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.
JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE 175 YEARS OF PARISH LIFE IN THE HEART OF ALTOONA!
In 1851, St. John the Evangelist Church was established to serve the Catholic community of Altoona. As the community grew, so did the parish. In 1901, it became the pro-cathedral of the newly established Diocese of Altoona. Today, the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament stands as a testament to generations of faith, service, and community.
Join us for 5:00 PM Mass on Saturday, November 7th, followed by a social in the parish hall with catered refreshments.
Please click here to RSVP and join us in celebrating 175 Years of Parish Life!
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.
The 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 11, 2026
GOSPEL MEDITATION
Some friends invited me to one of the most famous and expensive restaurants in the country. I was grateful and eager to go. One invited friend even flew from another state for the experience. Every bite and sip were truly memorable and delicious. But my friends’ teenage children spent much of the time on their phones, complained about the food, and generally ignored the once-in-a-lifetime experience. I wanted to yell, “C’mon, you guys! Look what you’re missing!”
In today’s parable, Jesus describes people invited to an amazing wedding feast who respond with inexplicable indifference. He says, “Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business” (Matthew 22:5). The problem is not that they choose evil but that they allow other desires to distract them from an amazing opportunity. The feast is prepared, but their hearts are elsewhere. In Christ Jesus, God offers each of us a wildly extravagant offer: a place at the wedding banquet between heaven and earth.
What are your current excuses for the delay in engaging with Jesus? How are you postponing a deepening of your relationship with him under the guise of responsibility? The good news is that the feast is ready. His invitation remains. Hear the Lord say to us, “C’mon, guys! Look what you’re missing!” Then respond with concrete action.
EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP
How easy it is, especially in these times, to be consumed by the cares and distractions of the “here and now”, forgetting about what matters most – living for the Kingdom of Heaven. The stewardship way of life, with its emphasis on the virtuous use of our Time, Talent and Treasure, allows us to embrace daily life and all its demands – with eternity in mind. In our First Reading, the prophet Isaiah paints a beautiful and compelling picture of what we can hope for in Heaven. “The Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples a feast of rich food and choice wines – juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.” And not only that, our loving Father will personally heal us of each and every suffering we endured during our lives. “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face.”
So let us embrace the stewardship way of life today! Let us put God first with our Time, our Talents and our Treasure, knowing that we can do all of this through Christ Who gives us strength. God is calling to us today to live with eternity in mind. If we do this, we will be feasting now and forever.
2026 Catholic Stewardship Consultants
REFLECTION
“She was the Queen of Rejected Meals.”
That’s what I want it to say on my tombstone. Etched in marble, deeply, so the wind and rain of a thousand years can never erase it.
Humor, you see, masks my despair. I’m sure many of you know the feeling of sweating over a hot stove for an hour to create a dish that a small, picky eater will push away, lips curled with disgust.
We’ve all made a feast no one wanted to come to.
It strikes me that “King of Rejected Meals” is an epithet which could likewise be scrawled on the empty tomb. Don’t mistake me — I’m not comparing myself to Christ! (And I’m definitely not comparing my sub-par beef-and-zucchini casserole to the Eucharist, the food of life.)
I’m just saying that a lot of evenings, when I’m clearing plates from the table, I wonder why I even bother. I wonder why I don’t just give in and let the kids eat potato chips and KitKats for every meal like they want.
Why don’t I? Well, mom guilt, for starters. But it’s more than that, really. It’s the certainty I have, underneath the resentment, that my efforts aren’t in vain, despite all evidence to the contrary.
Hope springs eternal, you see. How can we Christians help but be optimistic? We have been welcomed to a feast laid for others. We find our salvation in the ultimate rejected meal, in recognizing what true nourishment looks and feels and tastes like, even — especially! — when the rest of the world does not.
Maybe one day my kids will eat grilled chicken willingly. Who knows? Miracles happen every day.