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.
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. Brochures are available at the entrances to the cathedral. Click this link for additional Information.
Fifth Sunday of Easter
May 3, 2026
GOSPEL MEDITATION
We generally approach life with the question, “What can this do for me?” We try a new workout, a low-carb diet, intermittent fasting, or a new career path, hoping it will make us healthier, stronger, happier. The assumption is that if I invest in this, I’ll eventually reap some benefit, or I won’t do it.
It is easy to think of faith the same way: if I really practice my faith, what will it do for me? Will it make me calmer, more moral, more successful?
But in today’s Gospel, Jesus says something astonishing. He doesn’t present himself as a teacher who shows us the way to life. He says, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” (John 14:6) He is not merely a guide toward some higher benefit. He is the benefit itself. To know him is to know Life. Thomas Aquinas explains that every desire in the human heart — love, joy, meaning, all of our restless cravings — is really an indirect cry for life. Even despair testifies to this longing: people despair precisely because they feel they are not, and might never be, fully alive.
The good news is that Jesus is not simply the means to a better life; He is Life itself. To believe in him is to share in God’s own eternal vitality. Not simply later but even now. Faith is not a transaction that produces results — it is a union that fills us with joy. To be in communion with Christ is to be truly, fully alive.
EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP
What do you think is the value of your stewardship? Do you believe that through your actions both great and small that God can touch people, heal them, and change their lives? Too often we can mistakenly assume that what we do, say, or offer can have little effect in the grand scheme of life. We are simply poor sinners in need of salvation so what could we do anyway?
Jesus speaks very powerfully to what can be done by those who believe in him and follow him. He says in John’s Gospel, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” Greater ones than these? Think about all the miracles of Jesus recorded in sacred Scripture. You and I can do works greater than those?
2026 Catholic Stewardship Consultants
REFLECTION
In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks to his disciples about the place He is preparing for everyone in Heaven. He reminds them that knowing Him is akin to knowing Got the Father.
A friend of mine who had family members belonging to several different religions once told me that there were as many different routes to Heaven as there were to the grocery store.
This was an analogy her family had used to remember that they all sought the same thing — God — even though they were going about the search in different ways.
I’ve thought a lot about her words in the years since she shared them with me. It’s not an untrue analogy — there are a lot of different routes to the grocery store. An infinite number, in fact. There is actually no “right” way to get to the grocery store, because it all depends on where you’re starting from and what other errands you have along the way.
And there are a lot of different routes to Heaven — likewise, an infinite number. It all depends on where you’re starting from. It all depends on what you have to do along the way.
There it is: the part that matters.The way.
Whether we’re talking about Heaven or the grocery store as our destination, all routes are not created equal. Some take too long. Some are impassable. Some are hard to navigate. Some are just plain made-up — the glitch of a GPS, the promise of a false prophet. And inevitably, if you take a less-than-ideal route, you will find yourself flagging down a pedestrian, asking, “I’m lost. Which way do I go?”
See, you can meander all you want. But in the end, you have to find The Way. And there’s only one. Don’t worry, though.
You’ll know him when you see him.