Marquette Diocese Legacy of Faith grants

The Diocese of Marquette has given out its Legacy of Faith grants for this year. Catholic schools, Catholic Social Services of the U.P. and adult faith formation programs in Catholic parishes are the main recipients.

The grant money totals $168,227. $98,812 of that has been given to the Diocese of Marquette’s nine Catholic schools; each school received $10,979.

Catholic Social Services of the U.P. received $19,762 to help its offices provide counseling assistance to uninsured clients. The agency estimates that its Legacy of Faith grant from last year helped more than 40 families receive counseling that they couldn’t otherwise afford.

The focus of the faith formation grants was on three specific pastoral priorities that former Bishop Alexander Sample identified in 2012. Parishes were asked to apply for grants for programs associated with prayer, the Sunday Eucharist and Listening to the Word.

The grants come from investment income generated by Legacy of Faith, the campaign to build a permanent endowment for the diocese. The endowment guidelines say that half of the grant funds are available for Catholic schools, 30% for parish faith formation, 10% for Catholic Social Services of the U.P. and 10% for the Catholic Action Fund, the bishop’s discretionary fund to support new and emerging programs and ministries.