Current Events and News
From the Diocese
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...
Catholic Schools Week Message from Bishop Mark
Will Hegemann loves school and attending Mass every week with his classmates. Even at his young age, the first grader at Saint Michael School in Loretto realizes how lucky he is to be in a learning environment in which Jesus Christ is the center of everything. Will is...
Bishop’s Directives for the Blessing of Throats
January 2021The current pandemic is a sufficient pastoral reason to avoid the blessing of individuals in the usual manner of touching the throat of each person with crossed candles while saying the words of the blessing. Among the challenges is the sanitizing of the...
Bishop’s Directives for Distribution of Ashes
January 2021During this time of Pandemic, the Holy See has modified the method of distributing ashes as contained in the following Note from the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments issued January 12, 2021: NOTE ON ASH...
2021 Plans for RCIA, Confirmation, First Holy Communion
By Tony DeGolProclaim!There is an old saying in entertainment that no matter what happens, the show must go on. Here in the Catholic Church, the sacramental life of our faith communities must go on as well, even in the midst of a pandemic. As the Diocese of...
Bishop’s Directives for Parish Lenten Fish Dinners
January 2021Ash Wednesday, February 17, marks the beginning of the holy season of Lent. It is also the starting date for annual Fish Dinners in parishes throughout the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. In many of those places it is a regular fundraiser to support parish...
Bishop’s Directives for Distribution of Palms
January 2021Ample instructions for the Commemoration of the Lord’s Entrance into Jerusalem are found in the Roman Missal for the celebration of Palm Sunday. Three Forms are provided for this observance. Given the circumstances of the COVID pandemic, and in order to...
Saint of the Day
St. Rose Venerini: Saint of the Day for Thursday, May 07, 2026
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 Wednesday, May 06, 2026
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 Tuesday, May 05, 2026
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 Monday, May 04, 2026
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 Sunday, May 03, 2026
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 Saturday, May 02, 2026
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 Friday, May 01, 2026
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...
St. Pius V, Pope: Saint of the Day for Thursday, April 30, 2026
Pope from 1566-1572 and one of the foremost leaders of the Catholic Reformation. Born Antonio Ghislieri in Bosco, Italy, to a poor family, he labored as a shepherd until the age of fourteen and then joined the Dominicans, being ordained in 1528. Called Brother...
St. Catherine of Siena: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Discover More About St. Catherine of Siena with Journey with the Saints St. Catherine of Siena was born during the outbreak of the plague in Siena, Italy on March 25, 1347. She was the 25th child born to her mother, although half of her brothers and sisters did not...
St. Peter Chanel: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, April 28, 2026
In St. Peter Chanel, Priest and Martyr (Feast day - April 28) The protomartyr of the South Seas, St. Peter Chanel was born in 1803 at Clet in the diocese of Belley, France. His intelligence and simple piety brought him to the attention of the local priest, Father...
Daily Reading
Daily Readings for Thursday, May 07, 2026
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 in the early days God made his choice among you: the gentiles were to learn the good news from me and so become believers.8...
Daily Readings for Wednesday, May 06, 2026
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 of Moses you cannot be saved.'2 This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had had a long argument with these men...
Daily Readings for Tuesday, May 05, 2026
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 dragged him outside the town, thinking he was dead.20 The disciples came crowding round him but, as they did so, he stood up and went...
Daily Readings for Monday, May 04, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 14:5-18 5 but eventually with the connivance of the authorities a move was made by gentiles as well as Jews to make attacks on them and to stone them.6 When they came to hear of this, they went off for safety to Lycaonia where, in the towns of Lystra...
Daily Readings for Sunday, May 03, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 6:1-7 1 About this time, when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenists made a complaint against the Hebrews: in the daily distribution their own widows were being overlooked.2 So the Twelve called a full meeting of the disciples and...
Daily Readings for Saturday, May 02, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 13:44-52 44 The next Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God.45 When they saw the crowds, the Jews, filled with jealousy, used blasphemies to contradict everything Paul said.46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out fearlessly. 'We...
Daily Readings for Friday, May 01, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 13:26-33 26 'My brothers, sons of Abraham's race, and all you godfearers, this message of salvation is meant for you.27 What the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to fulfil the prophecies read on...
Daily Readings for Thursday, April 30, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 13:13-25 13 Paul and his companions went by sea from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia where John left them to go back to Jerusalem.14 The others carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the Sabbath and took...
Daily Readings for Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 12:24-13:5 24 The word of God continued to spread and to gain followers.25 Barnabas and Saul completed their task at Jerusalem and came back, bringing John Mark with them.1 In the church at Antioch the following were prophets and teachers: Barnabas,...
Daily Readings for Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 11:19-26 19 Those who had scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they proclaimed the message only to Jews.20 Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to...