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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.

Feb. 14, 2024     Diocesan Catholic Schools Collection (Administration & Finance)

Feb. 18, 2024     Diocesan Catholic Schools Collection (Administration & Finance)

Feb. 28, 2024     Mission Collection Remittance Deadline (Administration & Finance)

March 15, 2024   56^th UPCSA Parish Payment Deadline (Administration & Finance)

March 15, 2024   Bibianne Bessette Scholarship Submission Deadline

                            (Administration & Finance)

April 20, 2024     St.. Joseph Association/Good Shepherd Sunday Collection

                            (Administration & Finance)

April 21, 2024     St. Joseph Association/Good Shepherd Sunday Collection

                            (Administration & Finance)

April 30, 2024     Employee Deadline to Enroll in 12-Month Credit Monitoring

                            through Experian Identity Works (Administration & Finance)

April 30, 2024     Diocesan Catholic Schools Collection Remittance Deadline

                            (Administration & Finance)

This liturgy is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET, at St. Peter Cathedral.  A memorandum from the bishop was sent to the priests of the Diocese on Feb. 1, 2024. This year, you will not be asked to submit an RSVP form regarding your attendance. Holy Oils will be distributed during the Mass. Each pastor is welcome to select an individual to represent his parish or one person to represent the parish cluster if he serves more than one parish. Each parish or mission will receive one box of Holy Oils. Should your parish require additional boxes, extras will be available for you to collect after Mass in the gathering space. If you have any questions regarding the Chrism Mass, please contact Terry Bailey via email at tbailey@dioceseofmarquette.org. 

There are currently individuals representing themselves as the bishop, diocesan priests and members of the curia staff using email addresses that are not similar to valid diocesan email addresses. Diocesan email addresses follow a pattern of firstinitiallastname@dioceseofmarquette.org such as tbailey@dioceseofmarquette.org. 

Would you kindly remind your parishioners via a bulletin announcement that the bishop, our priests, and employees of the Diocese of Marquette will NEVER request the purchase of gift cards to be sent via text message or email for any type of fundraising project.  Regardless of what email address or cell phone number the request comes from, parishioners should NEVER purchase gift cards and send pictures of them via text or email.  

Scammers are using any information they can find to initiate these requests including information (such as board members’ cell numbers or email addresses) on our diocesan website, and information in our parish bulletins and on parish websites.

FACULTIES TO CONFIRM
Fr. Dan Moll has provided information regarding the specific faculties priests have in regards to Confirmation and the situations requiring the permission of the bishop to confirm.  If you have any questions regarding the information provided in the document, please contact Fr. Dan at:  dmoll@dioceseofmarquette.org or call (906) 227-9154.  ADDENDUM: Faculties to Confirm.

TIME OF THE EASTER VIGIL
 Please be advised that Bishop Doerfler has determined that the Easter Vigil (March 30, 2024) Mass times this year will begin no earlier than 9 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. CT. If you have any questions, please contact Deacon Tom Foye at tfoye@dioceseofmarquette.org.

The Diocesan Directory has been updated and is included in the attached addendums.  ADDENDUM:  Diocesan Directory

Save your spot now to hear from one of the USCCB’s National Eucharistic Preachers!

Spring Study Day is March 21, 2024. Our presenter this year is Fr. Luke Ferris, a National Eucharistic Preacher and currently pastor of the Kaukauna Catholic Parishes in Kaukauna, Wis.  Fr. Ferris was named a National Eucharistic Preacher by the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops last year.

Fr. Ferris will speak about Encountering Jesus in the Eucharist, the Experience of Encountering Jesus in the Eucharist, Obstacles to Jesus’ Eucharistic Presence, and Encountering Jesus in Mass and Adoration.

Cost is $15; morning refreshments, lunch and materials are included.

Click here for more information and/or to register:

Registration for Spring Confirmations is open.

The Masses have been scheduled as follows:

Diocesan and St. Peter Cathedral Vicariate Confirmations (combined)

St. Peter Cathedral, Marquette               3:30 p.m. ET         April 21, 2024

Holy Name of Mary Vicariate

St. Ignatius Loyola, St. Ignace,               3 p.m. ET              April 28, 2024

St. Mary Norway Vicariate

American Martyrs, Kingsford                  3 p.m. CT              May 5, 2024

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.

SACRAMENTS AND RCIA PHOTOS
Please send photos of First Communion, Confirmation and RCIA groups for publication in The U.P. Catholic’s annual Sacraments and RCIA issue. Be sure to list names (left to right) front row, second row, third row, back row, etc. Photos may be sent by email to news@dioceseofmarquette.org or mailed to The U.P. Catholic, 1004 Harbor Hills Dr., Marquette, MI 49855.

The U.P. Catholic is planning to publish Easter Mass Times in the March 29 issue of the paper. Please submit Mass times using the form below no later than Friday, March 8.  

Form: https://form.jotform.com/DioceseofMarquette/easter-mass-times 

Tim Thomas sent a memo to all parishes and schools on Jan. 29 concerning the Paycor/MOVEit security breach notice mailed to all employees in the Diocese of Marquette. The letters describe a legitimate security event involving the unauthorized access of employees’ personal information through the MOVEit Transfer server Paycor uses to send and receive personal information over the internet. We take this event very seriously, and upon learning of the breach, diocesan staff worked to address the issue as quickly and completely as possible while providing employees with the best resources to protect themselves from potential fraud. 

Please refer to the attached memo and sample letter (Addendum #1) for more information about this event, our response, and fraud protection options available to affected employees. Employees are advised not to discard their letters, as they contain individual activation codes required to enroll in the complimentary 12-month credit monitoring services offered by Experian, as well as other valuable resources to help protect personal information from possible misuse.  If you have any questions concerning this security event and potential incidents of identity fraud and misuse, please call Experian Representatives at (855) 356-3059. If you have any other questions, please contact Tim Thomas. 

As a reminder, parish UPCSA payments for the 56^th campaign will be due to the diocese by March 15, 2024. Please plan to remit the balance of your 56^th UPCSA goal to the diocesan office on or before March 15 to avoid penalties. If you need to schedule an ACH/EFT or make other payment arrangements, please contact Tim Thomas or Jamie Feldhusen for further assistance. 

Pastors are reminded that with the establishment of parishes as civil corporations and observing the requirements of Canon Law, parish corporations must meet certain annual requirements. Each fiscal year, the Member (Bishop Doerfler) and the Board of Directors must act to 1) confirm the appointment of officers and 2) ratify corporate actions taken that year. Bishop Doerfler asks that pastors convene a Board of Directors meeting for each of their parish corporations in July or August 2024. 

A template for the meeting agenda and minutes will be sent to pastors, parish secretaries, and bookkeepers later this spring. Minutes from the second annual meeting of the Board of Directors must be sent to Irene McCauley at the diocesan office as soon as possible after the meeting. 

Initially scheduled to begin in January 2024, property transfers to parish corporations have been pushed back to early March. Diocesan staff are working with legal counsel to convey all properties as soon as possible over the next several months. As soon as properties are transferred to parish corporations, each parish will receive a summary of its land parcels as well as copies of the deeds recorded with local County Clerks/Registers of Deeds. Please file these documents with other parish incorporation records at the parish office once received.

Parishes should not transfer bank accounts to the corporate entities until they receive further instructions from the diocesan office. Look out for additional instructions on transferring parish assets and liabilities in the coming months. If you have any questions about the parish incorporation process, please contact Tim Thomas or Irene McCauley for additional assistance. 

We are excited to announce that parish internal audits will be handled exclusively by diocesan staff in 2024. Parishes, missions, and schools selected for review of 2022-2023 financials have already been contacted by Karli Lancour, who will be the new point of contact for parish and school internal audits. Please send all audit materials (including bank confirmation forms traditionally mailed to Makela Toutant) directly to the diocesan office, Attention: Karli Lancour, Diocese of Marquette, 1004 Harbor Hills Drive, Marquette, MI 49855. 

Parishes may hold the Marquette Diocesan Catholic Schools collection on Feb. 14 (Ash Wednesday) or Feb. 18 (the first Sunday of Lent). Please find a bulletin insert for this collection in the Bulletin Announcement section of this communicator. Parishioners can also donate to this collection online by visiting osvhub.com/dioceseofmarquette/giving/funds/marquette-diocesan-catholic-schools-ash-wednesday.

While not a diocesan collection, parishes are also encouraged to participate in the CRS Rice Bowl Lenten initiative in 2024. Materials and information can be found at crsricebowl.org. 

Make plans now to promote the annual Good Shepherd Collection scheduled to be taken up on April 20-21 in all parishes. Materials to promote the collection will be emailed to all pastors, associate pastors, and pastoral coordinators on March 7, 2024. 

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. Please contact Irene McCauley with questions regarding parish remittance deadlines.  

Parishes held the Mission Collection on Jan. 14, 2024, 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 Feb. 28, 2024. 

On Feb. 11, parishes held 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 will be held on Feb. 14 (Ash Wednesday) or Feb. 18 (first Sunday of Lent). Please remit funds to the Diocese by April 30, 2024. 

Please see the Diocesan Collection Schedule for 2025 included in Addendum #2. This schedule and corresponding sample envelopes have been mailed to parish-identified envelope companies. If you have any questions about the 2025 Collection Schedule, please contact Irene McCauley.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a new IRS determination letter supporting the tax-exempt status of parishes, schools, and other Catholic entities in the Diocese of Marquette last month. Please find the new proofs of your tax-exempt status (including the determination letter, a memo from USCCB Counsel, and pages from the latest edition of the Official Catholic Directory) on the diocesan website here. This information is also available as Addendum #3 of this Communicator.

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) 227-9114.

The Standardized Personnel Policy requires parishes and diocesan entities to conduct annual evaluations with all employees. Completed evaluation forms should be saved in each employee’s personnel file and noted in future parish audits. Please find Diocese of Marquette Performance Evaluation forms for supervisors and employees at http://dioceseofmarquette.org/forms. These forms have also been included as Addendum #4 and Addendum #5 of this communicator. 

We wanted to remind everyone of two useful pages on the Michigan Catholic Conference website with information related to benefits and general liability, special events insurance, and much more. We recommend bookmarking the locations below as helpful administrative resources. 

Benefits - https://www.micatholic.org/benefits/bookkeepers-toolkit/

Risk Management - https://www.micatholic.org/risk-management/information-and-forms/

As a reminder, clergy, religious, and lay employees (and any dependents) scheduled to work 20 or more hours a week can access MCC’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) called TELUS Health. TELUS Health provides resources to eligible staff on a range of well-being issues. Employees can access resources, including a continually updated COVID-19 toolbox, through The TELUS Health website, available from within Employee Self-Serve. 

TELUS Health is also able to assist with traumatic events. Please see Addendum #6 with helpful tips for coping after a traumatic event and how to support those impacted by trauma. 

We encourage employees to take advantage of the TELUS Health EAP program; it is a valuable resource for professional and personal well-being. Should you have questions or want additional information, please click here, contact TELUS Health at (888) 456-1324, or reach out to the MCC Benefits Team at (800) 395-5565.

 

Looking for financial assistance with your college education? Applications are now being accepted for the 2024 Bibianne Bessette Scholarship Fund. The scholarships aid graduating high school seniors who are 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 dioceseofmarquette.org/awards-scholarships and either mail an Official Transcript and ACT/SAT scores (via postal mail) to: 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, 2024

Please welcome Scott Fenley and Megan O’Connor to the Diocese of Marquette team!

Scott Fenley is the new Executive Director of Stewardship and Development. Scott comes to us from Northland Lawn Sport & Equipment where he was an Outside Sales Representative. His background is in Sales, Project Management & Training. He holds an M.B.A. with a focus on International Business and a Bachelor of Science in Leadership & Management.  He will be working closely with the Bishop, senior diocesan staff, pastors, parishioners, and community members to promote programs that improve the Diocese of Marquette. He will be responsible for overall stewardship education and fund development for the Diocese, including the Upper Peninsula Catholic Services Appeal (UPCSA), the UP Catholic Foundation (UPCF), and the Legacy of Faith (LOF) endowment program.

Megan is the new Director of Missionary Stewardship. She will be focused on outreach throughout the Diocese of Marquette, UPSCA, the UPCF, #iGiveCatholic, and more! Megan has a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies from Northern Michigan University. She comes to us from the Lake Superior Community Partnership, where she was the Outreach and Development Specialist. You may know Megan from her years of cantoring at St. Peter Cathedral. When Megan isn’t working for the Diocese, you can find her volunteering, playing her harp, or on WZMQ19’s “What’s UP with Megan.”  Megan can be reached at MOconnor@DioceseofMarquette.org.

Please welcome Scott and Megan aboard!

We have extended our Membership Blitz until March 30, 2024.  During this time, you can purchase a Lifetime Membership for just $50 (Domestic) and $100 (International)!

The Baraga Educational Center and Museum will be CLOSED Thursday March 21, 2024 to attend the Diocesan Spring Study Day and the Chrism Mass.  

The Museum is generally open Thursdays and Fridays noon to 5 p.m. from now until April 1. Beginning April 1, we will be open Monday – Friday noon-5 p.m.  Tours can be scheduled for other days and times by calling (906) 227-9117.

The U.P. Catholic Newspaper collection was held on Feb. 10-11, 2024. Donations go to your parish to help pay its portion of the subscription cost for the diocesan newspaper, which is mailed to all registered Catholic households. If your parish does not participate in this collection, you can still contribute by placing your donation at any time in an envelope marked “The U.P. Catholic Newspaper” and dropping it in your parish collection basket or at your parish office. You can also donate to this collection online by visiting osvhub.com/dioceseofmarquette/giving/funds/the-u-p-catholic-newspaper-collection. 

The Marquette Diocesan Catholic Schools collection is Feb. 14 (Ash Wednesday) or Feb. 18 (the first Sunday of Lent). Funds from this collection support all nine of our Catholic Schools in their mission to teach our Catholic Liberal Arts curriculum, which forms our children both spiritually and academically. Your support provides critical tuition assistance for families who might not otherwise be able to send their children to a Catholic school. An envelope has been provided for registered parishioners to participate in this year’s collection. You can also donate to this collection online by visiting osvhub.com/dioceseofmarquette/giving/funds/marquette-diocesan-catholic-schools-ash-wednesday. We thank you in advance for your generous support of Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Marquette!