Message from Bishop John
February 2026
CATY MRAZ | THE U.P. CATHOLIC
Members of the Knights of Columbus serve attendees of the annual Care Clinic spaghetti dinner fundraiser on Jan. 18, 2025 at St. Peter Cathedral. The event was sponsored by the Knights of Columbus council 689 with participation of other Marquette area councils. Dinner was provided by the Casa Calabria and a silent auction was also held to benefit the clinic.
Great Grandmother’s Potato Soup
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
One of my cherished memories of childhood is making potato soup with my mother. A typical meal for us during Lent on Fridays was the potato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. The recipe originated with my great-grandmother, who passed it on to my grandmother, who passed it on to my mother, who passed it on to me. So now I would like to share this recipe with you as you, the people of the Diocese of Marquette, are my family!
Potato Soup
Ingredients:
- 4 cups diced potatoes
- 4 cups water
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 1 ¼ tsp salt (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp pepper (or to taste)
Directions:
- Boil the above ingredients until tender.
- Meanwhile, make a roux by browning 2 tbsp flour in a frying pan, and add 2 tbsp butter to the browned flour.
- Mix some of the broth from the vegetables to the roux until smooth, then add to the soup.
- Then add egg dumplings.
- To make the dumplings, mix ¾ cup flour to 3 eggs. Mix until smooth. The batter should be firm but not stiff. (Use ½ cup flour to 2 eggs for fewer dumplings.)
- Add the egg mixture to the soup by dropping a spoonful of the batter at a time to the low-boiling soup. Cover the boiling soup for a couple of minutes until egg dumplings are done and rise to the surface. (Covering the soup makes the dumplings fluffy.)
Enjoy!
My own innovation for the grilled cheese sandwiches is to add a tomato slice(s), diced green pepper, and oregano to melt with the cheese.
Every Friday is a day of penance. During Lent, the Church calls us to abstain from meat. During the rest of the year, the Church asks each of us to choose a penance to do on Fridays. It is up to you to choose what to do as a penance outside of Lent. I recommend meatless Fridays throughout the year. It is an ancient tradition and one way to unite ourselves with the Lord’s passion.
May you have a blessed Lent.
+Most Reverend John F. Doerfler
Bishop of Marquette
The Anchor of Hope podcast newest episode: "The State of the News Today"
THE U.P. CATHOLIC
The logo for Bishop John Doerfler’s podcast titled “The Anchor of Hope." Bishop Doerfler co-hosts the podcast with Hattie Hanold. The podcast is distributed to multiple websites and apps, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, and more
Do you struggle with feeling overwhelmed by constant news on social media or television, or other media? How do we navigate the news and problems in the world today?
Follow along with Bishop John and Hattie as they discuss ways to find hope in the world's chaotic news cycle.
The show is available on all major podcast platforms including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Pandora and more. Be sure to follow or subscribe to the podcast feed on your app of choice to be notified of new episode releases. New episodes of the podcast will be released on the first and third Thursdays of each month.
