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.
DON'T MISS THE HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT (HSA) MEETING AUG. 25, 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
2025 PARISH ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT (PAFR)
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.
2025-2026 PROTECTED LOSS ACTIVITIES FUND (PLAF) PREMIUMS AND ANNUAL PAYMENT REMINDER
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 INCORPORATION ANNUAL MEETING AND CORPORATE REPORTING REMINDER
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.
2025 ANNUAL CATHOLIC ENDOWMENT FUND FINANCIAL REPORT
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.
2025 PARISH GOVERNANCE REPORT
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.
SECRETARY AND BOOKKEEPERS WORKSHOP - OCT. 7, 2025
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.
CONTACT DIOCESAN OFFICE TO CONVERT TO SAGE INTACCT ACCOUNTING PLATFORM
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.
SAFETY RESOURCES FOR CATHOLIC CHURCHES FROM GALLAGHER BASSETT
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.