Current Events and News
From the Diocese
Benedictine Priest to Resume Assignment
The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown has received notice from the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General that the investigation of a complaint concerning Reverend Ananias Buccicone, OSB, has been closed. No further action will be taken.Father Buccicone was placed on...
Parishes Announce Holy Thursday Mass and Adoration Schedules
The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown Office of Communications invited all parishes to submit schedules for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday and Adoration opportunities that evening. The following parishes provided the information.ALTOONA DEANERY Cathedral of...
Parishes Announce Good Friday Services
The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown Office of Communications invited all parishes to submit a schedule of Good Friday services. The following parishes provided information.ALTOONA DEANERY Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Altoona – Morning Prayer: 9:00 AM – Noon...
Parishes Announce Easter Vigil/Easter Sunday Mass Schedules
The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown Office of Communications invited all parishes to submit schedules for the Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Masses. The following parishes provided the information.ALTOONA DEANERY Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Altoona – Office of...
Catholic Ministries Drive
The 2021 Catholic Ministries Drive is underway.The campaign kicks off with Announcement Weekend on March 6-7 and Commitment Weekend on March 13-14. The goal is $2,247,794. This year’s theme is Be a Disciple of Hope. In his CMD message to the faithful, Bishop Mark...
USCCB Statement on Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
On March 2, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Doctrine, and Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities,...
Directives for the Distribution of Ashes
Faithful are invited to Ash Wednesday Masses at parishes throughout the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. Click HERE for a schedule of Masses at parishes. This year, because of the pandemic, and as previously announced, Bishop Mark has directed that ashes are to...
Ash Wednesday Mass Times
Faithful are invited to Ash Wednesday Masses at parishes throughout the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. This year, because of the pandemic, and as previously announced, Bishop Mark has directed that ashes are to be sprinkled on the heads of those who approach. This is a...
Reconciliation Opportunities
Bishop Mark has asked pastors to make various opportunities for Confession available at their parishes throughout Lent. The Bishop has instructed the clergy to not sponsor the usual Communal Penance Services because of the continuing pandemic.The Diocese of...
Take-Out Fish Lunches/Dinners
Bishop Mark is permitting parishes to sponsor fish lunches/dinners this Lent, but only in the format of take-out service. There is to be no indoor dining, according to his directives, and anyone who assists in food preparation and serving must be screened by...
Saint of the Day
St. Damien of Molokai: Saint of the Day for Monday, May 10, 2021
The man who would become St. Damien of Molokai, was born in rural Belgium, on January 3, 1840. His name was Jozef De Veuster, and he was the youngest of seven children. Growing up on the farm, Jozef was prepared to take over for his family, but he did not want the...
St. Pachomius: Saint of the Day for Sunday, May 09, 2021
St. Pachomius was born about 292 in the Upeer Thebaid in Egypt and was inducted into the Emperor's army as a twenty-year-old. The great kindness of Christians at Thebes toward the soldiers became embedded in his mind and led to his conversion after his discharge....
St. Peter of Tarantaise: Saint of the Day for Saturday, May 08, 2021
Cistercian archbishop. Peter was born near Vienne, in Dauphine, France, and joined the Cistercian Order at Bonneveaux at the age of twenty with his two brothers and father. Known for his piety, at age thirty he was sent to serve as the first abbot of Tamie, in the...
St. Rose Venerini: Saint of the Day for Friday, May 07, 2021
Blessed Rose was born at Viterbo in 1656, the daughter of Godfrey Venerini, a physician. Upon the death of a young man who had been paying court to her, she entered a convent, but after a few months had to return home to look after her widowed mother. Rose use to...
St. Dominic Savio: Saint of the Day for Thursday, May 06, 2021
Dominic Savio was born on April 2, 1842 in the village of Riva in northern Italy. His father was a blacksmith and his mother a seamstress. He had nine brothers and sisters. His family was poor but hardworking. They were devout and pious Catholics. When he was just two...
St. Hilary of Arles: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, May 05, 2021
Bishop of Arles, France, and friend and relative of St. Honoratus. He was born to a noble family in Lorraine and was successful, although he gave up his secular career to join St. Honoratus at Lerins Abbey. When Honoratus died after being named the bishop of Arles,...
St. Florian: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, May 04, 2021
The St. Florian commemorated in the Roman Martyrology on May 4th, was an officer of the Roman army, who occupied a high administrative post in Noricum, now part of Austria, and who suffered death for the Faith in the days of Diocletian. His legendary "Acts" state that...
St. James the Lesser: Saint of the Day for Monday, May 03, 2021
St. James the Less, the author of the first Catholic Epistle, was the son of Alphaeus of Cleophas. His mother Mary was either a sister or a close relative of the Blessed Virgin, and for that reason, according to Jewish custom, he was sometimes called the brother of...
St. Athanasius: Saint of the Day for Sunday, May 02, 2021
St. Athanasius, also known as Athanasius the Great and Athanasius the Confessor, was a bishop and doctor of the church. He is called the "Father of Orthodoxy," the "Pillar of the Church" and "Champion of Christ's Divinity." Athanasius became one of the most dedicated...
St. Marculf: Saint of the Day for Saturday, May 01, 2021
Marculf is also known as Marcoul. He was born at Bayeux, Gaul, at noble parents. He was ordained when he was thirty, and did missionary work at Coutances. Desirous of living as a hermit, he was granted land by king Childebert at Nanteuil. He attracted numerous...
Daily Reading
Daily Readings for Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Reading 1, Acts 16:22-34 22 The crowd joined in and showed its hostility to them, so the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be flogged.23 They were given many lashes and then thrown into prison, and the gaoler was told to keep a close watch on them.24...
Daily Readings for Monday, May 10, 2021
Daily Reading for Monday May 10, 2021 Reading 1, Acts 16:11-15Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 149:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 9Gospel, John 15:26-16:4 Reading 1, Acts 16:11-15 11 Sailing from Troas we made a straight run for Samothrace; the next day for Neapolis,12 and from there for...
Daily Readings for Sunday, May 09, 2021
Daily Reading for Sunday May 9, 2021 Reading 1, Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4Gospel, John 15:9-17Reading 2, First John 4:7-10 Reading 1, Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 25 and as Peter reached the house Cornelius went out to meet...
Daily Readings for Saturday, May 08, 2021
Daily Reading for Saturday May 8, 2021 Reading 1, Acts 16:1-10Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 100:1-2, 3, 5Gospel, John 15:18-21 Reading 1, Acts 16:1-10 1 From there he went to Derbe, and then on to Lystra, where there was a disciple called Timothy, whose mother was Jewish...
Daily Readings for Friday, May 07, 2021
Daily Reading for Friday May 7, 2021 Reading 1, Acts 15:22-31Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 57:8-9, 10-12Gospel, John 15:12-17 Reading 1, Acts 15:22-31 22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose delegates from among themselves to send to...
Daily Readings for Thursday, May 06, 2021
Daily Reading for Thursday May 6, 2021 Reading 1, Acts 15:7-21Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 96:1-2, 2-3, 10Gospel, John 15:9-11 Reading 1, Acts 15:7-21 7 and after a long discussion, Peter stood up and addressed them. 'My brothers,' he said, 'you know perfectly well that...
Daily Readings for Wednesday, May 05, 2021
Daily Reading for Wednesday May 5, 2021 Reading 1, Acts 15:1-6Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5Gospel, John 15:1-8 Reading 1, Acts 15:1-6 1 Then some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, 'Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition...
Daily Readings for Tuesday, May 04, 2021
Daily Reading for Tuesday May 4, 2021 Reading 1, Acts 14:19-28Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 145:10-11, 12-13, 21Gospel, John 14:27-31 Reading 1, Acts 14:19-28 19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the people against them. They stoned Paul and...
Daily Readings for Monday, May 03, 2021
Daily Reading for Monday May 3, 2021 Reading 1, First Corinthians 15:1-8Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 19:2-3, 4-5Gospel, John 14:6-14 To all our readers, Please don't scroll past this. Today, we humbly ask you to defend Catholic Online's independence. 98% of our readers...
Daily Readings for Sunday, May 02, 2021
Daily Reading for Sunday May 2, 2021 Reading 1, Acts 9:26-31Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 22:26-27, 28, 30, 31-32Gospel, John 15:1-8Reading 2, First John 3:18-24 Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need...