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. Aileran: Saint of the Day for Monday, December 29, 2025
Monk, biographer, and scholar-also called Sapiens the Wise. Aileran was one of the most distinguished professors at the school of Clonard in Ireland. St. Finian welcomed Aileran to Clonard. In 650, Aileran became rector of Clonard, and was recognized as a classical...
St. Anthony the Hermit: Saint of the Day for Sunday, December 28, 2025
Anthony was born about circa 468 at Valeria in Lower Pannonia. When he was eight years old, his father died and he was first entrusted to the care of St. Severinus. After the death of Severinus, an uncle, Bishop Constantius of Lorsch in Bavaria took charge of his...
St. John the Apostle: Saint of the Day for Saturday, December 27, 2025
St. John, Apostle and Evangelist St. John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee and Salome, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. John was called to be an Apostle by our Lord in the first year of His public ministry. He is considered the same person as John the...
St. Stephen: Saint of the Day for Friday, December 26, 2025
Saint Stephen was one of the first ordained deacons of the Church. He was also the first Christian martyr. The Greek word from which we derive the English word martyr literally means witness. In that sense, every Christian is called to bear witness to Jesus Christ, in...
St. Eugenia: Saint of the Day for Thursday, December 25, 2025
Saint Eugenia, a revered Christian martyr and saint, is often remembered for her remarkable faith, courage, and the transformative path she carved through the early Christian Church, despite facing significant persecution. Her life, though shrouded in mystery and...
St. Adele: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, December 24, 2025
St. Adele, Widow. A daughter of King Dagobert II of Germany, St. Adele became a nun upon the death of her husband, making provisions for her son, the future father of St. Gregory of Utrecht. She founded a convent at Palatiolum near Trier and became its first Abbess,...
St. John of Kanty: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, December 23, 2025
The people of Olkusz in Bohemia in 1431 had every reason to be suspicious of their new pastor. They knew what a Cracow professor would think of their small rural town. But even more insulting, their town was once again being used as a dumping ground for a priest who...
St. Chaeromon: Saint of the Day for Monday, December 22, 2025
Bishop of Nilopolis, in Egypt. When the persecution was instituted by Emperor Trajanus Decius, Chaeromon Was quite elderly. He and several companions fled into the Arabian desert and were never seen again. The bishop and his companions are listed as martyrs. Excellent...
St. Peter Canisius: Saint of the Day for Sunday, December 21, 2025
In 1565, the Vatican was looking for a secret agent. It was shortly after the Council of Trent and the pope wanted to get the decrees of the Council to all the European bishops. What would be a simple errand in our day, was a dangerous assignment in the sixteenth...
St. Dominic of Silos: Saint of the Day for Saturday, December 20, 2025
Benedictine abbot and defender of the faith. Born in Canas, Navarre, Spain, circa 1000, he entered the Benedictines at San Millan de Ia Cogolla. King Garcia III of Navarre challenged him when he became abbot of the monastery, and Dominic refused to surrender part of...
Daily Reading
Daily Readings for Monday, December 29, 2025
Reading 1, First John 2:3-11 3 In this way we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.4 Whoever says, 'I know him' without keeping his commandments, is a liar, and truth has no place in him.5 But anyone who does keep his word, in such a one...
Daily Readings for Sunday, December 28, 2025
Reading 1, Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 2 for the Lord honours the father above his children and upholds the rights of a mother over her sons.3 Whoever respects a father expiates sins,4 whoever honours a mother is like someone amassing a fortune.5 Whoever respects a father...
Daily Readings for Saturday, December 27, 2025
Reading 1, First John 1:1-4 1 Something which has existed since the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have watched and touched with our own hands, the Word of life -- this is our theme.2 That life was made visible; we saw...
Daily Readings for Friday, December 26, 2025
Reading 1, Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59 8 Stephen was filled with grace and power and began to work miracles and great signs among the people.9 Then certain people came forward to debate with Stephen, some from Cyrene and Alexandria who were members of the synagogue called...
Daily Readings for Thursday, December 25, 2025
Reading 1, Isaiah 52:7-10 7 How beautiful on the mountains, are the feet of the messenger announcing peace, of the messenger of good news, who proclaims salvation and says to Zion, 'Your God is king!'8 The voices of your watchmen! Now they raise their voices, shouting...
Daily Readings for Wednesday, December 24, 2025
Reading 1, Second Samuel 7:1-5, 8-11, 16 1 Once the king had settled into his palace and Yahweh had granted him rest from all the enemies surrounding him,2 the king said to the prophet Nathan, 'Look, I am living in a cedar-wood palace, while the ark of God is under...
Daily Readings for Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Reading 1, Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24 1 'Look, I shall send my messenger to clear a way before me. And suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his Temple; yes, the angel of the covenant, for whom you long, is on his way, says Yahweh Sabaoth.2 Who will be able to resist...
Daily Readings for Monday, December 22, 2025
Reading 1, First Samuel 1:24-28 24 When she had weaned him, she took him up with her, as well as a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and took him into the temple of Yahweh at Shiloh; the child was very young.25 They sacrificed the bull and led...
Daily Readings for Sunday, December 21, 2025
Reading 1, Isaiah 7:10-14 10 Yahweh spoke to Ahaz again and said:11 Ask Yahweh your God for a sign, either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights above.12 But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask. I will not put Yahweh to the test.'13 He then said: Listen now, House of David:...
Daily Readings for Saturday, December 20, 2025
Reading 1, Isaiah 7:10-14 10 Yahweh spoke to Ahaz again and said:11 Ask Yahweh your God for a sign, either in the depths of Sheol or in the heights above.12 But Ahaz said, 'I will not ask. I will not put Yahweh to the test.'13 He then said: Listen now, House of David:...