deadline (Administration & Finance)

April 30, 2023     Holy Name of Mary Vicariate Confirmation, St. Joseph, Sault Ste. Marie, 2:00 pm ET

May 7, 2023        St. Mary Norway Vicariate Confirmation, St. Mary & St. Joseph Church, Iron Mountain, 3:00 pm CT

If you know of a priest, deacon, Women Religious or seminarian in need of prayers, please e-mail the information to Martha Tomasi, Department of Ministry Personnel, Mtomasi@dioceseofmarquette.org.

Please join us on Thursday, May 4, 2023 for the annual Priest Appreciation Mass. This year’s host parish is St. Louis the King in Harvey. The public Mass begins at 4:30 pm. The dinner honoring the priests and jubilarians is closed to the public.

Reminder: Children’s Safe Environment training materials are to be taught in the fall of each year. This is so children, who miss the lesson due to illness or weather, have time to make up the lesson before the end of the year. 

Reminder: Reports of number of children trained, using the JotForm on the diocesan website, are due by Jan. 31. Reports for make-up training are due by March 31.  All children should be trained before April 1. https://www.dioceseofmarquette.org/childrens-safe-environment

Reminder: Employee applicants and interested volunteers must have a background check application on file in the diocesan office and completed current Safe Environment training prior to being offered employment or becoming active as a volunteer. Approved and in-process applicants are listed on the Google Master Spreadsheet. This document should be referenced on a regular basis to ensure the information is up to date and only approved volunteers and employees are actively involved in your parish or school. Changes should be emailed to Mtomasi@dioceseofmarquette.org so the corresponding databases can also be updated. If you need assistance navigating the Google spreadsheet, please contact Martha at 906-227-9155. 

Master Spreadsheet: Safe Environment Master Spreadsheet 7-1-22 to 6-30-23 

Reminder: The Safe Environment Policy requires all volunteers and employees to complete refresher training every five years. This training, Keeping the Promise Alive, was assigned in December to all known active clergy, employees, and volunteers. A reminder was sent to the individual if an active email address is listed in their VIRTUS account. Training assignments are noted in red on the Master Spreadsheet and updated as individuals complete their training. Please work with your active employees and volunteers to ensure the training is completed prior to active involvement at the parish or school.

Reminder: Safe Environment Internal Audits are now an annual requirement. If you have not already returned your audit, including all requested documentation, please do so this week. A reminder was sent in the mail on April 6. Those parishes without children are not exempt from completing the forms and returning all of the requested documentation.

If you have not registered your candidates for Spring Confirmations, please do so ASAP at  https://form.jotform.com/DioceseofMarquette/confirmation-spring-2023.  You can find more information about Confirmation requirements on the Diocesan website at https://dioceseofmarquette.org/diocesanconfirmation.

The Masses are scheduled as follows:

Diocesan Confirmation

St. Peter Cathedral, Marquette                              3:30 pm ET           April 23, 2023

St. Peter Cathedral Vicariate Confirmations

St. Michael Catholic Church, Marquette                1:30 pm ET          April 22, 2023

Holy Name of Mary Vicariate Confirmations

St. Joseph Catholic Church, Sault Ste. Marie        2:00 pm ET         April 30, 2023

St. Mary Norway Vicariate Confirmations

St. Mary & St. Joseph, Iron Mountain                     3:00 pm CT          May 7, 2023

The Diocesan Confirmation is open to all adults, youth younger than grade 11 who have permission from the bishop to be confirmed, and youth from vicariates other than St. Peter Cathedral Vicariate, St. Mary Norway Vicariate, and Holy Name of Mary Vicariate. 

If you have any questions please contact Mark Salisbury, 906-227-9127 or msalisbury@dioceseofmarquette.org.

Faith Formation Coordinators are invited to join a small group of coordinators and Mark Salisbury to attend the Saint John Bosco Conference for Evangelization and Catechesis in Steubenville, OH, this summer from July 17-20.  

Link to the conference is here:  https://steubenvilleconferences.com/events/sjb/

The Diocese of Marquette has a limited number of scholarships available for $350 per person to help offset the cost.  This leaves an approximate $350 expense for your parish.  Travel costs by car will be paid by the diocese.  For more information, email Mark at msalisbury@dioceseofmarquette.org.

The Diocesan Eucharistic Congress is being held at the Superior Dome in Marquette June 9-10, 2023.  Speaker information, schedule, exhibitor and promotional materials are available at https://yoopercatholic.org/revival. Registration is now open https://yoopercatholic.org/register.

The Diocese of Marquette Eucharistic Congress on June 9-10, 2023, at the Superior Dome in Marquette, qualifies as a retreat for youth working on confirmation for Fall 2023 or Spring 2024.  Youth must attend both days of the conference.

Please contact Mark Salisbury msalisbury@dioceseofmarquette.org or Sara Shusta sshusta@dioceseofmarquette.org with any questions.

The Diocese office has a variety of faith formation materials available at no charge to any parish that might need them.  There is only one set of each so this is a “first-come, first-serve” opportunity.  Materials may either be picked up at the Diocese office or we are happy to give them to your parish priest or representative if they are visiting the Marquette area.

Publications are from RCL Faith First, Sadlier We Believe, and Ignatius Press Faith and Life Revised edition.  Teachers manuals for each grade and one student copy per grade are what is available.  If you are interested, please contact Sara Shusta at sshusta@dioceseofmarquette.org.

The U.P. Catholic is planning to publish Summer Mass Times in the May 19 issue of the paper. Please submit Mass times using the form below no later than Wednesday, May 3.  Form: https://form.jotform.com/230997584837173

Please send photos of First Communion, Confirmation (vicariate groups), and RCIA groups for publication in The U.P. Catholic’s annual Sacraments and RCIA issue. The deadline to submit photos for the 2023 sacraments issue is Friday, May 19. Be sure to list names (left to right) front row, second row, third row, back row, etc. Photos may be sent by e-mail to news@dioceseofmarquette.org or mailed to The U.P. Catholic, 1004 Harbor Hills Dr., Marquette, MI 49855.

A parishioner change of address should be submitted to the Diocese office to ensure delivery of The U.P. Catholic Newspaper and other important mailings.  Please use this form https://form.jotform.com/213185397002149 to submit address changes. Thank you!

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 acknowledgement forms to be recorded in employee personnel files.  

A copy of the supplemental personnel policies can be found on the diocesan website at dioceseofmarquette.org/policies and in Addendum #1 of this Communicator.

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 were 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.

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. To register for this event, please click here. https://www.jotform.com/70323169336151.  

There have been several changes in diocesan staff in the last year. Please refer to the Diocesan Directory for updated contact information. This can be found on the diocesan website at dioceseofmarquette.org/staff. 

We are now accepting nominations for the 2023 Legacy of Faith Catholic Service Award. If you know an outstanding Catholic who has dedicated their life to service of others and has displayed leadership in their community then we would love to hear about them. Submit a nomination here: https://form.jotform.com/51623866936163 by May 1.

STEWARDSHIP E-NEWS
 Click here to see the latest issue. Invite your parishioners to subscribe, use this link: https://dioceseofmarquette.flocknote.com/Stewardship/notes. We do not share subscriber emails outside of our organization.

 PARISH ENDOWMENTS
 Parish endowments enhance ministry and provide opportunity for parishioners to support the parish forever.

 YOUR GIFT MATTERS
 Link the diocesan Planned Giving website on your own parish website.  New content is provided quarterly. Here is the latest:

Mark your calendars for Baraga Days 2023 which will be held Saturday, Sept. 9, 2023 in Sault Ste. Marie, MI. The full itinerary and registration forms can be found in the Spring 2023 Baraga Bulletin and on our website at www.bishopbaraga.org. 

Father Frederic Baraga wrote Heavenly Roses in 1846. The Bishop Baraga Association recently had the chapter "The Mass and Visits to the Blessed Sacrament" translated into English and published as an excerpt from the original work.  It is for sale on our website and in our gift shop for $2 per book.

This is a must-read!  As Father Baraga wrote in the introduction of Heavenly Roses; "My beloved Christian, when you attend Mass or when you come to visit the Blessed Sacrament, you really come before Jesus, one's Lord and God. If you listen to Him faithfully and let Him speak to your heart, you will clearly hear the words that give eternal life."

We have a new feature on our website....www.bishopbaraga.org.  You can show your support for Bishop Baraga's Canonization by praying the Prayer for Canonization which can be found on the home page of our website.  

Select the image that says Prayer for Canonization.  Once you are finished praying, select the blue pray button. Your prayer will be added to the count below the Amen. This is a great way to demonstrate to Rome the support for Bishop Baraga's Cause for Sainthood.   Thank you!

The Diocese of Marquette is blessed with many senior (retired) priests (those who are no longer assigned to a parish).  These men make present Christ, the Good Shepherd, and continue to give of themselves in countless ways of service for which we are grateful.

As is the case with many pension plans in today’s world, our priests’ retirement program is not fully funded. On Good Shepherd Sunday, April 29-30, our Diocese will take up a special collection to support our priests’ retirement and help remedy the shortfall in the St. Joseph Association. I hope you will consider using the envelope provided in your packets to support this important collection. Parishioners can also donate to the St. Joseph Association online by visiting osvhub.com/dioceseofmarquette/giving/funds/st-joseph-association. 

Retired priests of the Diocese of Marquette receive health and automobile insurance and a monthly pension from the St. Joseph Association, the diocesan priest retirement fund.  Diocesan priests live independently during their retirement, and they use their pension for basic needs, such as food, housing and transportation. 

All parishes and missions in the Diocese of Marquette will participate in a special collection on April 29-30 to help provide for our senior diocesan priests. It is essential that we ensure adequate retirement and health coverage in the years ahead for our priests, especially in these challenging times. Please return your collection envelope during next weekends’ Masses or donate to the St. Joseph Association online by visiting osvhub.com/dioceseofmarquette/giving/funds/st-joseph-association.

This weekend all parishes and missions in the Diocese of Marquette are holding a Good Shepherd Sunday special collection to support our priests’ retirement fund, called the St. Joseph Association.  This collection directly benefits priests of the Diocese of Marquette and is separate from the annual collection for the Retirement Fund for Religious, which supports retired clergy and sisters of religious orders across America.   

Please prayerfully reflect on how you can best help support our own priests’ retirement and return your envelope in today’s collection or donate to the St. Joseph Association online by visiting osvhub.com/dioceseofmarquette/giving/funds/st-joseph-association. 

On Good Shepherd Sunday, our parish and all parishes and missions throughout our diocese took up a special collection to support our priests’ retirement fund, known as the St. Joseph Association.  Collectively, our parishioners have raised $_AMOUNT_ to date.  We truly appreciate your support.  If you were unable to donate last weekend, you may still support our retired priests by returning your envelope marked for the benefit of the “Good Shepherd Collection” in today’s collection or by dropping it off at the parish office. Parishioners can also donate to the St. Joseph Association online by visiting osvhub.com/dioceseofmarquette/giving/funds/st-joseph-association.