The annual Baraga Mass was celebrated on July 14 at Holy Angels Catholic Church on Sugar Island.  Don't miss the opportunity to attend the Bishop Baraga Healing Mass at Most Holy Name of Jesus/St. Kateri Tekakwitha in Assinins on Aug. 20, and the annual Baraga Days celebrations in the Copper Country Aug. 29-30. Baraga Days  will include Evening Vespers, private blessings with the Baraga Crucifix, a Baraga Days Mass, and an optional banquet.  Visit Bishop Baraga for more information. 

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.

Aug. 25, 2025     Health Savings Account Zoom Meeting (Administration & Finance)

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

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

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

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

Sept. 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)

As we look forward to the Church’s annual observance of Respect Life Month in October, the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities is pleased to share the 2025 Respect Life materials, which are inspired by the Jubilee Year of Hope. The message, “Life: Our Sign of Hope,” reflects the call to be signs of hope to all facing trials and difficulties. 

The 2025 poster features an image of an infant receiving the sacrament of Baptism. Through the gift of our Baptism, Our Lord calls us to be members of his body thereby demonstrating the invaluable dignity of the human person. This mystery invites us to be witnesses to the hope of the resurrection by promoting and defending the precious gift of life. 

A listing of the digital materials can be found at https://www.respectlife.org/respect-life-month.This year’s resources are available in English and Spanish and include a Respect Life Month novena, bulletin insert reflection, homily helps, graphics, and more. A step-by-step parish action guide and webinar recording are also available to help parishes celebrate Respect Life Month. I encourage you to utilize these resources for your parish communities.

If you would like to order printed materials like parish kits, posters, or prayer cards, please reach out to Maria Zalot via email at mzalot@usccb.org to request the order form or to ask any additional questions. 

Please continue to input your weekly weekend Mass attendance counts (for all Vigil and Sunday Masses combined) each week.  The weekly Mass Attendance counts will give us a baseline for our Mass attendance as we work together to increase Mass attendance through evangelization efforts discussed in Bishop John’s Pastoral Letter on Evangelization, entitled: “Transforming Fire: A New Pentecost to form Spirit-Filled Evangelizers.” If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the Bishop at (906) 227-9115.

Weekly Weekend Mass Attendance Counts Form Link: Mass Attendance

There are individuals continuing to represent themselves as the bishop using an email address that is not similar to his valid diocesan email address.  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.

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 12 noon to 3 p.m. St. Mary Parish, Norway, and St. Barabara 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. 

There are four Confirmation Masses taking place this Fall in Ironwood, Escanaba, Lake Linden, and the St. John Neumann vicariate.  Registration is now open at dioceseofmarquette.org/diocesanconfirmation.  Please take a moment to register any students and adults!  Registrations for Ironwood and Escanaba are due by the end of August.  Registrations for Lake Linden and the St. John Neumann vicariate are due by mid-September.  Thank you!

The summer catechetical leader formation sessions focused on implementing family-centered catechesis.  This will be an ongoing focus for years to come.  Learn more about this effort and explore models and resources at yoopercatholic.org/catechesis.

This year we’re using Bridges and Boundaries from the Theology of the Body Evangelization Team as our resource for student safe environment lessons.  Parish catechetical leaders and school principals have been added to Bridges and Boundaries as organizational administrators and can log in at tobet.org/my-account. They will give access to their catechists/teachers and parents.  Each parish and school must teach one lesson to K-12 students by Jan. 31, 2026.  Learn how to use Bridges and Boundaries, and find instructions and resources at yoopercatholic.org/safe-environment.

The next Youth Encounter retreat for high school students will be Nov. 7-9, 2025 at Immaculate Conception parish in Iron Mountain.  This retreat is led by teens, supported by an adult team.  It focuses on encountering, receiving, and responding to Christ and His call.  There are fun games, teen and adult-led talks, small group discussions, and time for prayer, Adoration, Reconciliation, a pool party, and Mass. Learn more and register at yoopercatholic.org/youthencounter

The 2025 Parish Annual Administrative Report link is 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.

Priesthood Sunday is Sept. 28.

The U.P. Catholic newspaper plans to publish our Priesthood Sunday issue on Sept. 12.  Please visit: https://form.jotform.com/252046132625146 if you wish to place an advertisement of appreciation for your pastor and/or other priests.

If you have questions or have difficulties with the Jot Form, please contact Deacon Steve Gretzinger directly at ads@dioceseofmarquette.org or (906) 863-7460. Requests received after Aug. 15 will appear in an issue after Priesthood Sunday. 

Thank you!

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 (50th) 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. 14, 2025, beginning with Mass at 3:30 p.m. ET. Online registration may be completed at tinyurl.com/msweds25.

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.

Please remember to contact the Diocesan Communications Staff at news@dioceseofmarquette.org if your parish/school is celebrating any major milestones, events, missions or outreach in 2025.

As a reminder, the diocesan offices will be operating on summer hours during the month of August. The Diocese will be open for summer hours Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., with offices closed on Fridays. Summer hours will continue through Labor Day and regular diocesan office hours will resume Sept. 2, 2025. 

Pastors, principals, and bookkeepers are invited to join MCC and diocesan representatives in learning about the new Health Savings Account (HSA) benefit on Monday, Aug. 25 at 1 p.m. ET over Zoom. The HSA will be a benefit for PPO2 and PPHD medical plans starting Jan. 1, 2026 and will lower benefits expenses for parishes with enrolled employees, all while providing employees with a flexible, affordable health insurance option. The meeting will cover general information about HSAs, why they are being offered, cost savings for parishes and schools, and information about how the program will be administered. If your parish offers PPO2 or PPOHD, or you are interested in reducing benefits costs to your parish or school, please join us! Register for this event here: https://form.jotform.com/80653259624158 

The 2025 Parish Annual Financial Report is available online on the Diocesan website at dioceseofmarquette.org/parish-annual-financial-report. 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. PAFR submissions will be due to the Diocese by Aug. 31, 2025. 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 #1 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.

 

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 last month to assist in preparations for annual board meetings. Please send copies of the final minutes from your second 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. 

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. Instructions and additional information about filing this report were provided in early July. If you have any questions about annual corporate reporting filings, please contact Irene McCauley. 

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 #2. Please also see Addendum #3 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.

Are you interested in improving your bookkeeping processes? Parishes and schools looking to move from PDS to Sage Intacct are encouraged to contact the diocesan office to learn more about the conversion process. Sage Intacct offers powerful features including cloud accessibility, automated processes, enhanced financial efficiency, and at a low cost to parishes and schools. While all parishes and schools will transition to Sage in the coming years, those who want to benefit from the new system early are encouraged to reach out to Karli Lancour to be added to the priority conversion list.

Keeping churches safe from dangers such as arson, vandalism, assault, breaking and entering, and theft has never been more important. Gallagher National Risk Control offers practical tips, advice for securing your church site, and security self-inspection checklists in its annual safety bulletin (provided as Addendum #4). Please also find an emergency operations plan and sample emergency action plan included as Addendum #5 and Addendum #6 to this Communicator.

The Legacy of Faith Advisory Board recently announced $109,867 in faith formation grants to parishes and ministries throughout the diocese. The Legacy of Faith Fund was started in 2001 by then Bishop James Garland and is a permanent endowment of the U.P. Catholic Foundation. Its mission is to preserve and foster the Catholic faith in the Upper Peninsula. To see the full list of this year's grants, click here.

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.

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.

Join us in saying Bishop Baraga's 9 Day Novena this month in honor of the 2025 Jubilee "Pilgrims of Hope". Download both our English and Slovenian versions on our website here: https://bishopbaraga.org/novenas/ or stop in at the Baraga Educational Center and Museum to grab a hard copy. 

Save the date for the Baraga Healing Mass at Holy Name of Jesus in Assinins (Baraga), Mich. at 6 p.m. on Aug. 20, 2025. Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Ben Rivard, with private blessings, light refreshments and fellowship to follow after the Mass. ***This event is FREE and open to the public. All are welcome. 

The annual Baraga Days, celebrating the life and labors of Venerable Bishop Frederic Baraga, will be held on Aug. 29-30, 2025, in the Copper Country Area of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (L’Anse, Assinins, Houghton/Hancock & Eagle Harbor). Friday evening events will take place at Holy Name of Jesus Church in Assinins, Mich. including Evening Vespers, Native American Drumming, a tour of the cemetery, and a presentation on Bishop Baraga’s ministry in the area. Saturday events include Baraga Mass given in Ojibwe, Slovenian, and English languages. There will be time alloted to tour local sites specific to Bishop Baraga in the area. Baraga Days will conclude with a banquet and the annual Bishop Baraga Association meeting which provides an opportunity for attendees to receive updates on Bishop Baraga’s Cause for Canonization as well as updates on the activities of the BBA. Visit https://bishopbaraga.org/baraga-days-2025/ for more information and to purchase tickets.

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.

Story time at the Baraga House is continuing into August! 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 August (ending Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025)
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Baraga Educational Center & Museum, 615 S. Fourth Street, Marquette, MI 49855

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 (50th) 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. 14, 2025, beginning with Mass at 3:30 p.m. ET. Online registration may be completed at tinyurl.com/msweds25 .