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. Click this link for additional Information
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
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
Stations of the Cross will be prayed on the Fridays of Lent at 5:30 P.M.
SIMPLY SUNG EVENING PRAYER
Beginning on the Second Sunday of Lent, at 4:00 P.M.
LENTEN PENANCE SERVICE
Wednesday, March 25, at 6:00 P.M.
Second Sunday of Lent
March 1, 2026
GOSPEL MEDITATION
When I sit down to answer emails or write a Gospel reflection or return a phone call, I sometimes wonder: Does any of this humdrum work matter? Maybe you ask the same thing about your daily labor. Today’s Gospel, the Transfiguration, offers a surprising answer. Jesus leads Peter, James, and John up a mountain. There, “his face shone like the sun face and his clothes become white as light” (Matthew 17:2). That detail regarding his clothes is worth considering. We know Jesus’ body is inseparably united to the divine nature. But his clothing? That’s something made by human hands. It’s an artifact. And yet it shines with the same uncreated light. What does this detail mean? The early Church noted that Adam and Eve’s first act after the Fall was to make clothing. This clothing symbolizes all human labor that supports our dignity. In Jesus’ glorified garments, we see not just the redemption of our body, but of human effort to protect and uplift human dignity.
Parents, your family is your work. Baristas, plumbers, nurses, accountants — your labor, your emails, your phone calls, your spreadsheets — can all become radiant when offered to God in love. The question isn’t just do I believe in Jesus’ glory, but do I believe he can share it with the work of my hands? Lenten Challenge: Identify the “artifact” you are making to uplift the dignity of others: your job, your home, your relationships. Consciously bring it to the Lord this Sunday at Mass. Offer it to share in His glory. It will begin to shine.
EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP
Today we are following Jesus up on a high mountain with Peter, James, and John. There they see Jesus “transfigured,” his face like the sun and his clothes as white as light. Jesus is there conversing with Moses and Elijah.
What are we to make of this image of Jesus, the earthly teacher of this small band of disciples? They were merely followers of a teacher, a rabbi. When they see this and hear a voice proclaiming, “This is my beloved Son…” they begin to realize this man is more than just a rabbi. However, Jesus tells them to keep this a secret until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.
Well, they have no idea what this means. Therefore, they continue to follow him as if he was just a human, a teacher. However, we live in the time after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead. Now it is we who must proclaim the good news of Jesus, the Son of God the Father.
Take this week and think about how, in your own way, can proclaim through your words and deeds the Jesus is your savior, your teacher, and rabbi.
2026 Catholic Stewardship Consultants
REFLECTION
Three Tents
You guys, I was such a good Catholic at the National Eucharistic Congress.
Mass every day? Check. Rosary every day? Check (and check — we said a lot of rosaries). Deep thoughts and deep conversations about God with total strangers? Check. Hours in adoration reflecting on the state of my soul? Check.
When I went to Indianapolis in the summer of 2024 to cover the NEC for our archdiocesan newspaper, I knew it would be a fun and spiritually rich experience. But I didn’t expect that it would make me think differently about my whole life (and afterlife). And when people ask me why — “What happened in Indianapolis that changed you?” — I can only tell them this: I spent time with God.
Of course, I do all these things in my regular life at home, too. I try to be a good Catholic here. But good grief, it’s a lot harder. In Indianapolis, I didn’t have a calendar full of appointments and to-do lists that filled me with dread. I didn’t have the world crowding around me, grasping at my attention and my will.
Indianapolis was the mountain, and if I could have, I would have built three tents.
So I understand Peter’s feelings at the Transfiguration. He’s thrilled — he sees it all clearly now. Here is the fullness of Truth, revealed in all its glory, and he’s ready to start bringing groups of tourists up to see it. He’s ready to bring people to Christ. But in the blood-soaked, fear-filled days to come, Peter will realize that it’s not his job to bring the world to the Truth. His job is to bring the Truth into the world.
What a tragedy it would be, if Truth only lived on the mountaintop.
So build three tents, strong and durable shelters for the Truth to dwell. But build them in your heart. And then, the Transfiguration won’t be just an event, something that happened at a certain time and a certain place. It’ll be a reality that lives within us all. And we will bear it with us wherever we go.
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