Current Events and News
From the Diocese
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...
Diocese to Livestream Triduum Services
The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown has announced plans to livestream Triduum services with Bishop Mark Bartchak as presider and homilist, in addition to the regularly scheduled television broadcast of the Bishop’s Easter Sunday Mass. The following is a schedule: Holy...
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...
Saint of the Day
St. Abdiesus: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Also called Hebed Jesus, a deacon in the Christian community of Persia who was caught up in the persecutions conducted by King Shapur II. Records indicate that Abdiesus was accompanied in his martyrdom by Abrosimus, Acepsimus, Azadanes, Azades, Bicor, Mareas, Milles,...
St. Anselm: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, April 21, 2026
St. Anselm Archbishop of Canterbury and Confessor APRIL 21,A.D. 1109 IF the Norman conquerors stripped the English nation of its liberty, and many temporal advantages, it must be owned that by their valor they raised the reputation of its arms, and deprived their own...
St. Marian: Saint of the Day for Monday, April 20, 2026
When St. Mamertinus was Abbot of the monastery which St. Germanus had founded at Auxerre, there came to him a young man called Marcian (also known as Marian), a fugitive from Bourges then occupied by the Visigoths. St. Mamertinus gave him the habit, and the novice...
St. Alphege: Saint of the Day for Sunday, April 19, 2026
Archbishop and "the First Martyr of Canterbury." He was born in 953 and became a monk in the Deerhurst Monastery in Gloucester, England, asking after a few years to become a hermit. He received permission for this vocation and retired to a small hut near Somerset,...
St. Apollonius the Apologist: Saint of the Day for Saturday, April 18, 2026
Martyr whose Apologia, or defense of the faith, is considered one of the most priceless documents of the early Church. Apollonius was a Roman senator who was denounced as a Christian by one of his slaves. The Praetorian Prefect, Sextus Tigidius Perennis, arrested him,...
St. Anicetus: Saint of the Day for Friday, April 17, 2026
Anicetus was a Syrian from Emesa. He became pope about 155 and actively opposed Marcionism and Gnosticism. His pontificate saw the appearance of the controversy between East and West over the date of Easter. St. Polycarp, a disciple of John, is reported to have...
St. Stephen Harding: Saint of the Day for Friday, April 17, 2026
Stephen Harding was born in Dorset, England. He was a speaker of English, Norman French, and Latin. He was placed in the abbey of Sherbourne at a young age, but eventually put aside the cowl and became a travelling scholar. He eventually moved to the abbey of Molesme...
St. Bernadette: Saint of the Day for Thursday, April 16, 2026
Discover More About St. Bernadette with Journey with the Saints St. Bernadette was born in Lourdes, France on January 7, 1844. Her parents were very poor and she was the first of nine children. She was baptized at St. Pierre's, the local parish church, on January 9....
St. Paternus: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, April 15, 2026
St. Paternus.The first 5th century saint. He followed his father's path by becoming a hermit in Wales. He founded the monastery at the great church of Paternus, and became a bishop of that region. He was known for his preaching, charity and mortifications. Scholars...
St. Lydwine: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, April 14, 2026
St. Lydwine is the patroness of sickness Lydwine of Schiedam was born at Schiedam, Holland, one of nine children of a working man. After an injury in her youth, she became bedridden and suffered the rest of her life from various illnesses and diseases. She experienced...
Daily Reading
Daily Readings for Friday, April 24, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 9:1-20 1 Meanwhile Saul was still breathing threats to slaughter the Lord's disciples. He went to the high priest2 and asked for letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, that would authorise him to arrest and take to Jerusalem any followers of...
Daily Readings for Thursday, April 23, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 8:26-40 26 The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, 'Set out at noon and go along the road that leads from Jerusalem down to Gaza, the desert road.'27 So he set off on his journey. Now an Ethiopian had been on pilgrimage to Jerusalem; he was a...
Daily Readings for Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 8:1-8 1 Saul approved of the killing. That day a bitter persecution started against the church in Jerusalem, and everyone except the apostles scattered to the country districts of Judaea and Samaria.2 There were some devout people, however, who buried...
Daily Readings for Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 7:51-8:1 51 'You stubborn people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears. You are always resisting the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do.52 Can you name a single prophet your ancestors never persecuted? They killed those who foretold the...
Daily Readings for Monday, April 20, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 6:8-15 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 the...
Daily Readings for Sunday, April 19, 2026
Daily Reading for Sunday April 19, 2026 Reading 1, Acts 2:14, 22-28Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11Gospel, Luke 24:13-35Reading 2, First Peter 1:17-21 Printable PDF of Today's Reading Past / Future Daily Readings Reading 1, Acts 2:14, 22-28 14 Then...
Daily Readings for Saturday, April 18, 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 Friday, April 17, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 5:34-42 34 One member of the Sanhedrin, however, a Pharisee called Gamaliel, who was a teacher of the Law respected by the whole people, stood up and asked to have the men taken outside for a time.35 Then he addressed the Sanhedrin, 'Men of Israel, be...
Daily Readings for Thursday, April 16, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 5:27-33 27 When they had brought them in to face the Sanhedrin, the high priest demanded an explanation.28 'We gave you a strong warning', he said, 'not to preach in this name, and what have you done? You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and...
Daily Readings for Wednesday, April 15, 2026
Reading 1, Acts 5:17-26 17 Then the high priest intervened with all his supporters from the party of the Sadducees. Filled with jealousy,18 they arrested the apostles and had them put in the public gaol.19 But at night the angel of the Lord opened the prison gates and...