Q & A: Melissa Pillifant, Father Marquette Catholic Academy principal

By Hattie Hanold
The U.P. Catholic

Tell me about yourself.
I was born in the Upper Peninsula, grew up downstate, and returned to the Upper Peninsula as an adult—and I love living here. Catholic education has been a big part of my life beginning in first grade, continuing through high school, college and beyond. As I finished college, I remember praying that God would place me wherever he wanted me to teach and then applied to both Catholic and public schools. My first two calls were from Catholic schools, both in the Diocese of Marquette. I accepted my first teaching job at St. Francis de Sales in Manistique and taught there until my daughter was born. I have three amazing young adult children and one sweet new grandbaby. I stayed home with my kids while they were young and as my children grew and began school, my husband and I enrolled them at Fr. Marquette. I fell in love with the school and remember telling a former principal how grateful I was that we had such a wonderful Catholic school in our area. Eventually I was hired to teach middle school math at Fr. Marquette, which is my current role, and one I am sad to leave. However, I am also very excited to take on a new role at our school!

What are you looking forward to most about serving as the new principal of Father Marquette Catholic Academy in Marquette?
As I mentioned, it is with mixed emotions that I look ahead to my new role as principal! I look forward to continuing to serve the FMCA community as principal—to working with the students in new ways, to partnering with parents throughout the entire school—not just the middle school, and to taking on a new role with our remarkable team of teachers. However, I am most excited to continue to share our beautiful Catholic faith with the school community and I take this responsibility very seriously approaching it with a lot of prayer!

Who is your favorite saint and why?
I have so many favorites from St. Therese, St. Jane de Chantal and St. Francis de Sales to St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Louis de Montfort and St. Thomas More; then there are St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. John Vianney! They all appeal to me for different reasons; it is extremely difficult to pick just one! St. Therese reminds me with her little way, and its beautiful simplicity, that God wants me to be a saint right where I am—wants us all to be saints right where we are—and that we can do that by striving to live our lives with great love. St. Jane’s humility while living with her father-in-law after her husband’s death has been inspiring to me. Then, of course, I am in awe of St. Thomas More’s steadfast faith and his strength. I could go on ...

What is your advice for fellow Catholics?
Pray—spend time with God. It helps all things fall into their proper place—even difficult things—actually, especially difficult things!

Father Marquette Catholic Academy is located at 500 S. Fourth St., Marquette, MI, 49855. For more information, call (906) 225-1129 or visit https://www.fathermarquette.org/.

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