Courtesy photo Third and fourth grade classes celebrate Epiphany at Sacred Heart School in L’Anse in this 2019, pre-COVID-19 file photo.

MARQUETTE — The Upper Peninsula Catholic Foundation (UPCF) has announced its annual distribution to Catholic schools across the Diocese of Marquette. In total, more than $230,000 has been distributed to eight Upper Peninsula schools prior to the upcoming 2020-2021 school year.

UPCF connects faith with charitable giving through long-term support for the future needs of Catholic ministries in the Diocese of Marquette. This year’s $230,000 distribution to Catholic schools represents a 12.8% increase over last year and is just a portion of what the UPCF distributed to a variety of ministries across the Upper Peninsula.

“The donors to these school funds never envisioned having to support Catholic schools during a global pandemic,” says UPCF Executive Director Terri Gadzinski, “but that is the genius of endowments. They provide a steady flow of financial support through the highs and the lows. We are grateful that the diocese and its donors had the vision to plan for future needs. These endowments will continue to support Catholic education into perpetuity.”

The distribution breakdown is as follows:

Sacred Heart Catholic School (L’Anse) — $19,775.63

Holy Spirit Catholic School (Norway) — $20,225.87

Bishop Baraga Catholic School (Iron Mountain) — $56,401.28

St. John Paul II Catholic ­Academy (Menominee) — $24,955.01

St. Mary Catholic School (Sault Ste. Marie) — $26,742.39

St. Francis de Sales School (Manistique) — $23,000.34

Father Marquette ­Catholic Academy (Marquette) — $23,249.80

Holy Name Catholic School (Escanaba) — $36,158.18

To make a donation to a Catholic school fund and for more information, visit http://upcatholicfoundation.org.