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Our Lady of the Snows Ice Chapel

Our Lady of the Snows Ice Chapel 2025 building is underway at Michigan Tech University! Truly one of the most iconic and celebrated ministries in our diocese, the Ice Chapel is constructed in conjunction with MTU's Winter Carnival.

Dates for the 2025 Ice Mass are:

Friday, February 7, 2025, at 5:30 & 10:00 pm

Saturday, February 8, 2025, at 10 am

This year, you don't have to brave the cold or make the drive to participate. Just sign up to receive the link to the live stream by clicking here: https://mtucatholic.org/icemass

I myself hope to make it in person!

Megan O'Connor-Vander Lugt
Director of Missionary Stewardship
moconnor@dioceseofmarquette.org
Direct 906-379-5057
1004 Harbor Hills Dr, Marquette, MI 49855

Donuts With the Diocese

DONUTS WITH THE DIOCESE, ST. JOHN NEUMANN

Megan O'Connor, Director of Missionary Stewardship, is visiting each vicariate within the Diocese to engage in meaningful conversations with parishioners and strengthen our church community's relationships.

The next Donuts with the Diocese event

will take place at

St. John Neumann in Spalding, MI,

on Friday, Feb. 21,

following the 9 am CT Mass

and concluding at Noon CT.

This informal and inexpensive event is based on a drop-in format centered around sharing donuts and coffee. It is inclusive and welcoming, encouraging all parishioners to attend and making it a church-community-wide effort. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage directly with Megan and other church leaders and interact with fellow church members. The goals of the program are to:

Improve the flow of information between the diocese and its members.
Encourage active participation and support for the church's mission and activities.
Create a stronger, more connected church community through personal interactions.

We look forward to seeing you there and building a stronger, more united church community together. If you would like to connect with Megan prior to the event, please respond to this newsletter by using the blue reply button at the bottom, or you can reach her by email at moconnor@dioceseofmarquette.org

Nominate a Catholic Service Award Recipient

Pictured above: 2024 Catholic Service Award recipients Truman and Janet Hagbloom with Bishop John Doerfler.

NOMINATE A CATHOLIC SERVICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Developed in the spirit of Legacy of Faith to preserve and foster the Catholic faith in the Upper Peninsula, the Catholic Service Award annually recognizes lifetime dedication and service to the Church. Learn more about the prestigious award and nominate someone that you feel deserves this honor and recognition at upcatholicfoundation.org/catholic-service-awards. Nominations are due annually by May 1.

UPCSA Supports Seminarian Education

Pictured above: The students at St. Francis de Sale Catholic School visit with Drew Langton, their Adopted Seminarian.

UPCSA SUPPORTS SEMINARIAN EDUCATION

Did you know? According to the Diocese of Marquette Vocations Office, the average annual cost to educate a seminarian in our diocese is about $40,000 - $50,000 per year, or $250,000 to $350,000 to prepare a man for ordination over 6 to 8 years. College-level men in formation are responsible for about half of their college costs. The diocese covers the other half. For pre-theology and theology seminarians (those who have earned an undergraduate degree), the diocese covers 100 percent of their educational costs. This fall, the Diocese of Marquette entered the school year with ten seminarians, including three new young men beginning their studies.

In 2023, one-quarter (25%) of the gifts to UPCSA benefitted Catholic education in our diocese, including financial support to our seminarians. Thank you for your generous gifts to UPCSA. Our seminarians and their families appreciate your prayer-filled intentions, the fruits of which will last forever!

Legacy of Faith Grant Applications Being Accepted

LOF GRANT APPLICATIONS FOR FAITH FORMATION PROGRAMS

CURRENTLY BEING ACCEPTED

The Legacy of Faith Advisory Board invites grant applications that foster a deeper understanding and renewed belief in the Eucharist, as well as support religious education that aligns with the bishop's vision for forming Spirit-filled evangelizers.
This vision includes three key steps:
1) Be a friend of Jesus through personal encounters and prayer
2) Make a friend by building a community of love and forming welcoming parishes
3) Introduce your friend to Jesus by sharing Jesus with others and helping them make a personal decision to follow him in faith.

You may submit Legacy of Faith grant applications Jan. 1-April 1, 2025, at upcatholicfoundation.org/grant-information. Please pass this notice on to anyone in your parish who may wish to apply for a grant for Faith Formation.

Collection for The U.P. Catholic Newspaper

COLLECTION FOR THE U.P. CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER FEB 8-9

Support your parish by supporting The U.P. Catholic newspaper collection on Feb. 8-9. Your donation goes 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 take up this collection, you can still contribute by placing your donation 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 clicking here.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

IS VALENTINE'S DAY ON THE CHURCH CALENDAR?

This is a more complicated question than one might realize! The short answer is that although a St. Valentine's Feast Day was once on the calendar, as of 1969, it no longer is. The reasons are complicated as a search for the "real" St. Valentine ensued, and the church updated its calendar after the Second Vatican Council. For more information, check out aleteia.org

You Can Create a UPCF Endowment Fund

CREATE A UPCF ENDOWMENT FUND

The U.P. Catholic Foundation (UPCF) is a permanent endowment organization supporting the Diocese of Marquette by fostering the financial sustainability of parishes, Catholic schools, and other diocesan entities. Endowments are permanent funds from which only the income is used, not the principal, and they provide long-term financial stability for vital Church programs. The Foundation helps individuals, parishes, and schools establish or contribute to these funds. Creating an endowment is a great start to becoming a Bishop's Ambassador. A minimum donation of $10,000 can establish a new fund. Distributions cannot be withdrawn until the fund reaches $50,000. To learn more or start an endowment, please contact Scott Fenley at (906) 227-9108 or sfenley@dioceseofmarquette.org.

You may respond to this email directly (either publicly or privately) by clicking the blue reply button below. We love hearing from you!

Scott Fenley
Executive Director
Stewardship & Development & UP Catholic Foundation, Inc.
sfenley@dioceseofmarquette.org
Direct 906-227-9108 | Toll-Free 800-562-9745 #108
1004 Harbor Hills Dr, Marquette, MI 49855

Megan O'Connor-Vander Lugt
Director of Missionary Stewardship
moconnor@dioceseofmarquette.org
Direct 906-379-5057
1004 Harbor Hills Dr, Marquette, MI 49855