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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.

The current Communicator, as well as past issues, are available on the Diocesan website at https://dioceseofmarquette.org/communicator.

Aug. 12, 2023      National Church Collection (Administration & Finance)

Aug. 13, 2023      National Church Collection (Administration & Finance)

Aug. 17, 2023      Catholic School Principals' Meeting (Education)

Aug. 31, 2023      Parish Annual Financial Report Deadline (Administration & Finance)

Sept. 1, 2023       Supplemental Personnel Policy Change Deadline (Administration & Finance)

Sept. 15, 2023     Deadline to send Signed Parish Corporation Bylaws, List of Board Members, and Minutes from Initial Board Meeting (Administration & Finance)

Sept. 30, 2023     Parish Governance Report Deadline (Administration & Finance)

Sept. 30, 2023     Parish Annual Administrative Report Deadline

Oct. 10, 2023       Parish and Secretary Bookkeeper Workshop (Administration & Finance)

I highly encourage your support and participation in the event.  Carmelite prayer and contemplation focus on the welfare and fruitfulness of all those engaged in the work of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.   As they continue to support the people of the Upper Peninsula through their prayers, I ask for your support of this event to assist them in carrying on their spiritual mission.  Your efforts to sell or purchase tickets for the Carmelite Fall Festival would be greatly appreciated.

In mid-June, the annual “Prayer Intention Card” mailing from the Bishop’s Office was 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.

The Fellowship of Catholic Scholars has made available to clergy a website feature periodic newsletter, free of charge.  Each monthly installment of Teaching the Faith makes use of the scriptural readings for a given Sunday in order to provide clergy with assistance in preparing homilies on doctrinal topics, difficult and perhaps controversial subjects of current importance, and themes in Catholic prayer and spirituality. The website may be found at:  https://www.catholicscholars.org/TTFlist.php 

Please continue to input your weekly weekend Mass attendance counts (for all Vigil and Sunday Masses combined) each week.  The weekly Mass Attendance counts will give us a baseline for our Mass attendance as we work together to increase Mass attendance through evangelization efforts discussed in Bishop John’s Pastoral Letter on Evangelization, entitled:  “Transforming Fire: A New Pentecost to form Spirit-Filled Evangelizers.”  If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the Bishop at (906) 227-9115.   https://www.dioceseofmarquette.org/pastoral-messages-instructions-and-resources

Priests or Deacons of the Ddiocese 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.

The U.P. Catholic Newspaper plans to publish our Priesthood Sunday issue on Sept. 16 (ads are due Aug. 24). 

Please visit: https://form.jotform.com/231725001606141 to place an advertisement of appreciation for your pastor and/or other priests.

Contact Deacon Steve directly at 906-863-7460 or ads@dioceseofmarquette.org if you have additional questions. 

The U.P. Catholic Newspaper has launched a new electronic newsletter. It will be published twice monthly (unless something important calls for an extra). Rather than a replacement for the print edition, the newsletter will accompany the newspaper. It will be an easy way to find links to photo albums and videos, local stories and more. If you have any thoughts or suggestions, please send them to news@dioceseofmarquette.org.

Please visit https://dioceseofmarquette.flocknote.com/TheUPCatholic to sign up, fill in your name and email address, and you'll be all set.

All parishes in the Diocese of Marquette will take up the 2023 National Church Collection on Aug. 12-13, 2023. The National Church Collection supports the following outreach ministries to the Universal Church: the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the National Retirement Fund for Religious, and the Catholic University Collection. Parish bookkeepers are advised to divide unspecified National 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/forms. Please make checks out to “Diocese of Marquette-National 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 #1 National Church Collection flyer as an optional bulletin insert. Please email imccauley@dioceseofmarquette.org to request a copy of this flyer in JPG format. We appreciate your attention to this very important matter.

The 2023 Parish Annual Financial Report is now available online on the Diocesan website at dioceseofmarquette.org/parish-annual-financial-report. PAFR submissions will be due to the Diocese by Aug. 31, 2023 and must include a Statement of Financial Position/Balance Sheet, Statement of Revenue & Expense/Income Statement, and 2023-2024 parish budget attachment for each parish submission. 

The 2023 PAFR will also require parishes and missions to include a list of the officers on the board of directors for the parish/mission and note the date of the board’s first meeting. If the meeting has not occurred before Aug. 31, 2023 or minutes are not yet available, please submit the report and send a copy of the board meeting minutes separately to imccauley@dioceseofmarquette.org as soon as possible. Please contact Irene McCauley with questions on PAFR submission requirements or for general form assistance. 

The Governance Report is due Sept. 30, 2023 and has been included in Addendum #2. Completed reports or questions should be sent directly to Irene McCauley.

Please plan to join us this fall for the Workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 10, for a day of education and fun. This year it is being held at St. Joseph’s Parish, 1889 Prairie Avenue, Ishpeming. More information will be sent out soon. You can check out the website at any time for last year’s workshop information and for this year’s upcoming details. We hope to see you there! Thanks for all you do.

Parishes and schools are encouraged to contact the Administration & Finance department for hiring assistance. The Diocese uses Stang Decision Systems to help find the right individuals for open positions. The primary cost of the services are paid by the Diocese. Parishes/schools would pay for advertising (beyond free sites) and candidate testing. Stang Decision Systems is a world leader in customized hiring and development processes and helps employers select for targeted skills, aptitude, and cultural fit. Those interested in hiring assistance should contact Tim Thomas at tthomas@dioceseofmarquette.org or (906) 225-1141, ext. 114.

All parishes and missions are reminded that changes to the supplemental portion of the Standardized Personnel Policy are due to the Diocese by Sept. 1, 2023. Any parishes planning to make changes to benefits administered by Michigan Catholic Conference (including short-term or long-term disability benefits, as well as health, dental, vision, or life insurance coverage) should also contact MCC by no later than Sept. 1 to ensure that these changes are processed for Jan. 1, 2024. Please call (800) 395-5565 to report offering changes to MCC Benefits. 

If you are unsure 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 the Diocese before implementing new policies at their parishes. Once the diocesan staff approve supplemental policies, 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.  

All parishes took up a collection for the St. Joseph Association on April 29-30, 2023, and to date, parishes have reported a total of $73,152 for this annual collection. If you have not yet submitted proceeds from this collection, please do so as soon as possible.

Join us Tuesday afternoons at 1 p.m. for Story Time at the Baraga Educational Center and Museum (615 S. Fourth Street) in Marquette.

There will be a story, craft and snack, as well as games and fun with friends.  This is a FREE event and all are welcome.

(Story Time will be held regardless of the weather.  In the case of inclement weather, we will be inside.)

Thursday evenings from 6-7 p.m. - join us for Music on the Porch.  Local artists share their musical talent with us.

Good music, fellowship, and fun provide a great family friendly event.  This event is also FREE.

On July 27, our own Bishop John Doerfler will be providing the musical entertainment.  Come and join us!

Baraga Days 2023 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.

A direct mailing was sent to all registered households from Bishop John

Doerfler in early June. 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.

This collection combines three special causes that aid the Church in America. 

In the United States, one in eight people lives in poverty. With this collection, you support programs that address the root causes of poverty and provide a sustainable future for those struggling across the country. In addition, 25 percent of funds collection remain in our Diocese to fund local anti-poverty projects. Last year local grants were given to the St. Francis Connection Center and Catholic Social Services’ Re-entry and Recover Facility in Escanaba. Please prayerfully consider how you can support this collection and those working on the margins. Learn more at: usccb.org/cchd/collection. 

Like many Americans, religious communities face rising retirement and healthcare costs and often struggle to provide for elderly members. Please support the Retirement Fund for Religious collection at Mass. Learn more at: retiredreligious.org. 

Your contributions will strengthen the work of our top scholars. Located in Washington D.C., the University provides an education based in Catholic intellectual tradition. Please support this institution in preparing students to impact the Church, the nation, and the world. Learn more at: collection.catholic.edu.