The restoration project of St. Peter Cathedral's bell towers in Marquette has begun. Scaffolding has been erected to begin the repair, refurbishment and waterproofing of the 400 ft. towers.  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Cathedral is also one of the Diocese of Marquette's designated churches for the Jubilee 2025 Year - learn more here https://dioceseofmarquette.org/jubilee-year-2025.

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, 2025    World Church Collection Remittance Deadline (Stewardship & Development)

Aug. 9, 2025     National Church Collection (Stewardship & Development)

Aug. 10, 2025   National Church Collection (Stewardship & Development)

Aug. 31, 2025   Parish Annual Financial Report Deadline (Administration & Finance)

Sep. 1, 2025     Supplemental Personnel Policy Change Deadline (Administration & Finance)

Sep. 30, 2025   Annual Catholic Endowment Fund Financial Report Deadline (Administration & Finance)

Sep. 30, 2025   Parish Governance Report Deadline (Administration & Finance)

Sep. 30, 2025   Deadline to Send Minutes from Annual Corporate Board Meetings (Administration & Finance)

Oct. 1, 2025     Nonprofit Annual Corporate Report Due to Michigan Department of Licensing & Regulatory Affairs (Administration & Finance)

Oct. 7, 2025     Secretary and Bookkeepers 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. Please encourage your parish communities to take part in this wonderful opportunity.

The Fellowship of Catholic Scholars has made available to clergy a website features 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://catholicscholars.org/

Each year, the Sisters of the Discalced Carmelite Monastery of the Holy Cross in Iron Mountain, Mich., sponsor the 'Carmelite Fall Festival - Craft & Bake Sale' – formerly known as the Carmelite Silver Tea. The two-day festival is scheduled to take place Sept. 13-14, 2025, from noon to 3 p.m. St. Mary Parish, Norway, and St. Barbara Parish, Vulcan, will again this year host the event at the monastery. 

I highly encourage your support and participation in this event. As you know, the Carmelite Monastery is a cloistered community of Sisters that dedicate their lives to prayer, a ministry which is foundational for the Church's apostolate. Carmelite prayer and contemplation focuses 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 of Michigan through their life of prayer, I ask for your support of the 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

The event will include individually packaged beverages and cookies.  The Sisters’ bread will be sold, as well as other items from their gift shop.  A silent auction, basket raffle, and other raffle prizes will be available. 

CONFIRMATION MASS REGISTRATION
Confirmation Masses are scheduled in four vicariates in September and October. These will be the last Fall Confirmation Masses.  Bishop John will visit all seven vicariates for Confirmation Masses each Spring beginning in Spring 2026.  Students entering junior year in Fall 2025 should plan to be Confirmed in Spring 2026. Contact Fr. Ryan with any questions.  The Confirmation Mass schedule for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 is found at https://dioceseofmarquette.org/diocesanconfirmation. Registration is now open for the Fall 2025 Confirmation Masses.  A link can be found on the website.  Exact parish locations and times are still TBD, but the dates in each vicariate are scheduled.  Registration is due one month prior to the Confirmation Mass.

SUMMER FORMATION DAYS FOR CATECHETICAL LEADERS

Pastors, faith formation coordinators, youth ministers, OCIA leaders, deacons and religious are invited to attend one of the summer formation days for catechetical leaders.  There are three remaining opportunities scheduled at locations around the U.P.  For more information and to register, visit yoopercatholic.org/pclformation.

A couple Baraga Youth Fraternity camping retreats for boys ages 12-16 are happening in late July and August (yoopercatholic.org/camping).  The annual Catholic Summer Camp is also taking place July 21-24 at Clear Lake (yoopercatholic.org/camp).

The 2025 Parish Annual Administrative Report link is now available online at https://form.jotform.com/DioceseofMarquette/2025-PAAR.

PAAR submissions will be due to the Diocese by Sept. 30, 2025.

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.

A reminder to all Catholic school principals that the first meeting of the 2025-2026 school year will be on Thursday, Aug. 14, at the diocese office in Marquette from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

 All teacher contracts for the 2025-26 school year should be turned into the Catholic Schools Office, attention Sara Shusta by July 20, 2025. Please send the originals to: 1004 Harbor Hills Dr., Marquette, MI 49855. The originals will be signed by the Director of Schools, scanned, and returned to the school.

 

Teacher evaluations are due to the Catholic Schools Office, attention Jessica Betz as soon as possible. Any staff members leaving at the end of the school year must also have a separation form completed and sent to the Catholic Schools Office.

DIOCESAN DIRECTORY LISTING
The U.P. Catholic newspaper is planning to run the Diocesan Directory of Services in the Aug. 15 issue. Please email any changes for your parish’s listing to news@dioceseofmarquette.org. The master list was emailed to all pastors and secretaries earlier this week. Please reference the email for your parish’s listing. Changes are due no later than Friday, July 25.

Attention Parishes: If there have been changes at your parish with regard to Mass, confession or adoration times, mailing addresses or any other information, please email the updates for the diocesan website to cmraz@dioceseofmarquette.org.

Attention Parishes: Do you have a parishioner who recently celebrated their 100th birthday? Send their name and a photo of their celebration to news@dioceseofmarquette.org for possible publication in a future issue of The U.P. Catholic’s Centenarian Corner and in other diocesan media including social media.

Bishop Doerfler promulgated new Standardized Personnel Policies for all diocesan entities (including parishes, missions, schools, and other organizations) effective July 31, 2025. Copies of the updated Standardized Personnel Policy for parishes and missions can be found on the diocesan website at https://dioceseofmarquette.org/policies (and included in Addendum #1). A copy of the new policy for schools is included as Addendum #2. As a reminder, the Standardized Personnel Policy includes a customizable “supplemental policy” section (see Addendum #3 for parishes and Addendum #4 for schools) which is unique to each unit. All parishes and missions must submit copies of their updated supplemental policies to Tim Thomas, Terry Bailey, and Irene McCauley once the supplemental policies are approved by the pastor and parish finance council. Catholic Schools must submit copies of their updated supplemental policies to Jessica Betz once approved.  

Any parishes planning to amend benefits administered by Michigan Catholic Conference (including short-term or long-term disability benefits, health, dental, vision, or life insurance coverage) should also contact MCC by Sept. 1 to ensure that these changes are processed for Jan. 1, 2026. Please call (800) 395-5565 to report benefit changes to MCC Benefits. 

If you are unsure whether your parish submitted changes to its supplementary personnel policies, please contact Terry Bailey or Irene McCauley to verify that your policy was received. 

Please note that all employees must review and sign the acknowledgement form (Addendum #5) and ESTA acknowledgement form (Addendum #6)—once signed, please place these documents in individual employee files.

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, 2025. Diocesan staff provided meeting agenda and minutes templates and other relevant meeting materials to pastors and parish staff in early July to assist in preparations for annual board meetings. Please send copies of the final minutes from your third annual board meeting(s) to the diocesan office by Sept. 30, 2025. If you have any questions concerning the annual Board meetings, please contact Tim Thomas or Irene McCauley for additional assistance. 

Please note that as board members’ initial terms expired on June 30, 2025, all pastors are responsible for either reappointing existing members or appointing new members for two-year terms beginning July 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2027. The parish finance council president should serve as a board member along with two additional members of the parish. As a reminder, members can serve three consecutive terms on corporate boards.

Parish corporations must also file an annual report to the State of Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) before Oct. 1, 2025. This brief report must be completed online using LARA’s Corporations Online Filing System platform and must be filed with a $20 fee payable to the State of Michigan. Please refer to Tim Thomas’s June 7, 2025 letter for further instructions on managing your corporation online. If you have any questions about annual corporate reporting filings, please contact Irene McCauley. 

The 2025 Parish Annual Financial Report has been updated and is available on the Diocesan website at dioceseofmarquette.org/parish-annual-financial-report. As a reminder, this annual report is mandatory for all parishes and missions and PAFR submissions will be due to the Diocese by Aug. 31, 2025. Please be sure to 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. Please contact Irene McCauley with questions on PAFR submission requirements or for general form assistance. 

As a reminder, the diocese will bill parishes and schools for annual 2025-2026 Protected Loss Activities Fund (PLAF) services premiums in September 2025. PLAF risk reduction activities cover the costs of parish and school audits, legal expenses, and other risk-mitigating services provided by the Diocese and are separate from Risk Management services invoiced by Michigan Catholic Conference. Please refer to Addendum #7 for background on insurance billing changes as well as a detailed list of PLAF costs to parish units in fiscal year 2025-2026. If you have any questions concerning this change, please contact Tim Thomas. 

Parishes and schools with endowment funds outside the Upper Peninsula Catholic Foundation must complete the Annual Catholic Endowment Fund Financial Report by Sept. 30, 2025. Annual Catholic Endowment Fund Financial Reports are intended to summarize fund activities for the fiscal year starting July 1, 2024 and ending June 30, 2025. Parishes and schools must also include copies of financial statements and meeting minutes with each report submission. For questions concerning this report, please contact Tim Thomas.

The Parish Governance Report is due Sept. 30, 2025 and has been included in Addendum #8. Please also see Addendum #9 for an optional financial report to parishioners, provided as a template for parish use. Completed Governance 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. 7, 2025 for a day of education and fellowship. This year it is being held at St. Peter Cathedral, 311 W. Baraga Ave., Marquette. 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. 

Thank you to all parishes and schools that completed their grant reports for 2024! If your parish was unable to complete its LOF-funded program or submit the evaluation, please contact William at wmullett@dioceseofmarquette.org on how to proceed. Grants awarded for the 2025-2026 grant cycle will be mailed this month. 

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 participated in the annual St. Joseph Association collection this past April. To date, the Diocese has recorded a total of $63,962. If your parish has not yet submitted proceeds from this collection, please do so at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your continued support of the retired priests of the Diocese of Marquette.

The Stewardship and Development Department is seeking high-quality photos for use in various publications. If you have photos from your parish that you’d like to share, we’d love to include them in future materials such as UPCSA, annual reports, social media graphics, and more. Please submit your photos here:
 https://www.jotform.com/DioceseofMarquette/parish-photo-share

Please see the Diocesan Collection Schedule for 2026 here: 

dioceseofmarquette.org/administration-finance. If you have any questions about the 2025 or 2026 Collection Schedule, please contact Megan O’Connor at (906) 379-5057 or moconnor@dioceseofmarquette.org.

National Church Combined Collection – Aug. 9-10, 2025 

All parishes in the Diocese of Marquette will take up the 2025 National Church Collection on Aug. 9-10, 2025. The National Church Collection supports the following outreach ministries: the National Retirement Fund for Religious, the Archdiocese of Military Services, 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.

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 Megan O’Connor at (906) 379-5057 or moconnor@dioceseofmarquette.org with questions regarding parish remittance deadlines.  

The World Church Collection was held on June 8. Please remit funds to the Diocese by July 31, 2025. We thank you for your generous support of the Catholic Relief Services Overseas Fund, Holy Land & National Communications Collections, Peter’s Pence Collection, and Diocesan Missionary Collection.

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.

Story time at the Baraga House is back! Bring the kids for stories and snacks this summer.  This event is FREE to the public and family friendly. Donations are graciously accepted.

Date: Tuesdays throughout the summer starting now through Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025

Time: 1 p.m.

Location: Baraga Educational Center & Museum - 615 S. Fourth Street, Marquette, MI 49855

Join us for local music and light refreshments on the Baraga House porch! This event is FREE to the public and family friendly. Donations are graciously accepted.

Date: Thursdays starting July 10, 2025 - Aug. 28, 2025. Check our website at www.bishopbaraga.org or Facebook page @bishopbaragaassociation  for confirmation each week, as this event is weather-dependent.

Time: 6pm-7pm

Location: Baraga Educational Center & Museum 615 S. Fourth Street, Marquette, MI

The Annual Baraga Mass at Holy Angels Catholic Church on Sugar Island, Mich. is coming up on Sunday, July 13, 2025, at 1 p.m. Private blessings, and fellowship to follow.

Date: Sunday, July 13, 2025

Time: 1 p.m.

Location: North Shore Road, Sugar Island, MI 49783 - *Please note that this event requires ferry travel.

In honor of the Bishop Baraga Association’s 95th Anniversary, we are offering a limited-time brick special for $95!  Learn more and start designing your brick today at https://bishopbaraga.org/bba-brick-program/. Please note that this offer is good through Sept. 30, 2025.

Save the date for the Annual Baraga Days event on Aug. 29-30, 2025, in the Copper Country Area of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (L’Anse, Assinins, Houghton/Hancock & Eagle Harbor). This two-day event will include Evening Vespers, Native American drumming, a tour of the Assinins Cemetery, annual banquet and more! Find the full schedule of events at  https://bishopbaraga.org/baraga-days-2025/ and in the upcoming edition of the Baraga Bulletin.  Please note that reservations are required for the Saturday banquet.

This collection supports three vital ministries:

The National Retirement Fund for Religious supports elderly and infirm Catholic religious brothers, sisters, and priests in the United States. The funds help provide for their retirement, healthcare, and daily needs, ensuring they can live in comfort after years of service to the Church and society. To learn more, visit retiredreligious.org. 

The Catholic University Collection supports The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The funds help provide scholarships, financial aid, and support for the university's mission to provide a strong academic foundation rooted in Catholic values, serving students and the Church's future leaders. To learn more, visit collection.catholic.edu.

The Archdiocese for the Military Services Collection supports the pastoral care and spiritual needs of Catholics serving in the U.S. military, as well as veterans and their families. Funds help provide Mass, sacraments, and religious support for military personnel, both at home and abroad, ensuring they receive spiritual care while serving. To learn more, visit milarch.org. 

Your generous support helps sustain these important missions of the Church. Thank you!

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).