Current Events and News
From the Diocese
Update on Diocesan Directives for Health and Safety During the Coronavirus Pandemic
A Message from Bishop Mark – August 6, 2020By now you have heard about a person who tested positive for the Coronavirus and attended Mass last weekend at Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Johnstown. Public notice was made with due regard for the teaching and discipline...
Individual Who Was Present at Local Mass Tests Positive for COVID-19
An individual who attended Mass at a parish in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown has tested positive for COVID-19.The person attended the 4:00 p.m. Mass at Saint Francis of Assisi Parish in Johnstown on Saturday, August 1. Weekend Masses at Saint Francis of Assisi have...
A Message from Bishop Mark
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Someone recently told me that she could hear the sigh of relief recently as restrictions were lifted that allowed for our churches to reopen. Numerous people have remarked how grateful they are to attend Sunday Mass and receive the...
Welcome Back to Sunday Mass!
As Sunday and Weekday Masses are now being celebrated, there has been a steady increase in the number of people who are attending. So far, there has been a positive response to the precautions of placing donations in the basket at the end of Mass, using face masks and...
Summer Missionary Cooperative Program
[Description of program] To search for your local summer missionary, simply click on the name of your parish (separated by city) below, and you will be redirected. Alternatively, click here to jump to the full list of summer missionaries. If you wish to make a...
A Special Message from Bishop Mark
Young people in our diocese have frequently heard me tell them that the foundational principle of Catholic social teaching is the following: Every human person is made in the image and likeness of God. Period. It’s in the Sacred Scriptures (Genesis 1:27). No further...
New Directive Regarding Mass Atttendance
Bishop Mark has issued a new directive regarding the celebration of public Masses that lifts an earlier directive that would have limited the number of people permitted at each Mass to 25. When public Masses resume beginning the weekend of June 13-14, 2020, all are...
Parishes Announce Reconciliation Opportunities
Bishop Mark Bartchak has announced that the public celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation may resume at parishes beginning on May 23, 2020. Click HERE for a county-by-county schedule of upcoming Reconciliation opportunities at various parishes in the Diocese...
Dates for Public Confessions, Masses Announced
Bishop Mark has announced dates to resume the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the distribution of Holy Communion and the public celebration of Mass in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. According to the Bishop’s directives, issued on May 20, 2020, priests may resume the...
Bishop Announces Plan to Reopen Churches
The following is a message from Bishop Mark to all people of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown on May 13, 2020. Specific directives are being finalized and will be available prior the the reopening of church buildings on Saturday, May 16, which marks the...
Saint of the Day
St. Finbar: Saint of the Day for Thursday, September 25, 2025
He was the son of an artisan and a lady of the Irish royal court. Born in Connaught, Ireland, and baptized Lochan, he was educated at Kilmacahil, Kilkenny, where the monks named him Fionnbharr (white head) because of his light hair; he is also known as Bairre and...
Martyrs of Chalcedon: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, September 24, 2025
A group of forty-nine Christians slain in Chalcedon during the reign of Emperor Diocletian . Records indicate that the martyrs were members of the choir in the church of Chalcedon. Excellent content provided by https://www.catholic.org/.
St. Padre Pio: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, September 23, 2025
St. Padre Pio was an Italian priest who was known for his piety and charity, as well as the gift of the stigmata, which has never been explained. St. Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione, on May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy. His parents were peasant farmers. He...
St. Thomas of Villanueva: Saint of the Day for Monday, September 22, 2025
Augustinian bishop. Born at Fuentellana, Castile, Spain, he was the son of a miller. He studied at the University of Alcala, earned a licentiate in theology, and became a professor there at the age of twenty-six. He declined the chair of philosophy at the university...
St. Matthew: Saint of the Day for Sunday, September 21, 2025
Little is known about St. Matthew, except that he was the son of Alpheus, and he was likely born in Galilee. He worked as a tax collector, which was a hated profession during the time of Christ. According to the Gospel, Matthew was working at a collection booth in...
Sts. Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions: Saint of the Day for Saturday, September 20, 2025
Feastday: September 20 The evangelization of Korea began during the 17th century through a group of lay persons. A strong vital Christian community flourished there under lay leadership until missionaries arrived from the Paris Foreign Mission Society. During the...
St. Januarius: Saint of the Day for Friday, September 19, 2025
St. Januarius was born in Italy and was bishop of Benevento during the Emperor Diocletion persecution. Bishop Januarius went to visit two deacons and two laymen in prison. He was then also imprison along with his deacon and lector. They were thrown to the wild beasts,...
St. Joseph of Cupertino: Saint of the Day for Thursday, September 18, 2025
St. Joseph was born in 1603 at Cupertino, in the diocese of Nardo in the Kingdom of Naples. After spending his childhood and adolescence in simplicity and innocence, he finally joined the Franciscan Friars Minor Conventual. After his ordination to the holy priesthood,...
St. Robert Bellarmine: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Born at Montepulciano, Italy, October 4, 1542, St. Robert Bellarmine was the third of ten children. His mother, Cinzia Cervini, a niece of Pope Marcellus II, was dedicated to almsgiving, prayer, meditation, fasting, and mortification of the body. Robert entered the...
St. Cornelius: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Cornelius whose feast day is September 16th. A Roman priest, Cornelius was elected Pope to succeed Fabian in an election delayed fourteen months by Decius' persecution of the Christians. The main issue of his pontificate was the treatment to be accorded Christians who...
Daily Reading
Daily Readings for Thursday, September 25, 2025
Reading 1, Haggai 1:1-8 1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of Yahweh was addressed through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel governor of Judah and to Joshua son of Jehozadak the high priest as follows,2...
Daily Readings for Wednesday, September 24, 2025
Reading 1, Ezra 9:5-9 5 At the evening sacrifice I came out of my stupor and, falling on my knees in my torn clothes and cloak, stretched out my hands to Yahweh my God,6 and said: 'My God, I am ashamed, I blush to lift my face to you, my God. For our iniquities have...
Daily Readings for Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Reading 1, Galatians 2:19-20 19 In fact, through the Law I am dead to the Law so that I can be alive to God. I have been crucified with Christ20 and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me. The life that I am now living, subject to the...
Daily Readings for Monday, September 22, 2025
Reading 1, Ezra 1:1-6 1 In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia -- to fulfil the word of Yahweh spoken through Jeremiah -Yahweh roused the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to issue a proclamation and to have it publicly displayed throughout his kingdom:2 'Cyrus king...
Daily Readings for Sunday, September 21, 2025
Reading 1, Amos 8:4-7 4 Listen to this, you who crush the needy and reduce the oppressed to nothing,5 you who say, 'When will New Moon be over so that we can sell our corn, and Sabbath, so that we can market our wheat? Then, we can make the bushel-measure smaller and...
Daily Readings for Saturday, September 20, 2025
Reading 1, Wisdom 3:1-9 1 But the souls of the upright are in the hands of God, and no torment can touch them.2 To the unenlightened, they appeared to die, their departure was regarded as disaster,3 their leaving us like annihilation; but they are at peace.4 If, as it...
Daily Readings for Friday, September 19, 2025
Reading 1, First Timothy 6:2-12 2 Those whose masters are believers are not to respect them less because they are brothers; on the contrary, they should serve them all the better, since those who have the benefit of their services are believers and dear to God. This...
Daily Readings for Thursday, September 18, 2025
Reading 1, First Timothy 4:12-16 12 Let no one disregard you because you are young, but be an example to all the believers in the way you speak and behave, and in your love, your faith and your purity.13 Until I arrive, devote yourself to reading to the people,...
Daily Readings for Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Reading 1, First Timothy 3:14-16 14 I write this to you in the hope that I may be able to come to you soon;15 but in case I should be delayed, I want you to know how people ought to behave in God's household -- that is, in the Church of the living God, pillar and...
Daily Readings for Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Reading 1, First Timothy 3:1-13 1 Here is a saying that you can rely on: to want to be a presiding elder is to desire a noble task.2 That is why the presiding elder must have an impeccable character. Husband of one wife, he must be temperate, discreet and courteous,...