Current Events and News
From the Diocese
Closure of Churches and Discontinuation of Services
Memo from: Bishop Mark To: All Clergy Date: April 1, 2020 Re: Closure of Churches and Discontinuation of Services Today, state health officials today announced 962 new COVID-19 cases as the statewide total jumped to almost 6,000. Pennsylvania’s death toll climbed to...
New Directives
As part of a continuing effort to protect the health and safety of parishioners, clergy, and staff, Bishop Mark L. Bartchak has issued new directives, which include closing all church buildings to the public and prohibiting outdoor activities on parish properties...
Holy Week Resources
Palm Sunday Proclaim! at 10:30 a.m. on WATM ABC 23Bishop Mark explains ways to engage in the solemnity of Holy Week at homeClergy offer messages of hope during these challenging times Mass with Bishop Mark11:00 a.m. on WATM ABC 239:00 p.m. on Atlantic Broadband...
Bishop’s Easter Message
It sounds so awkward to say Happy Easter this year. During the past month, people everywhere added new words to their vocabulary: Coronavirus and COVID-19. The dreaded virus that these words represent made us learn another dimension of living as we “shelter in place.”...
Blessed Palm
As parishes and the faithful look ahead to Palm Sunday next weekend, the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown continues to be aware of the need for social distancing and other necessary precautions. Bishop Mark has directed parishes to not distribute blessed palm to the...
Governor Wolf extended his “Stay at Home” Order
Dear Brothers in Christ, Earlier today Governor Wolf extended his "Stay at Home" order to include Centre County. In keeping with our protocols announced earlier (March 20), in order to protect the faithful and follow this important restriction put in place by the...
Memo from: Bishop Mark
Memo from: Bishop Mark To: All Clergy Date: March 25, 2020 Re: Celebration of the Liturgies of Holy Week and Especially the Sacred Triduum In this time of need, directives have been issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, as...
Bishop Suspends All Public Masses
Bishop Mark L. Bartchak announced the suspension of the celebration of all public Masses and all other liturgical celebrations in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown effective March 17, 2020, and continuing until further notice. Throughout this time, the dispensed...
Liturgical Directives
The following directives were communicated to the clergy of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown on March 17, 2020. The directives remain in effect until further notice. If questions arise concerning the impact of these directives, please contact your pastor for further...
Holy Week Directives
With public Masses and other liturgical gatherings suspended at least through Holy Week and Easter, Bishop Mark is inviting the faithful to watch the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown weekly television Mass on Passion (Palm) Sunday and Easter Sunday at 11:00 a.m. on WATM...
Saint of the Day
Mary the Blessed Virgin: Saint of the Day for Friday, January 01, 2021
Mary, also known as St. Mary the Virgin, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Mary, Mary Mother of God or the Virgin Mary is believed by many to be the greatest of all Christian saints. The Virgin Mother "was, after her Son, exalted by divine grace above all angels and...
St. Sylvester: Saint of the Day for Thursday, December 31, 2020
St. Sylvester, born in Rome, was ordained by Pope St. Marcellinus during the peace that preceded the persecutions of Diocletian. He passed through those days of terror, witnessed the abdication of Diocletian and Maximian, and saw the triumph of Constantine in the year...
St. Anysia: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Martyr of Greece. She was a wealthy woman of Salonika, in Thessaly, who used her personal funds to aid the poor. A soldier accosted her in the street and tried to drag her to a pagan sacrifice. Anysia resisted and was killed when the soldier attacked her with his...
St. Aileran: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, December 29, 2020
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 Monday, December 28, 2020
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 Sunday, December 27, 2020
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 Saturday, December 26, 2020
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 Friday, December 25, 2020
There definitely was a Roman martyr named Eugenia but the rest of her story is a romantic fictitious legend. According to it she was the daughter of Duke Philip of Alexandria, governor of Egypt during the reign of Emporer Valerian. She fled her father's house dressed...
St. Adele: Saint of the Day for Thursday, December 24, 2020
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 Wednesday, December 23, 2020
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...
Daily Reading
Daily Readings for Friday, January 01, 2021
Daily Reading for Friday January 1, 2021 Reading 1, Numbers 6:22-27Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8Gospel, Luke 2:16-21Reading 2, Galatians 4:4-7 Reading 1, Numbers 6:22-27 22 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,23 'Speak to Aaron and his sons and say: "This is...
Daily Readings for Thursday, December 31, 2020
Daily Reading for Thursday December 31, 2020 Reading 1, First John 2:18-21Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 96:1-2, 11-12, 13Gospel, John 1:1-18 To all our readers, Please don't scroll past this. Today, we humbly ask you to defend Catholic Online's independence. 98% of our...
Daily Readings for Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Daily Reading for Wednesday December 30, 2020 Reading 1, First John 2:12-17Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 96:7-8, 8-9, 10Gospel, Luke 2:36-40 Reading 1, First John 2:12-17 12 I am writing to you, children, because your sins have been forgiven through his name.13 I am...
Daily Readings for Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Daily Reading for Tuesday December 29, 2020 Reading 1, First John 2:3-11Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 96:1-2, 2-3, 5-6Gospel, Luke 2:22-35 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...
Daily Readings for Monday, December 28, 2020
Daily Reading for Monday December 28, 2020 Reading 1, First John 1:5--2:2Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 124:2-3, 4-5, 7-8Gospel, Matthew 2:13-18 Reading 1, First John 1:5--2:2 5 This is what we have heard from him and are declaring to you: God is light, and there is no...
Daily Readings for Sunday, December 27, 2020
Daily Reading for Sunday December 27, 2020 Reading 1, Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 128:1-2, 3, 4-5Gospel, Luke 2:22-40Reading 2, Colossians 3:12-21 Reading 1, Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 2 for the Lord honours the father above his children and upholds the...
Daily Readings for Saturday, December 26, 2020
Daily Reading for Saturday December 26, 2020 Reading 1, Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 31:3-4, 6, 7, 8, 17, 21Gospel, Matthew 10:17-22 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...
Daily Readings for Friday, December 25, 2020
Daily Reading for Friday December 25, 2020 Reading 1, Isaiah 52:7-10Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 98:1, 2-3, 3-4, 5-6Gospel, John 1:1-18Reading 2, Hebrews 1:1-6 Reading 1, Isaiah 52:7-10 7 How beautiful on the mountains, are the feet of the messenger announcing peace, of...
Daily Readings for Thursday, December 24, 2020
Daily Reading for Thursday December 24, 2020 Reading 1, Second Samuel 7:1-5, 8-11, 16Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29Gospel, Luke 1:67-79 Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! It's a little awkward to ask, but we need your...
Daily Readings for Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Daily Reading for Wednesday December 23, 2020 Reading 1, Malachi 3:1-4, 23-24Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14Gospel, Luke 1:57-66 Free PDFs: Hail Mary, Our Father, How to Pray the Rosary & more PDF educational & learning resources for Students,...