Current Events and News
From the Diocese
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...
Television/Streaming Masses
During this time of no public Masses, the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown is committed to continuing the weekly Proclaim! Television Ministry and Mass. Proclaim!Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WATM ABC 23 Mass with Bishop MarkSundays at 11:00 a.m. on WATM ABC23Sundays at...
Spirituality
PRAYER RECITED BY POPE FRANCISFOR THE PROTECTION OF THE WORLDO Mary,you always shine on our pathas a sign of salvation and of hope.We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,who at the cross took part in Jesus’ pain, keeping your faith firm.You, Salvation of the...
Support Your Parish
Although public Masses are suspended until further notice, our Church is alive and still fulfilling its mission. Your parish will continue to bring you the light of Christ, but it needs your support. To assist parishes that do not currently offer...
Wine and Food Pairing
Much sweeter than the chocolate cake truffles and Moscato d’Asti at the recent Catholic Charities Wine and Food Pairing was a true story highlighting how the delightful evening helps our neighbors in need. At the conclusion of gathering at the Blairmont Club in...
Communal Penance Services
The season of Lent is a time to seek God’s healing and forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Many parishes are sponsoring Communal Penance Services in the coming weeks. The following parishes submitted schedules to the Office of Communications. Please...
Stations of the Cross
Most parishes invite the faithful to pray the Stations of the Cross during Lent. All parishes were invited to submit their schedule to the Office of Communications. The following is the schedule from the parishes that responded. BEDFORD COUNTY Saint John the...
Lenten Spiritual Opportunities
Various parishes in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown are sponsoring spiritual enrichment opportunities during the Lenten season. Novena to Saint Anthony of PaduaSaint Francis of Assisi Parish in JohnstownTuesdays in LentNovena prayed after 6:30 p.m. Mass Holy...
Memory Walk in Honor of Sister Margie
By Tony DeGolProclaim! Carol Babinsack sums it up well when she says that the late Sister Margie Monahan was a cherished friend to many people. “She was always there,” pointed out Babinsack, a member of Saint Stephen Parish in McConnellsburg. “She was willing to help....
March For Life 2020
Groups from throughout the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown traveled to Washington, D.C., on January 24 for the March for Life. Bishop Mark traveled by bus with a group from the Altoona area organized by the Blair County chapter of Citizens Concerned for Human Life. In...
Saint of the Day
St. Francis Caracciolo: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, June 04, 2025
Founder of the Minor Clerks Regular with St. John Augustine Adorno. He was born in 1563, a member of a noble Neapolitan family. Though he had a rare skin disease, much like leprosy, Francis became a priest, at which time his skin disease disappeared. In 1588, he...
St. Charles Lwanga and Companions: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, June 03, 2025
For those of us who think that the faith and zeal of the early Christians died out as the Church grew more safe and powerful through the centuries, the martyrs of Uganda are a reminder that persecution of Christians continues in modern times, even to the present day....
Sts. Marcellinus and Peter: Saint of the Day for Monday, June 02, 2025
Though we know very little about these two martyrs under Diocletian, there is no question that the early church venerated them. Evidence of the respect in which they were held are the basilica Constantine built over their tombs and the presence of their names in the...
St. Justin Martyr: Saint of the Day for Sunday, June 01, 2025
Christian apologist, born at Flavia Neapolis, about A.D. 100, converted to Christianity about A.D. 130, taught and defended the Christian religion in Asia Minor and at Rome, where he suffered martyrdom about the year 165. Two "Apologies" bearing his name and his...
St. Mechtildis: Saint of the Day for Saturday, May 31, 2025
Benedictine abbess and miracle worker. She was the daughter of Count Berthold of Andechs, in modem Bavaria, Germany. The count and his wife, Sophia, founded a monastery on their esĂ?Âtate at Diessen, Bavaria, and placed Mechtildis there at the age of five. She became...
St. Joan of Arc: Saint of the Day for Friday, May 30, 2025
St. Joan of Arc is the patroness of soldiers and of France. On January 6, 1412, Joan of Arc was born to pious parents of the French peasant class in the obscure village of Domremy, near the province of Lorraine. At a very early age, she was said to have heard the...
St. Maximinus of Trier: Saint of the Day for Thursday, May 29, 2025
Bishop of Trier, Germany, from 332, and a miracle worker. He was probably born at Silly, France, and succeeded St. Agritus as bishop of Trier, giving refuge to St. Athanasius in 336. St. Paul, the patriarch of Constantinople, was also given Maximinus� protection....
Bl. Margaret Pole: Saint of the Day for Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Martyr of England. She was born Margaret Plantagenet, the niece of Edward IV and RichĂ?Âard III. She married Sir Reginald Pole about 1491 and bore five sons, including Reginald Cardinal Pole. Margaret was widowed, named countess of Salisbury, and appointed governess...
St. Augustine of Canterbury: Saint of the Day for Tuesday, May 27, 2025
At the end of the sixth century anyone would have said that Augustine had found his niche in life. Looking at this respected prior of a monastery, almost anyone would have predicted he would spend his last days there, instructing, governing, and settling even further...
St. Philip Neri: Saint of the Day for Monday, May 26, 2025
St. Philip Neri was a Christian missionary and founder of the Congregation of the Oratory, a community of Catholic priests and lay brothers. He was born in Florence on July 21, 1515 as one of four children to Francesco Neri. From a very young age, Philip was known for...
Daily Reading
Daily Readings for Wednesday, June 04, 2025
Reading 1, Acts 20:28-38 28 'Be on your guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you the guardians, to feed the Church of God which he bought with the blood of his own Son.29 'I know quite well that when I have gone fierce wolves...
Daily Readings for Tuesday, June 03, 2025
Reading 1, Acts 20:17-27 17 From Miletus he sent for the elders of the church of Ephesus.18 When they arrived he addressed these words to them: 'You know what my way of life has been ever since the first day I set foot among you in Asia,19 how I have served the Lord...
Daily Readings for Monday, June 02, 2025
Reading 1, Acts 19:1-8 1 It happened that while Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples.2 When he asked, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?' they answered, 'No, we were never...
Daily Readings for Sunday, June 01, 2025
Reading 1, Acts 7:55-60 55 But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God's right hand.56 'Look! I can see heaven thrown open,' he said, 'and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.'57 All the...
Daily Readings for Saturday, May 31, 2025
Reading 1, Zephaniah 3:14-18 14 Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem!15 Yahweh has repealed your sentence; he has turned your enemy away. Yahweh is king among you, Israel, you have nothing more...
Daily Readings for Friday, May 30, 2025
Reading 1, Acts 18:9-18 9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, 'Be fearless; speak out and do not keep silence:10 I am with you. I have so many people that belong to me in this city that no one will attempt to hurt you.'11 So Paul stayed there preaching the...
Daily Readings for Thursday, May 29, 2025
Reading 1, Acts 1:1-11 1 In my earlier work, Theophilus, I dealt with everything Jesus had done and taught from the beginning2 until the day he gave his instructions to the apostles he had chosen through the Holy Spirit, and was taken up to heaven.3 He had shown...
Daily Readings for Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Reading 1, Acts 17:15, 22-18:1 15 Paul's escort took him as far as Athens, and went back with instructions for Silas and Timothy to rejoin Paul as soon as they could.22 So Paul stood before the whole council of the Areopagus and made this speech: 'Men of Athens, I...
Daily Readings for Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Reading 1, Acts 16:22-34 22 The crowd joined in and showed its hostility to them, so the magistrates had them stripped and ordered them to be flogged.23 They were given many lashes and then thrown into prison, and the gaoler was told to keep a close watch on them.24...
Daily Readings for Monday, May 26, 2025
Reading 1, Acts 16:11-15 11 Sailing from Troas we made a straight run for Samothrace; the next day for Neapolis,12 and from there for Philippi, a Roman colony and the principal city of that district of Macedonia.13 After a few days in this city we went outside the...