CATHEDRAL OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT
The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament Parish in Altoona, PA is a welcoming and compassionate community of believers striving to grow as God’s people.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we offer lifelong faith formation for children, youth, and adults; and we live out Christ’s invitation to serve our sisters and brothers.
We gather to worship in prayer and song and invite all to joyfully participate in word and sacrament, especially the Eucharist.
SERVING THE PEOPLE OF GOD IN THE CITY OF ALTOONA, PA SINCE 1851.
SUPPORTING THE MINISTRIES OF CATHEDRAL PARISH
By clicking on the Get Involved link, you will find valuable information on how to make a financial donation to the Cathedral. The weekly offertory, the annual Catholic Ministries Drive, Bequests, and contributions to our Endowments are ways by which the blessings God has given to you become a blessing to the parish.
PILGRIMAGE TO ROME AND THE SHRINES OF ITALY
You are invited to join Monsignor Stan Carson on a pilgrimage to Rome and the shrines of Italy from October 12-22 in 2026. For more information go to https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1377752
Be sure to join an exclusive presentation/slide show on Thursday, October 23, 2025, at 6:00 P.M. in the cathedral’s hall.
PRAYER FOR POPE LEO XIV
O God, who in your providential design willed that your Church be built upon blessed Peter, whom you set over the other Apostles, look with favor, we pray, on Leo XIV our Pope and grant that he, whom you have made Peter’s successor, may be for your people a visible source and foundation of unity in faith and of communion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Excerpt from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010 International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. All rights reserved.
DAILY MASSES
Monday-Saturday-Noon
WEEKEND MASSES
Vigil, Saturday at 5:00 P.M.
Sunday Masses at 8:00 A.M., 10:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M.
SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
Wednesday at 7:00 P.M.
Saturday: at 12:30 P.M.
By appointment: by calling or texting 814-937-8240
The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
November 9, 2025
GOSPEL MEDITATION
When I was 22, I entered St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time. It floored me. I could hardly take it in, its grandeur, majestic arches, vibrant colors, and the light that danced through its high windows. Somehow, amidst such splendor, I felt an overwhelming sense of belonging, as if I had finally come home.
Jesus reorients how we Catholics see sacred buildings. In today’s Gospel he says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:13-22). His riddle implies, shockingly, that his own body is now the fundamental dwelling place of God and humanity. The temple in Jerusalem has been superseded.
In our churches today — whether they mirror the basilica’s grandeur or embrace humble simplicity — we experience architectural symbols of Christ’s risen body. It is no accident we call them “churches”: they make visible in brick-and-mortar Christ’s body which is made up of the living stones we call Christians. Each church building, like St. John Lateran in Rome, or St. Peter’s, or any other, is meant to be a vibrant sign of Christ’s resurrected body. We should cherish and protect our churches as places where heaven touches earth, where we, as a community, are raised to the fullness of life in Christ
– Father John Muir
EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP
Today’s readings challenge us to focus on the “why” of stewardship. Why embrace this challenging way of life when it seems hard enough just to pay the bills, take care of our loved ones, meet the demands of our jobs, and fall into bed at the end of each full day? Because this life is not all there is. We were made for more – for eternal happiness in union with God. While we cannot earn our way into Heaven, what we do now with the life God has given us has eternal consequences. Stewardship living helps us to keep focused on our hoped-for destination in the choices we make each day.
In our Gospel passage from Luke, Christ reminds us very clearly that we were made for more than just this life and that our choices in this life have eternal consequences. In this passage, our Lord corrects some Sadducees for their mistaken notion that there is no resurrection. He instructs that “those who are deemed worth to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead… can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.”
We should embrace the stewardship way of life to thank God for all His gifts to us and so that we may attain the gift of eternal life and the everlasting happiness of Heaven with Him.
2025 Catholic Stewardship Consultants
PRACTICING CATHOLIC – RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
Mini reflection: The Pharisee did the right thing sometimes. He fasted. He tithed. But he gazed so long at his own holiness that he became blinded by it. He stood before God, and he could only think of what he had done right.
Tunnel Vision
There are some parents on the playground I really can’t stand.
You know them, probably, if you’re a parent, or if you’re not, you know a different version of them. They’ll tell you about how their little Brayden is a bilingual violin prodigy who sleeps through the night and only ever asks to snack on vegetables. But as soon as Brayden starts to chase your screaming kid with a stick, they’re conveniently scrolling on their phone, unaware.
You’re not irritated that their kid is smarter than yours and likes veggies (well, maybe you are, a little). You’re irritated that they have tunnel vision. In striving for perfection, they have become unable to acknowledge imperfections.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably in church. If you’re in church, you’re probably someone who is concerned with what is right and what is wrong. I’ve got news for you: that might just make you (and me) more at risk of being like Brayden’s parent than the people who stayed home today.
Unclutch your pearls! It was good of you to come to Mass. Definitely keep doing that. That’s the right choice. Just don’t forget that in making the right choice, we don’t become righteous.
Look, I’m not going to lie to you. Sometimes, it’s my kids who are doing the chasing with the stick. They’re kids, and kids do dumb things, just like everyone else. And maybe it’s because they hate vegetables and sleep terribly that I’m less reluctant than Brayden’s mom to admit their mistakes. It’s a hard fall from the pedestal.
If we’re churchgoing followers of Christ, we are hopefully people who earnestly want to do the right thing. Maybe, sometimes, we do exactly that. The Pharisee did the right thing sometimes. He fasted. He tithed. But he gazed so long at his own holiness that he became blinded by it. He stood before God, and he could only think of what he had done right.
– Colleen Jurkiewicz Dorman