Current Events and News
From the Diocese
Vaccine Q&A
From the United States Conference of Catholic BishopsJanuary 2021The development of vaccines to combat the COVID-19 pandemic has received much public attention and raised several ethical questions related to their development and use. This document is intended to...
Christmas TV Show
Proclaim! TV is celebrating the glory of Christmas with a television special, “Joy to the World: Christmas in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown.”Hosted and produced by Tony DeGol, Diocesan Director of Communications, the two-hour show will highlight...
God Saves
Christmas just won’t be the same this year. How many of us have heard those words lately? As a result of an invisible virus, people will not be getting together with extended family and friends to celebrate Christmas. Who would have thought that shoppers would be more...
Diocese to Broadcast Christmas Masses and Christmas TV Special
As part of its continuing efforts to keep local Catholics connected during the coronavirus pandemic, the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown is pleased to offer expanded television opportunities through its Proclaim! TV Ministry this Christmas.Bishop Mark Bartchak...
Parishes Announce Christmas Mass Schedule
By Justin KirklandProclaim!As Catholics, there is no better way to celebrate and experience God’s presence with us then in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Through the Mass, we are able to deepen our relationship with God, who came to us in the most unlikely way during...
Vaccine Clarification
By Tony DeGolProclaim!Bishop Mark Bartchak is joining other bishops in the United States in clarifying recent confusion regarding the “moral permissibility” of vaccines for COVID-19. According to Bishop Kevin Rhoades and Archbishop Joseph Naumann, vaccines from Pfizer...
What Comes After the Election Season?
A Reflection by Bishop MarkSince Election Day, I have received a few comments and concerns about Catholic Church leaders who have communicated with Joseph Biden. The focus of these concerns are political and religious. The political concern is that communication with...
Bishop Announces Directives for Advent Reconciliation and Christmas Masses
By Tony DeGolProclaim!In most parishes, the first vigil Mass on Christmas Eve usually attracts a ton of people with hardly an empty seat in the church. It is a challenging situation under normal circumstances, but especially worrisome during a pandemic. To help...
Advent Reconciliation Opportunities
By Justin KirklandProclaim!The Church celebrates Advent as a time that we may prepare our souls for the birth of Christ. Traditionally, before every major feast, time was taken by the faithful to prepare their hearts, through prayer, fasting, and penance. Christ came...
What Did Pope Francis Say?
A Message from Bishop MarkOctober 23, 2020What did Pope Francis say? I have been asked that question this week since it has been reported that Pope Francis may have just changed the Church’s teaching about marriage. That conclusion was based on something the Holy...
Saint of the Day
St. Daria: Saint of the Day for Saturday, October 25, 2025
There is very little known about them. Chrysanthus was an Egyptian, son of a Patrician, Polemius. He was brought to Rome from Alexandria during the reign of Numerian, and despite the objections of his father, who had brought him to Rome, was baptized by a priest named...
St. Anthony Mary Claret: Saint of the Day for Friday, October 24, 2025
Claretian archbishop and founder. Anthony was born in Salient in Catalonia, Spain, in 1807, the son of a weaver. He took up weaving but then studied for the priesthood, desiring to be a Jesuit. Ill health prevented his entering the Order, and he served as a secular...
St. John of Capistrano: Saint of the Day for Thursday, October 23, 2025
St. John was born at Capistrano, Italy in 1385, the son of a former German knight in that city. He studied law at the University of Perugia and practiced as a lawyer in the courts of Naples. King Ladislas of Naples appointed him governor of Perugia. During a war with...
St. Pope John Paul II: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Karol J. Wojtyla, known as John Paul II since his October 1978 election to the papacy, was born in Wadowice, a small city 50 kilometres from Cracow, on May 18, 1920. He was the second of two sons born to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Kaczorowska. His mother died in 1929....
St. Hilarion: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Abbot and disciple of St. Anthony the Great, companion of St. Hesychius. He was born in Tabatha, Palestine, and was educated in Alexandria, Egypt. He stayed with St. Anthony in the desert there before becoming a hermit at Majuma, near Gaza, Israel. In 356, Hilarion...
St. Paul of the Cross: Saint of the Day for Monday, October 20, 2025
St. Paul of the Cross was born at Ovada in the Republic of Genoa, January 3, 1694. His infancy and youth were spent in great innocence and piety. He was inspired from on high to found a congregation; in an ecstacy he beheld the habit which he and his companions were...
Sts. Isaac Jogues and Rene Goupil: Saint of the Day for Sunday, October 19, 2025
In 1642 the Huron country was in great distress. Harvests were poor, sickness abounded, and clothing was scarce. Quebec was the only source of supplies, and Isaac Jogues was chosen to lead an expedition. It reached its objective safely and started back well supplied...
St. Luke: Saint of the Day for Saturday, October 18, 2025
Luke, the writer of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, has been identified with St. Paul's "Luke, the beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14). We know few other facts about Luke's life from Scripture and from early Church historians. It is believed that Luke was...
St. Ignatius of Antioch: Saint of the Day for Friday, October 17, 2025
"I prefer death in Christ Jesus to power over the farthest limits of the earth. He who died in place of us is the one object of my quest. He who rose for our sakes is my one desire." In 107, during the reign of the brutal Emperor Trajan, this holy Bishop was...
St. Gerard Majella: Saint of the Day for Thursday, October 16, 2025
St. Gerard Majella is the patron of expectant mothers. He was born in 1726 in Muro, Italy to a family of seven. Majella grew up in a poverty with a great respect for the poor. As he was just 12 when his father passed away, he was forced to grow up fast. Shortly after...
Daily Reading
Daily Readings for Saturday, October 25, 2025
Reading 1, Romans 8:1-11 1 Thus, condemnation will never come to those who are in Christ Jesus,2 because the law of the Spirit which gives life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death.3 What the Law could not do because of the weakness of human...
Daily Readings for Friday, October 24, 2025
Reading 1, Romans 7:18-25 18 And really, I know of nothing good living in me -- in my natural self, that is -- for though the will to do what is good is in me, the power to do it is not:19 the good thing I want to do, I never do; the evil thing which I do not want --...
Daily Readings for Thursday, October 23, 2025
Reading 1, Romans 6:19-23 19 I am putting it in human terms because you are still weak human beings: as once you surrendered yourselves as servants to immorality and to a lawlessness which results in more lawlessness, now you have to surrender yourselves to...
Daily Readings for Wednesday, October 22, 2025
Reading 1, Romans 6:12-18 12 That is why you must not allow sin to reign over your mortal bodies and make you obey their desires;13 or give any parts of your bodies over to sin to be used as instruments of evil. Instead, give yourselves to God, as people brought to...
Daily Readings for Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Reading 1, Romans 5:12, 15, 17-19, 20-21 12 Well then; it was through one man that sin came into the world, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned.15 There is no comparison between the free gift and...
Daily Readings for Monday, October 20, 2025
Reading 1, Romans 4:20-25 20 Counting on the promise of God, he did not doubt or disbelieve, but drew strength from faith and gave glory to God,21 fully convinced that whatever God promised he has the power to perform.22 This is the faith that was reckoned to him as...
Daily Readings for Sunday, October 19, 2025
Reading 1, Exodus 17:8-13 8 The Amalekites then came and attacked Israel at Rephidim.9 Moses said to Joshua, 'Pick some men and tomorrow morning go out and engage Amalek. I, for my part, shall take my stand on the hilltop with the staff of God in my hand.'10 Joshua...
Daily Readings for Saturday, October 18, 2025
Reading 1, Second Timothy 4:9-17 9 Make every effort to come and see me as soon as you can.10 As it is, Demas has deserted me for love of this life and gone to Thessalonica, Crescens has gone to Galatia and Titus to Dalmatia;11 only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with...
Daily Readings for Friday, October 17, 2025
Reading 1, Romans 4:1-8 1 Then what do we say about Abraham, the ancestor from whom we are descended physically?2 If Abraham had been justified because of what he had done, then he would have had something to boast about. But not before God:3 does not scripture say:...
Daily Readings for Thursday, October 16, 2025
Reading 1, Romans 3:21-29 21 God's saving justice was witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but now it has been revealed altogether apart from law:22 God's saving justice given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.23 No distinction is made: all have...