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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:  

June10, 2023      World Church Collection (Administration & Finance)

June 11, 2023     World Church Collection (Administration & Finance)

June 15, 2023     Diocesan Priests’ Retirement Collection Remittance Deadline (Administration & Finance)

June 20, 2023     Annual Investment Pool Video Conference (Administration & Finance)

Do you have old paschal candles sitting around your parish that you don't know what to do with?  Catholic Campus Ministry at NMU will take them off your hands. Contact CCM at 906-228-3302 to make arrangements.  Thank you!

Just a reminder:  Any parish that has more Mass intentions and Mass stipends than they can satisfy in a year should send the Mass intentions and corresponding Mass stipend check to the diocesan office c/o:  MaryAnn Bernier, Office of the Bishop, 1004 Harbor Hills Drive, Marquette, MI  49855    You will receive a letter acknowledging our acceptance of the responsibility to see that the Mass intentions are celebrated.  The Mass intentions and stipends will be distributed to senior priests of the diocese who celebrate Masses or may be distributed to parishes who are in need of Mass intentions.  (Canon 953 No one is permitted to accept more offerings for Masses to be applied by himself than he can satisfy within a year.)

Coming up in mid-June, the annual “Prayer Intention Card” mailing from the Bishop’s Office will be direct mailed to all registered households. 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. Returned prayer cards are kept in his private chapel, where he will pray for the intentions for the next year. Please encourage your parishioners to respond. A bulletin announcement is included for your convenience.

During Religious Freedom Week, Catholics are encouraged to pray and act each day for religious freedom. The Pray-Reflect-Act series aims to help Catholics build solidarity with people of faith who are persecuted abroad and find strength to carry out the mission of the Church here in the United States.  Resources may be found at:  https://www.usccb.org/events/2023/religious-freedom-week

Any priest of the diocese that will be attending the Steubenville Youth Conference July 28-30, 2023, in St. Paul, Minnesota, with students from their parish may send an email to mtomasi@dioceseofmarquette.org to be included in the group letter of good standing that will be sent to the Archdiocese of Minneapolis-St. Paul or the appropriate archdiocese or diocese.

Priests or Deacons of the diocese that will be traveling outside of the Diocese of Marquette should request a Letter of Good Standing prior to their departure.  As the letter needs to be signed by the Chancellor, the request should be submitted as soon as possible.  To submit a Priest Letter of Good Standing Request, complete the online form at:  Priest Letter of Good Standing Request Form
 
To submit a Deacon Letter of Good Standing Request, complete the online form at: Deacon Letter of Good Standing Request Form. The forms may also be found at: https://www.dioceseofmarquette.org/forms.

Faith Formation Coordinators are invited to join a small group of coordinators and Mark Salisbury to attend the St. John Bosco Conference for Evangelization and Catechesis in Steubenville, OH, this summer from July 17-20, 2023.  

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.

As the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson once wrote, “In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.”  If that’s happening in your parish, our Diocesan Marriage Preparation document can be found at:

Please contact Dcn. Steve Gretzinger at ads@dioceseofmarquette.org or call 906-863-7460 if you have any questions or need additional information.

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, June 9. 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!

Please find 2023-2024 Benefit and Insurance rate information in Addendum #1 of this Communicator. If you have any questions regarding rate changes, please contact Casey Banks.  

Parish conversions to new Sage Intacct accounting software have been delayed, as the Administration and Finance Department is focusing resources on the effort to incorporate parishes and schools into independent civil entities. Once incorporations are complete, we will update those bookkeepers who expressed interest in converting first on the new conversion timeline. Please contact Casey Banks if you have any questions. 

MCC is now offering a 24/7 hotline to file losses and claims at (833) MCC-LOSS (833-622-5677). This hotline can be used to file claims for workers’ compensation, property damage, auto injury, general liability, cyber liability, student accidents, and some boiler/machinery damage, and is the quickest and most effective way to receive assistance with these incidents. Please call the new hotline to file claims with Gallagher Bassett. For more information, please visit micatholic.org/risk-management/file-a-claim/ or see Addendum #2 for summary page with these resources.

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

The 2023 Parish Annual Financial Report will be available online on the Diocesan website at dioceseofmarquette.org/parish-annual-financial-report on June 15, 2023. PAFR submissions will be due to the Diocese by Aug. 31, 2023 and must include a Statement of Financial Position/Balance Sheet and Statement of Revenue & Expense/Income Statement attachment for each parish submission. Please contact Irene McCauley with questions on PAFR submission requirements or for general form assistance. 

All parishes in the Diocese of Marquette will be taking up the 2023 World Church Collection on June 10-11, 2023. The World Church Collection supports the following outreach ministries to the Universal Church: the Catholic Relief Services Overseas Fund, the Holy Land & National Communications collection, and the Peter’s Pence collection (Collection for the Holy Father). Parish bookkeepers are advised to divide unspecified World Church fund donations evenly between the three individual collections using the Collection Counting Sheet. Bookkeepers may then complete their Combined Collection Transmittal forms to include with their payment to the Diocese. These collection resources can be found at dioceseofmarquette.org/administration-finance. Please make checks out to “Diocese of Marquette-World Church Collection.”

Please see the Bulletin Announcements section for an announcement that can be placed in your parish bulletins to promote this collection. Parishes may also print and use the Addendum #3 World Church Collection flyer as an optional bulletin insert. Thank you for your attention to this very important matter. 

The Bishop Baraga Association will be at the Eucharistic Congress June 9-10 at the Superior Dome in Marquette, MI.  We will have merchandise for sale to support Venerable Bishop Baraga’s Cause for Canonization.

The Baraga Educational Center and Museum at 615 South Fourth Street in Marquette will be open 12:00-5:00 p.m. on Friday, June 9 prior to the Eucharistic Congress.  Come tour the Museum and the Prayer Gardens prior to the Eucharistic Congress! Everyone is welcome!

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, in our gift shop and at the Eucharistic Congress 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."

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. Space is limited for the Vespers Cruise on Friday evening and the Banquet on Saturday.  Please make your reservations early to ensure a spot.

ASK BISHOP JOHN DOERFLER TO PRAY FOR YOU
A direct mailing will be sent to all registered households from Bishop John Doerfler in the next six weeks.   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. Returned prayer cards are kept in his private chapel where he will pray for your intentions for the next year.

Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Funds will help six Catholic agencies to provide relief and support to struggling communities and to work toward peace and reconciliation among our marginalized brothers and sisters here and around the world.  

The political, religious, and military challengers in the Holy Land are more complex than ever. The wars, unrest, and instability have been especially hard on Christians. The Holy Land Collection offers hope to the Holy Land Christians in these times of hardship. 

The National Communications collection helps connect people to Christ, here and around the world, through the internet, television, radio, and print media. A portion of the funds collected will remain here in the Diocese of Marquette to support our local efforts. 

The Peter’s Pence Collection enables the Holy Father to respond with emergency financial assistance to requests to aid the neediest throughout the world—those who suffer as a result of war, oppression, and natural disasters. It likewise provides the faithful with a tangible opportunity to not only empower the weak, defenseless, and voiceless, but also sustain those who suffer.