Current Events and News

From the Diocese

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...

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...

Saint of the Day

Daily Reading

Daily Readings for Friday, January 10, 2025

Reading 1, First John 5:5-13 5 Who can overcome the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?6 He it is who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with water alone but with water and blood, and it is the Spirit that bears witness, for the Spirit...

Daily Readings for Wednesday, January 08, 2025

Reading 1, First John 4:11-18 11 My dear friends, if God loved us so much, we too should love one another.12 No one has ever seen God, but as long as we love one another God remains in us and his love comes to its perfection in us.13 This is the proof that we remain...

Daily Readings for Tuesday, January 07, 2025

Reading 1, First John 4:7-10 7 My dear friends, let us love one another, since love is from God and everyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.8 Whoever fails to love does not know God, because God is love.9 This is the revelation of God's love for us, that...

Daily Readings for Monday, January 06, 2025

Reading 1, First John 3:22-4:6 22 and whatever we ask we shall receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what is acceptable to him.23 His commandment is this, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we should love one...

Daily Readings for Sunday, January 05, 2025

Reading 1, Isaiah 60:1-6 1 Arise, shine out, for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you.2 Look! though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples, on you Yahweh is rising and over you his glory can be seen.3 The nations will come to...

Daily Readings for Friday, January 03, 2025

Reading 1, First John 2:29-3:6 29 If you know that he is upright you must recognise that everyone whose life is upright is a child of his.1 You must see what great love the Father has lavished on us by letting us be called God's children -- which is what we are! The...

Daily Readings for Thursday, January 02, 2025

Reading 1, First John 2:22-28 22 Who is the liar, if not one who claims that Jesus is not the Christ? This is the Antichrist, who denies both the Father and the Son.23 Whoever denies the Son cannot have the Father either; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father...

Daily Readings for Wednesday, January 01, 2025

Reading 1, Numbers 6:22-27 22 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,23 'Speak to Aaron and his sons and say: "This is how you must bless the Israelites. You will say:24 May Yahweh bless you and keep you.25 May Yahweh let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.26 May...