Diocesan Communicator
November 2024
Publishes monthly on the second Wednesday
COURTESY PHOTO
Saints alive! Students at St. Francis de Sales Catholic School in Manistique dressed up as saints to celebrate All Saints Day on Nov. 1.
Welcome to the
Diocesan Communicator
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.
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.
Important Dates and Deadlines
Dec. 3, 2024 Giving Tuesday, Fund-A-Need Program
Office of the Bishop
Bishop John F. Doerfler
GIVING TUESDAY
We are all invited to participate in the #Fund-A-Need ‘Giving Tuesday’ Campaign. What I like about this Campaign is that your gifts go directly to various ministries and needs which all lead to the vital support of our mission within the Diocese of Marquette. Please visit the following site to learn more about where your contributions can go: Diocese of Marquette - MARQUETTE, MI | Online Giving
NATIONAL HOSPICE AND PALLIATIVE CARE MONTH
November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month. The Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities has developed several resources for use in parishes and (arch)dioceses. These resources, in English and Spanish, can all be found online at usccb.org/prolife/catholic-care-sick-and-dying. The USCCB approved certain graphics that may be used in your bulletins, newsletters and/or websites at Catholic Care for the Sick and Dying: Graphics | USCCB. Please consider using these graphics to encourage Catholics to discern how they can offer care to those nearing the end of life. Additional material can be found here at PCH 2024 BOW parish-kit-wol-special-edition (1).pdf (WORD OF LIFE: SPECIAL EDITION Parish Leader Kit – Catholic Care of the Sick and Dying). Within the materials linked, you will find educational tools, bulletin inserts, prayers and more!
Please consider using the material throughout the month of November within your specific methods of communication. Thank you for your continued support and dedicated leadership safeguarding the dignity of life, from the beginning to the end. If you have any questions regarding this topic, please contact Terry Bailey, Vice-Chancellor, via email at tbailey@dioceseofmarquette.org
MASS STIPENDS AND MASS INTENTIONS
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: Terry Bailey, 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.)
SCAM EMAILS AND TEXTS
There are currently individuals representing themselves as the bishop or other employees of the Diocese of Marquette 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 on our diocesan website, information in our parish bulletins and on parish websites.
Department of Ministry Personnel
Very Rev. Timothy Ekaitis
FOR THE PERMANENT DIACONATE:
- Deacon Retreat – March 24-26, 2025
- Jesuit Retreat House in Oshkosh, Wis.
- Theme: The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius & Spiritual Direction Pro Tips
- Retreat Masters: Msgr. Michael Steber & Fr. Timothy Ekaitis
- Pricing: $310 for deacons, $90 for deacon wives, $50 for deacon widows
- See attached schedule, JotForm RSVP coming soon
- Deacon Convocation – Oct. 19-21, 2025
- Landmark Resort – Egg Harbor, Wis.
- Theme: TBD
FOR PRIESTS:
- Priest Appreciation Mass & Reception honoring Jubilarians
- May 8, 2025
- St. Louis the King in Harvey, Mich.
- Priest Convocation – Sept. 15-18, 2025
- Comfort Suites in Green Bay, Wis.
- Theme: Praying the Psalms of the Liturgy of the Hours
- Speaker: Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop Emeritus of Toronto
PRIESTS
Just a reminder that The Evangelical Catholic would like to invite the priests of the Diocese of Marquette to the Priests for an Apostolic Age conference that will take place in San Antonio, Texas, from Jan. 21-24, 2025. The Evangelical Catholic and Catholic Leadership Institute are partnering to host this conference designed for priests and bishops. Deadline to reserve hotel rooms is Dec. 27 if you intend to participate. Please note there is a discount if five or more priests from our diocese will be attending.
Fr. John Riccardo from Acts XXIX, Lisa Brenninkmeyer from Walking with Purpose, and Dan Cellucci from Catholic Leadership Institute will be some of the keynote speakers.
Attached is a flyer for the conference.
Department of Evangelization
and Education
Rev. Ryan Ford
CONFIRMATION
Spring Confirmation schedule is HERE: registration will open in the new year.
Pastors are encouraged to meet with students individually at the beginning of 10th grade to get to know them and discuss Confirmation preparation. Pastors can ask about students' commitment to prayer, Mass, Reconciliation, and participation in formation sessions and service. A parent could also be present if the Pastor desires.
Confirmation sponsors should receive sponsor conversation starters and be encouraged to meet monthly with their candidate.
CONFIRMATION RETREAT
A Confirmation Retreat with Spiritus ministries is Saturday, Jan. 11 at Immaculate Conception parish in Iron Mountain from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Central Time. This is open to 10th and 11th grade students from around the Diocese. We can take as many students as we can get. Registration is open and parents can register their child(ren) here: Confirmation Retreat.
OCIA CANDIDATES’ MARITAL STATUS
A reminder to Pastors, Pastoral Coordinators and the OCIA team of the importance of determining the marriage situation of the OCIA candidate and the candidate’s spouse which may require a declaration of nullity before he/she may enter the Church. If the candidate or the candidate’s current spouse has been married previously, an investigation into these marriages must be made.
SAFE ENVIRONMENT LESSONS
One Safe Environment lesson needs to be taught to each parish faith formation class by January. Options for lessons are in this Google Drive folder. Parent info sheets and opt-out forms are also in that Folder. You need to report to the Diocese how many students in each grade were taught the lesson or opted out. The report form is here.
CATECHETICAL LEADER RETREAT DAY
A Retreat Day for parish catechetical leaders will be Thursday, Feb. 6 at St. Mary/St. Joseph parish in Iron Mountain from 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Central Time. Parish catechetical leaders are invited to come refresh with the Lord and each other. There will be plenty of time for silent prayer and lectio divina, Mass, lunch, Adoration and Reconciliation. More information and registration are here: PCL Retreat Day
WISE MEN'S RETREAT
The Wise Men's Retreat, hosted by Fr. Ben Hasse, will take place from 7 p.m. Central Time Friday, Dec. 6 through 1 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8 at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp. Registration is open at https://mtucatholic.org/wisemensretreat. You can also call or email St. Al's office to register: office@mtucatholic.org or (906) 482-5530. Contact Fr. Ben Hasse if you have questions (906) 290-2434.
MARCH FOR LIFE PILGRIMAGE
Join Fr. Ryan Ford with parents and students from Holy Name High School in Escanaba on a pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. for the National March for Life: Wednesday, Jan. 22 through Sunday, Jan. 26. $450 per person includes bus transportation from Escanaba, quad-occupancy at Hampton Inn-Navy Yard, pre-loaded Metro card, and participation in all March for Life events. Space is limited to the first 15 people, $100 deposit is due at registration. More information and registration are here: yoopercatholic.org/march.
Communication Services
John Fee
CHRISTMAS MASS TIMES
The U.P. Catholic newspaper will be publishing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Mass times for all parishes and missions in the Dec. 20 issue. Please submit Mass times by Wednesday, Dec. 4 by using this form: https://form.jotform.com/DioceseofMarquette/christmas-mass-times.
PARISH, SCHOOL AND OTHER EVENTS
If your parish, school or other Catholic entity has photos from liturgies or events such as fall bazaars or upcoming Advent or Christmas 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.
RIGHT TO USE GRAPHICS
Reminder that the best practice when using graphics is to first use a graphic you create yourself. Knowing that may not always be practical, the second option is to purchase graphics from companies such as Shutterstock Stock Images, Photos, Vectors, Video, and Music | Shutterstock or Adobe https://stock.adobe.com/royalty-free/multi-asset/. Yes, these cost money but we have the best assurance that someone will not pop up in the future and claim copyright infringement.
There are also free-service options. One concern with these is that there is less assurance that an image has not been stolen. Having said that, these services are pretty safe: Adobe has free options (and likely the most dependable to be free to use) https://stock.adobe.com/free/. There is also https://pixabay.com/, https://www.pexels.com/ and https://unsplash.com/. These last three are in no particular order. They will also include images/graphics/etc. that can be purchased.
Finally, just because Google shows it, or says it is a free graphic, does not guarantee it is a free graphic. Being mindful of your graphic choices could help you avoid an expensive charge per graphic even if it was used years ago.
Financial Services
Timothy Thomas
REMINDER TO NOTIFY MCC OF PROPERTY ADJUSTMENTS
As a reminder, parishes and schools must notify Michigan Catholic Conference of any new buildings or additions to existing properties using the New or Renovated Building Log to update insurance coverage for these spaces. If your parish or school has recently sold a property or demolished a building, please contact MCC Risk Management and Claims Services Manager, John Greenburg, to remove it from the insurance listing.
REPORT UNOCCUPIED BUILDINGS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION & FINANCE
Michigan Catholic Conference is in the process of creating a program for unoccupied buildings in the Diocese of Marquette. The program will involve maintenance of and special reduced insurance coverage for buildings meeting one of the following conditions:
- The building has been abandoned, unoccupied, or empty for some time.
- The building currently has operations in no more than 25% of the total usable square footage with no immediate or eventual need to use for any additional operational activities in the future.
Please note that this does not include buildings specifically designed for storage or periodic use (e.g. sheds, pavilions, chapels, etc.).
If you know of any buildings meeting these conditions, please contact Tim Thomas at your earliest convenience.
REMINDER TO SUBMIT MATERIALS FROM PARISH ANNUAL BOARD MEETINGS TO DIOCESAN OFFICE
Bishop Doerfler directed all parish corporations to submit copies of the minutes from your second annual board meeting(s) and conflict of interest disclosure forms to the diocesan office by Sept. 30, 2024. If you have not yet submitted conflict of interest disclosure forms or minutes from your parish corporate board meeting, please do so at your earliest convenience. These materials may be sent directly to Irene McCauley at the diocesan office.
PARISH INCORPORATION ASSET TRANSFERS
Diocesan staff sent out further instructions concerning the transfer of financial/investment accounts, other financial assets, tangible property, assignment of bank loans, lines of credit, lease/contract agreements, and easements on Oct. 9, 2024. Please refer to these letters for directions on the next steps in the incorporation process, which will vary for individual parish corporations. If you have any questions about the parish incorporation process, please contact Tim Thomas or Irene McCauley for additional assistance.
As a reminder, please send any correspondence received from local tax assessors concerning parish property tax exemption to Irene McCauley at the diocesan office.
2024 PARISH GOVERNANCE REPORT AND CATHOLIC ENDOWMENT FUND FINANCIAL REPORTS
2024 Parish Governance Report and Catholic Endowment Fund Financial Reports were due to the Diocese on Sept. 30, 2024. All parishes and missions are required to submit Parish Governance Reports annually to provide proof that good stewardship standards have been met and parishioners have been provided with transparent records of church finances. The Parish Governance Report should show a record of parish finance council meeting dates and members as well as a copy of the year-end financial summary provided to parishioners. Parish Governance Report resources can be found on the diocesan website at http://dioceseofmarquette.org/forms and in Addendums #1-2. Please send your Parish Governance Report to the diocesan office, attention: Irene McCauley or to imccauley@dioceseofmarquette.org.
Catholic Endowment Fund Financial Reports should be submitted for all endowment funds that qualify as separate juridic persons. Such endowment funds support causes that don’t directly support the parish’s mission (e.g. a scholarship fund) and are invested outside of the Upper Peninsula Catholic Foundation (UPCF). As with the Parish Annual Financial Report, Annual Catholic Endowment Fund Financial Reports will cover fund activities for the parish fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. Parishes must also include copies of financial statements and meeting minutes with each report submission. To complete your Catholic Endowment Fund Financial Report for 2024, please use the link here or on the diocesan website at https://dioceseofmarquette.org/parish-annual-financial-report. If you’re not sure if you need to submit a report for your endowment fund, please contact Tim Thomas for confirmation.
Thank you to all who attended the 2024 Parish and School Secretary/Bookkeeper Workshop! We hope you found this year's topics informative and interesting. For those who may have missed the Oct. 15 event or wish to reference the topics discussed, please visit the diocesan website at dioceseofmarquette.org/secretary-and-bookkeepers-workshop to find presentations and materials provided at the workshop. Please contact Sarah at sdilernia@dioceseofmarquette.org with any additional questions regarding workshop materials.
$5,000 MAXIMUM FOR PARISH/SCHOOL RAFFLES
The IRS requires tax-exempt organizations to withhold 25% of raffle winnings over $5,000 and report this amount on Form W-2G. Parishes and schools are advised to limit raffle winnings to no more than $5,000 to avoid tax liability. Federal reporting requirements apply to cash winnings and non-cash prizes whose value exceeds $5,000. If you are interested in holding a small raffle for your parish or school, please visit the State of Michigan charitable gaming website at www.michigan.gov/cg/ for more information.
REMINDER TO INCLUDE DETAIL WITH PAYMENTS TO THE DIOCESE
Bookkeepers are reminded to please include invoice numbers when relevant or a brief description of what the payment is for when sending money to the Diocese. We appreciate your help in ensuring that payments are applied correctly.
403(b) RETIREMENT PLAN MAXIMUM CONTRIBUTIONS
Please be aware the maximum contribution per individual is $23,000 unless the employee is age 50 or over. Members over 50 years of age are allowed an additional "catch-up" contribution of $7,500. Since there are still two months left in 2024, it is a good time to evaluate your contributions to your 403(b) plan. Are you maximizing the amount you can contribute? Are you sure you will not exceed the maximum contribution amount by year-end? If you have questions, please feel free to contact Irene McCauley.
Department of
Stewardship & Development
Scott Fenley
UPCSA THIRD ASK REMINDER
We are requesting data from parishes that still require third-ask letters from Bishop John for the Upper Peninsula Catholic Service Appeal (UPCSA) by Nov. 15. If you have not yet submitted your list, please send an Excel sheet with the names and addresses of parishioners needing these letters to Megan O’Connor, Director of Missionary Stewardship, at moconnor@dioceseofmarquette.org.
The letters will be mailed directly from Bishop John to parishioners and are expected to arrive around Dec. 1. To ensure timely processing, all information must be submitted to the Diocese by Nov. 15.
GIVING TUESDAY 2024
The Diocese of Marquette is excited to announce its Fund-A-Need program for Giving Tuesday on Dec. 3. The currently active campaign offers donors the opportunity to contribute directly to specific causes, without the limitations of auctions. Your support is crucial to benefit various needs across the entire Diocese of Marquette.
To learn more and make a donation, visit our Fund-A-Need Campaign.
Be sure to follow The U.P. Catholic on Facebook and Instagram for updates on our Fund-A-Need campaign. Like, comment, and share our posts to help spread the word! Every donation counts, and your generosity is greatly appreciated.
This is also a perfect time to strategize how your parish, school, or ministry can leverage Giving Tuesday to expand your fundraising efforts. Take advantage of local and national media coverage to maximize your impact.
STEWARDSHIP E-NEWS
Check out the latest issue of the Stewardship E-News here. Don’t forget to invite your parishioners to subscribe using this link: Stewardship E-News Subscription. We respect your privacy and will not share subscriber emails outside our organization.
Check out the latest issue of the Stewardship E-News here. Don’t forget to invite your parishioners to subscribe using this link: Stewardship E-News Subscription. We respect your privacy and will not share subscriber emails outside our organization.
Bishop Baraga Association
Lenora McKeen
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE BISHOP BARAGA ASSOCIATION
We would like to help you with your holiday shopping while providing an opportunity to support the BBA and Bishop Baraga’s Cause for Canonization. We will be open additional days/hours for your shopping convenience and as always, you can shop online at www.bishopbaraga.org/store.
The Baraga Educational Center and Museum will be open on Saturday, Nov. 30 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. for small business Saturday. We will be open late Thursday, Dec. 12 (until 7 p.m.) as well. Shop local and support Bishop Baraga’s cause.
We will have raffle prizes and a Cookie Walk. Anyone that shops on those two days will receive a one-year membership to the Bishop Baraga Association. Lifetime members can gift it to a family member or friend.
Happy Holidays from the Bishop Baraga Association!
Bulletin Announcements
The Bishop Baraga Educational Center and Museum will be open for special shopping hours on Saturday, Nov. 30, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. for small business Saturday. They will also be open late on Thursday, Dec. 12, until 7 p.m. as well. Shop local and support Bishop Baraga’s cause!
Addenda
2025 Deacon Retreat
Priests Flyer with Speakers
Addendum #1 - Governance Report 2024
Addendum #2 - Parish Annual Financial Report Summary for Parishioners
