The Diocesan Communicator is 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.

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

July 31, 2024     World Church Collection Remittance Deadline (Stewardship & Development)

Aug. 10, 2024    National Church Collection (Stewardship & Development)

Aug. 11, 2024    National Church Collection (Stewardship & Development)

Aug. 31, 2024    Parish Annual Financial Report Deadline (Administration & Finance)

Sept. 01, 2024    Supplemental Personnel Policy Change Deadline (Administration & Finance)

Sept. 20, 2024    Deadline to Submit Annual Corporate Reports to the Diocesan office (Administration & Finance)

Sept. 30, 2024    Parish Governance Report Deadline (Administration & Finance)

Sept. 30, 2024    Parish Annual Administrative Report Deadline (Administration)

Sept. 30, 2024    Deadline to Send Minutes from Annual Corporate Board Meetings (Administration & Finance)

Oct. 15, 2024      Parish and Secretary Bookkeeper Workshop (Administration & Finance)

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. 

Each year, the Sisters of the Discalced Carmelite Monastery of the Holy Cross in Iron Mountain, Mich., sponsor the Carmelite Fall Festival (formerly the Silver Tea), Craft and Bake Sale which is scheduled this year on Sept. 21-22 from noon- 3 p.m. CST.  

This year, the Sisters’ homemade bread will be sold, as well as additional fall favorite baked goods, Italian turkey lunch plates and other items from their gift shop such as crafts and miscellaneous items. A basket raffle, and other raffle prizes will be available. Raffle tickets may be purchased through your parish.   

Bishop John highly encourages your support and participation in the event.  The Carmelites pray and contemplate focus on the welfare and fruitfulness of all those engaged in the work of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ.   Bishop John asks for your assistance in helping the Carmelites in carrying on their spiritual mission.  

There is currently an individual representing themselves as the bishop and other members of the diocesan Curia using email addresses that are not similar to the valid diocesan email addresses used. 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, information in our parish bulletins and on parish websites. 

St. Francis de Sales in Manistique has an organ available that they wish to donate to a church that is in need of one.   It is not for sale; it will be given away and must be picked up.  For more information, contact Fr. Ben Paris at (906) 630-5101.

Parish catechetical leaders (pastors, deacons, faith formation coordinators, religious ed directors) are invited to participate in one of the four training sessions around the Diocese this summer:

Monday, July 15 - St. Louis the King, Harvey

Wednesday, July 31 - Immaculate Conception, Iron Mountain

Monday, Aug. 5 - St. Ignatius, Houghton

Monday, Aug. 12 - St. Joseph, Sault Ste Marie

More than 60 people are registered so far!  Sign up today at yoopercatholic.org/training-catechesis.

Diocese of Marquette Catholic school teacher retreats are scheduled for August. Teachers and principals - please mark the date on your calendar to attend your retreat.

Monday, Aug. 19 – Immaculate Conception, Iron Mountain

Monday, Aug. 26 – St. Joseph, Ishpeming

Tuesday, Aug. 27 – St. Mary School, Sault Ste. Marie

Registration is now open for Fall 2024 Confirmations.  You can find more information about Confirmation requirements on the Diocesan website at https://dioceseofmarquette.org/diocesanconfirmation.

The Masses are scheduled as follows:

St. Mary Rockland Vicariate Confirmations

Our Lady of Peace, Ironwood                 11:00 am CT   Sept. 21, 2024

St. Joseph & St. Patrick Vicariate Confirmations

All Saints, Gladstone                             3:00 pm ET      Sept. 29, 2024

St. John Neumann Vicariate Confirmations

Resurrection, Menominee                      3:00 pm CT     Oct. 6, 2024

Most Holy Name of Jesus Vicariate Confirmations

St. Joseph, Lake Linden                        3:00 pm ET     Oct. 13, 2024                                

Register at:  https://form.jotform.com/DioceseofMarquette/confirmation-registration-fall-2024

If you have any questions please contact Fr. Ryan Ford rford@dioceseofmarquette.org.

A reminder to all Catholic school principals that the first meeting of the 2024-2025 school year will be on Wednesday, Aug. 7, at St. Christopher’s in Marquette in the parish hall from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.  Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

The 2024 Parish Annual Administrative Report link is now available online at https://form.jotform.com/DioceseofMarquette/2024-PAAR

PAAR submissions will be due to the Diocese by Sept. 30, 2024.

Please contact Sara Shusta sshusta@dioceseofmarquette.org with questions on PAAR submission requirements or for general form assistance.

The PAAR is a completely separate report from the PAFR-Parish Annual Financial Report.

REMINDER:  TEACHER CONTRACTS
All teacher contracts for the 2024-25 school year should be turned into the Catholic Schools Office, attention Sara Shusta by July 22, 2024. Please send the originals to: 1004 Harbor Hills Dr. Marquette, MI 49855.

If your parish, school or other Catholic entity has photos from liturgies or events, please feel free to share them with The U.P. Catholic and other diocesan media by sending them to news@dioceseofmarquette.org. If you are sending from a phone, please send at Full, Original or Actual Size.

MILESTONE WEDDING ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
Couples celebrating their 25th, 30th, 40th, 45th, 50th or above anniversaries, as well as newlyweds are invited along with their families to the annual Milestone Wedding Anniversary Celebration. Golden anniversary couples are additionally invited to submit information and photos for publication in The U.P. Catholic newspaper. The celebration will be at St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette on Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024, beginning with Mass at 3:30 p.m. ET. See the July 19 issue of The U.P. Catholic for the registration form.

WNOA Radio Northern Apostle Radio is an Upper Peninsula Catholic radio station that can be heard in the Marquette area on 103.9 FM. Outside the Marquette area, listening is available by livestream on your computer or by app. WNOA would like to promote the Catholic radio station in all our Catholic churches around the U.P. See the bulletin announcements section below for pulpit/bulletin announcements you can rotate through. There is also a PDF to a flyer you may wish to use. If you have any questions, feel free to contact Lucy Dewitt at St. Peter Cathedral at (906) 226-6548.

The diocesan offices will be changing business hours for the months of July and August 2024. The Diocese will be open for summer hours Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM-4:30 PM, with offices closed on Fridays. Summer hours will continue through Labor Day and regular diocesan office hours will resume Sept. 3, 2024. 

Parish corporations are required to hold an annual meeting of the Board of Directors. We recommend that pastors hold these meetings between July 1 and Sept. 15, 2024. Diocesan staff emailed meeting agenda and minutes templates and other relevant meeting materials to pastors and parish staff last month to assist in preparations for board meetings. Please send copies of the final minutes from your second annual board meeting(s) to the diocesan office by Sept. 30, 2024. If you have any questions concerning the annual Board meetings, please contact Tim Thomas or Irene McCauley for additional assistance. 

Parish corporations must also file their first annual report to the State of Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) this summer. Pastors will receive forms from the diocesan office this month and must return signed and completed copies no later than Friday, Sept. 20, 2024 to ensure that documents are filed by the State’s deadline. For more information concerning these reports, please contact Irene McCauley. 

Real property transfers to parish corporations are now complete for all but a handful of parishes, and applications for property tax exemption have been submitted to local tax assessors. Pastors should ensure that summaries of parish land parcels, copies of deeds recorded with local County Clerks/Register of Deeds, and other property transfer-related information are filed with parish incorporation records at the parish office. Please send any correspondence received from local assessors to Irene McCauley at the diocesan office. 

As diocesan staff wrap up property transfers, parishes will soon proceed to the next steps in the parish incorporation process, including the transfer of financial/investment accounts, other financial assets, tangible property, assignment of bank loans, lines of credit, lease/contract agreements, vehicle titles, and payroll accounts. Pastors and parish corporate boards can refer to letters sent on June 25, 2024 from Tim Thomas outlining these asset transfer steps in more detail. Parishes are reminded that while they should not transfer bank accounts to corporate entities until receiving further instructions, they should begin transferring utilities into the name of the parish corporate entities. If you have any questions about the parish incorporation process, please contact Tim Thomas or Irene McCauley for additional assistance. 

Tim Thomas sent memos informing parishes of recent changes to the Protected Loss and Protected Loss Activities Funds on June 10 and June 24. Historically, the Michigan Catholic Conference (MCC) has invoiced all units of the Diocese of Marquette (DOM) for insurance premiums and risk mitigation activities related to risk reduction activities. The MCC insurance program is known as the Protected Loss Fund (PLF) and covers all required property and liability insurance. The DOM refers to its risk reduction activities as the Protected Loss Activities Fund (PLAF) which covers parish audits, school audits, specific legal expenses, and other risk mitigating services. 

Recently, MCC has informed the DOM that beginning July 1, 2024, the billing process for these premiums will undergo a change resulting in units receiving two separate invoices for PLF and PLAF instead of the historical single invoice combining the two. As a reminder, the diocese will bill parishes for PLAF services once in mid-September 2024, while MCC will continue normal PLF billing throughout the year. 

Please refer to the original memos and a detailed list of PLAF costs to parish units in Addendum #1. If you have any questions concerning this change, please contact Tim Thomas. 

The 2024 Parish Annual Financial Report has been updated and is available on the Diocesan website at dioceseofmarquette.org/parish-annual-financial-report. Parishes will note that this year’s report will be shorter than in past years to lessen the work of parish staff as they handle additional UPCSA duties and work associated with the transfer of assets to parish corporations. Because of this, it is vital that bookkeepers include prior-year Statements of Financial Position/Balance Sheets, Statements of Revenue & Expense/Income Statements, and current-year budget attachments with each parish submission using the recommended statement format. PAFR submissions will be due to the Diocese by Aug. 31, 2024. Please contact Irene McCauley with questions on PAFR submission requirements or for general form assistance. 

The Parish Governance Report is due Sept. 30, 2024 and has been included in Addendum #2. Completed reports or questions should be sent directly to Irene McCauley.

Please plan to join us this coming fall for the Annual Secretary & Bookkeepers Workshop on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 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 is 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.

There have been several changes in the 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 https://dioceseofmarquette.org/contact-us. 

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, 2024. Any parishes planning to amend 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, 2025. 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 approves 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 sign policy acknowledgment forms to be recorded in employee personnel files.

Thank you to all parishes and schools that completed their grant reports from 2023! If your parish was unable to complete its LOF-funded program or submit the evaluation, please contact Lauren at lbertoia@dioceseofmarquette.org on how to proceed. Grants awarded for the 2024-2025 grant cycle will be mailed this month. 

STEWARDSHIP E-NEWS
Click here to see the latest issue. Share in whole or in part on your own parish website, Facebook page, or emails to parishioners. Use this link in emails, your parish bulletin, your website and more to invite your parishioners to subscribe.  Use this link: https://dioceseofmarquette.flocknote.com/Stewardship/notes. We do not share subscriber emails outside of our organization. 

See the bulletin announcement section for a customizable piece for your bulletin, website and social media that reminds people to use parish online giving when their summer travels take them away from the parish.

All parishes took up a collection for the St. Joseph Association on April 21-22, and to date, the diocese has recorded a total of $77,629 for this annual collection. If you have not yet submitted proceeds from this collection, please do so as soon as possible. We appreciate your support for retired priests of the Diocese of Marquette.

All parishes in the Diocese of Marquette will take up the 2024 National Church Collection on August 10-11, 2024. The National Church Collection supports the following outreach ministries: the Church in Latin America, 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 out checks 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. We appreciate your attention to this important matter.

The Bishop Baraga Association is pleased to announce the Prayer Garden at the Baraga Educational Center and Museum (615 S. Fourth Street, Marquette) has been selected to be on the Marquette Beautification Garden Walk on Thursday July 25 from 1-7 p.m.  The Prayer Garden will also serve as the refreshment stop for the tour. This is a self-guided tour, with a map and all necessary information in your ticket.  Tickets are available at published locations, local flower shops and each garden.

The Bishop Baraga Association is headed to the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis July 17-21 … as a VENDOR.  This is an incredible leap of faith for us.  We are excited to have this opportunity and to share the work and life of Venerable Bishop Baraga with as many people as possible.  Please keep us in your prayers for a fruitful event.  If you are attending, please stop by and say “Hi!”  

The annual Baraga Days celebrating the life and labors of Venerable Bishop Frederic Baraga will be held Sept. 13-14, 2024, in Gaylord, Mich.  The event is hosted by the Bishop Baraga Association and the Diocese of Gaylord.  This is an opportunity for those who know this saintly man to celebrate his work and provides an opportunity for all to learn about Bishop Frederic Baraga.  For more information, the full schedule of events or to purchase banquet tickets please visit our website at www.bishopbaraga.org or contact the Bishop Baraga Association.

Making plans for the summer? Please make sure to plan for your offertory as well! When your summer travels take you away from weekend Masses at (name of parish), online giving lets you continue to support our parish and its many ministries. Sign up from your computer, smartphone or tablet and set up a recurring offertory gift or make a one-time gift. Visit (insert parish website URL) OR, if you are sharing this announcement in an email or social media, insert the direct link to your giving page). 

This collection combines three special causes aiding the Church in the Americas: 

For more than 50 years, the US bishops’ program to aid the Church in Latin America has helped the Church carry out its pastoral mission of mercy among those with both spiritual and material needs across Latin America and the Caribbean. Your contribution makes a positive impact by supporting seminary studies for future priests, pastoral ministries that provide reconciliation, spiritual direction, and job search assistance to prisoners completing jail sentences, and other vital ministries that bring the light of Christ into the lives of thousands in Central and South America and the Caribbean islands. This support also provides critical aid to those facing economic hardship, political turmoil, food shortages, and inadequate resources throughout Latin America. Please support our southern neighbors and learn more at: usccb.org/latin-america.

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.

If you're unable to attend Mass due to illness or any other reason, you can hear it at 10:30 a.m. live from St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette on WNOA 103.9 FM (in the Marquette area only) or listen online at NorthernApostleRadio.com across the U.P.

You can hear weekly readings and the homily from St. Peter Cathedral. Just look for St. Peter Cathedral Scripture Readings and Homilies at NorthernApostleRadio.com. They are posted every week.

Witness To Hope is a program heard only on WNOA radio, 103.9 FM. It's a look at the faith journey of residents from around the U.P. If you missed an episode when we originally aired it, you can hear it on the Witness To Hope section of the WNOA website, NorthernApostleRadio.com.

One of the most popular podcasts in America right now is Bible in a Year with Fr. Mike Schmitz. You can hear it on WNOA 103.9 FM every weeknight at 10 p.m. or live streamed on NorthernApostleRadio.com