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.
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
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.
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
November 15, 2026
GOSPEL MEDITATION
A friend once took his young adult son to the casino for his birthday. He handed him $100 and said, “Let’s have a great time.” The son, a graduate student with limited money, quietly pocketed the money and refused to play. “I don’t want to lose it,” he said. But he missed the point: the money was not really his to pocket; it was his father’s invitation to share an experience together. God sees our gifts a bit like this. In Jesus’ parable, a servant buries his master’s talent and explains: “Master, I knew you were a demanding person…so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground” (Matthew 25:24-25). The master condemns him not for failure but for refusing to risk. The servant’s fear distorts his image of the master and leads to a small, loveless response. No love, no risk. No risk, no relationship.
How easily we fall into this trap! We treat God’s gifts as fragile possessions rather than invitations. We play it safe, avoid risk, and tell ourselves we are wise and God is cruel. But Jesus praises those who trust the Master’s goodness enough to act boldly. They are not reckless but confident enough in their Master to risk their gifts for Him.
So, what is my interior story about God right now? Is it marked by generosity, adventure, and trust? Or by fear, caution, and suspicion? That hidden narrative shapes everything. Because love, by its nature, always takes risks with, and for, the beloved.
EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP
Today’s readings challenge us to live not for the “here and now,” but rather with eternity in mind. We are reminded that we will be called one day to give an account for the gifts God has given us – our physical, intellectual and material gifts – as well as the gift of time itself. We must examine our lives to determine whether we are making the best use of our gifts with the time we have been given to use them.
St. Paul gives us a wonderful lens through which to do this type of self-examination, in our Second Reading from 1 Thessalonians. He reminds us of our true identity as disciples of Christ. “All of you are… children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. Therefore, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us stay alert and sober.” We are to live in a way that is counter to the prevailing wisdom, living not for ourselves and for the pleasure of immediate gratification, but rather to advance the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let us embrace the stewardship way of life, using all the gifts entrusted to us – time, talent and treasure – in such a way that at the end of our life on this earth, we will hear these words from our Father: “Well done, my good and faithful servant… Come, share your master’s joy.”
2026 Catholic Stewardship Consultants
REFLECTION
They call us “professional Catholics.”
You know many of these folks. Maybe you are one (I am). Maybe it’s part of your actual job to work for the Church. “Manna from Heaven,” I once called it — the privilege of seeing your bills paid by money earned talking about God.
I was having dinner with a friend recently who works in a local parish. She shared with me that some of her colleagues don’t seem to have much of a devotional life outside of their jobs. Some don’t even attend regular Mass, though their lives revolve around the Church.
“That’s terrible,” I said, not wanting to think of the holy hours I haven’t had time for, the Rosaries I haven’t finished, and the stack of spiritual books next to my desk, spines uncracked.
You don’t have to earn a paycheck to be a professional Catholic. A professional Catholic can be anyone who spends a good deal of time simply identifying as a disciple, without embracing what that actually means.
See, I was wrong to call it “manna from Heaven.” Manna merely sustains life, and we shouldn’t be satisfied with that. The reward of a disciple should be more.
The opportunity to spread the Gospel is a fortune, lavishly endowed to the care of a servant by a master who is long delayed. He doesn’t care about return on investment. He’ll be just as pleased with a twofold increase as a five-fold one. It’s not about profits. It’s about engagement.
How terrible will it be, when I stand before God, if all I can tell Him is this: “I did my job. I was a professional.”
I want to tell Him I did more. I pray I can tell Him I did more.