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. Brochures are available at the entrances to the cathedral. Information is also available at https://gateway.gocollette.com/link/1377752
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.
CHRISTMAS MASS SCHEDULE
Christmas Eve: 5:00 P.M.
Christmas Day: Midnight, 8:00 A.M., and 10:00 A.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
ADVENT PENANCE SERVICE: Wednesday, December 17, at 6:00 P.M.
Third Sunday of Advent
December 14, 2025
GOSPEL MEDITATION
When I was 11, I was riding my bike on a Friday night in Scottsdale, Arizona. I saw giant spotlights swirling in the sky. Something amazing had to be happening. I pedaled after them with excitement. Sweaty and tired, I arrived, only to find a used car lot. Bright lights, flapping banners, inflatable balloon men swaying wildly in the wind. I stood there, heart sinking. All that spectacle, and all my effort … for this?
As life proceeds, we learn what it is like to pursue promising but fruitless searches. This week we hear Jesus ask the crowds regarding John the Baptist: “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?” (Matthew 11:7). He’s not just describing the crowd’s misaimed pursuit. He’s naming our tendency to chase after what’s flashy but flimsy.
What are our swaying reeds? For me, it is endless video reels on my phone, worldly pleasures, entertainment in sports, and the good opinion of others. Inflated distractions that bend whichever way the wind blows. But they can’t satisfy my soul. What are your flimsy reeds?
John the Baptist wasn’t a swaying reed. He was rooted, grounded, unafraid to speak the solid truth. The people went to see him because, deep down, they were starving for something real.
This Advent, the Church asks us to reassess: What are we really looking for? Are we chasing the dazzling but hollow? Or are we seeking what is solid and lasting — that which points to Christ?
EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP
Good news, Christian stewards – we are gaining ground on our Advent mountain climb and it is time to take a moment to rejoice in the Good News that our Savior will come again in triumph one day. Today’s readings on this Gaudete (‘Rejoice’) Sunday are filled with reminders of God’s final victory over suffering and injustice, and encouragement to remain steadfast in our mission to live as faith-filled disciples.
Our Gospel passage, from Matthew, connects the prophecy of Isaiah to the arrival of Jesus almost word for word. In this passage we find the imprisoned John the Baptist sending his disciples to ask Jesus if he is indeed the long-awaited Messiah. Jesus’ reply is almost identical to Isaiah’s prophetic words. He says, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, and the dead are raised…” The Savior really has arrived just as promised! Yet that arrival was 700 years after Isaiah’s prediction. God always fulfills his promises, but patience and firmness of heart are required as we await his perfect timing.
Let us rejoice in the knowledge that God has called us to enter this kingdom. Let us keep our hearts firmly fixed on this eternal goal and strive with all our might to give God and others the very best of ourselves in gratitude for such a privilege.
2025 Catholic Stewardship Consultants
PRACTICING CATHOLIC – RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
Mini reflection: Love and hate. Hope and fear. Death and life. What lasts forever, and what is even now passing away before our eyes. To be human is to know that these feelings, these realities, can and often do occur at the same time. To be Christian is to know that it means something.
Two Things Can Be True At Once
As my husband and I drove our firstborn child home from the hospital, I sat alongside my daughter in the backseat. Terrified, exhausted, exhilarated, confused, hopeful — I was all of these things at the same time. I gazed at her, this magnificent little creature whose face was both familiar and strange to me, thinking: She is exquisite. She is the future. She is life.
And then I burst into uncontrollable sobs.
“What’s wrong?” my husband cried, panicked, glancing in the rearview mirror.
“She’s — going — to — die — someday,” I blubbered, choking on my own tears.
“Ohhh, honey.” I’ll never forget the tone of his voice as he clearly debated turning this car around and taking me back to the hospital for an emergency psych evaluation. “I think you might be tired.”
Ten years later, it’s a memory we laugh about. I hadn’t slept more than four hours in four days. Postpartum hormones had lain waste to my senses. Here, on the threshold of new life, all I could think of was death. It’s funny. It’s absurd.
But it also makes a lot of sense.
Love and hate. Hope and fear. Joy and sorrow. Death and life. What lasts forever, and what is even now passing away before our eyes. To be human is to know that these feelings, these realities, can and often do occur at the same time. To be Christian is to know that it means something — even if we cannot understand what. Not yet.
In every moment of his earthly life, Christ shows us that two things can be true at once. A virgin is a mother. An exile is a king. The temple will be destroyed, and it will last forever. The world is ending. The world is beginning. The cross is death. The cross is life.
– Colleen Jurkiewicz Dorman