The Diocese of Marquette encompasses the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, 16,000 square miles of sparsely populated forest and farmland. Until the Second World War, the population of the Upper Peninsula was large and vibrant, but that changed after the copper, iron, and coal mines closed or cut back their workforce. Young people had to move away to find work. As a result, the Peninsula has become a haven for retirees, and the only growth industry is state prisons! Priests traveling to say Mass at parishes around the diocese can encounter rough weather, especially in the northern winter. It takes six hours to cross the Peninsula from Ironwood in the east to Sault Ste. Marie in the west, and many priests are as elderly as the people they serve.
The Diocese of Marquette has:
- 65,400 Catholics (22% of total population)
- 97 parishes and missions (47 without resident pastor)
- 42 active priests
2010 Grant
$45,000
Contact Information
117 W. Washington Street, Suite 3A
PO Box 1000
Marquette, MI 49855
906-225-1141
Fax: 906-225-0437
bparrish@dioceseofmarquette.org
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