Current Events and News

From the Diocese

Bishop Suspends Precious Blood During Flu Season

Bishop Mark L. Bartchak has directed that the Precious Blood not be distributed in any form at Mass beginning the weekend of January 11 and 12, 2020, and continuing until further notice. The directive is due to the severity of the flu season. It is the belief of the...

Independent Oversight Board Report

The Independent Oversight Board for Youth Protection of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown has issued its first Annual Report on reforms developed and implemented by the Diocese for the protection of children and youth, concluding that “much has been done, but much is...

Victim Assistance

For almost two decades, the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown has been committed to providing pastoral care and financial support to the victims and survivors of sexual abuse. The diocese began a Victim Assistance Program in 1999, and, since that time, assistance in the...

Independent Oversight Board

Bishop Mark Bartchak and Acting United States Attorney Soo Song have announced the names of the individuals appointed to the Independent Oversight Board for Youth Protection for the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. Click below for the media advisory from the Department...

Review Board

Bishop Mark Bartchak has announced the appointment of an entirely new membership for the Diocesan Review Board, which assists in the assessment of allegations of sexual abuse of minors and a cleric’s suitability for ministry. The new members are: Rev. Leo ArnoneJoyce...

Reforms to Protect Children

On March 6, 2017, Bishop Mark L. Bartchak and Acting United States Attorney Soo C. Song announced reforms by the Diocese to protect children from sexual abuse, ensure that all allegations of sexual abuse are immediately reported to law enforcement, and provide victims...

Support for Survivors of Sexual Abuse

The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown is partnering with state and local agencies to offer support to survivors of sexual abuse. Resources and educational information will be featured regularly in the Diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Register, and on the Diocesan...

Saint of the Day

Daily Reading

Daily Readings for Thursday, May 22, 2025

Reading 1, Acts 15:7-21 7 and after a long discussion, Peter stood up and addressed them. 'My brothers,' he said, 'you know perfectly well that in the early days God made his choice among you: the gentiles were to learn the good news from me and so become believers.8...

Daily Readings for Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Reading 1, Acts 15:1-6 1 Then some men came down from Judaea and taught the brothers, 'Unless you have yourselves circumcised in the tradition of Moses you cannot be saved.'2 This led to disagreement, and after Paul and Barnabas had had a long argument with these men...

Daily Readings for Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Reading 1, Acts 14:19-28 19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and turned the people against them. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the town, thinking he was dead.20 The disciples came crowding round him but, as they did so, he stood up and went...

Daily Readings for Monday, May 19, 2025

Reading 1, Acts 14:5-18 5 but eventually with the connivance of the authorities a move was made by gentiles as well as Jews to make attacks on them and to stone them.6 When they came to hear of this, they went off for safety to Lycaonia where, in the towns of Lystra...

Daily Readings for Sunday, May 18, 2025

Reading 1, Acts 14:21-27 21 Having preached the good news in that town and made a considerable number of disciples, they went back through Lystra, Iconium and Antioch.22 They put fresh heart into the disciples, encouraging them to persevere in the faith, saying, 'We...

Daily Readings for Saturday, May 17, 2025

Reading 1, Acts 13:44-52 44 The next Sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God.45 When they saw the crowds, the Jews, filled with jealousy, used blasphemies to contradict everything Paul said.46 Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out fearlessly. 'We...

Daily Readings for Friday, May 16, 2025

Reading 1, Acts 13:26-33 26 'My brothers, sons of Abraham's race, and all you godfearers, this message of salvation is meant for you.27 What the people of Jerusalem and their rulers did, though they did not realise it, was in fact to fulfil the prophecies read on...

Daily Readings for Thursday, May 15, 2025

Reading 1, Acts 13:13-25 13 Paul and his companions went by sea from Paphos to Perga in Pamphylia where John left them to go back to Jerusalem.14 The others carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the Sabbath and took...

Daily Readings for Wednesday, May 14, 2025

Reading 1, Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 15 One day Peter stood up to speak to the brothers -- there were about a hundred and twenty people in the congregation,16 'Brothers,' he said, 'the passage of scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit, speaking through...

Daily Readings for Tuesday, May 13, 2025

Reading 1, Acts 11:19-26 19 Those who had scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, but they proclaimed the message only to Jews.20 Some of them, however, who came from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to...