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.
Third Sunday of Easter
April 19, 2026
GOSPEL MEDITATION
When I first read Homer’s Odyssey as a teenager, one scene captured my imagination: Odysseus finally returning home after 20 years, yet no one recognized him. Disguised as a beggar, he speaks with his wife, his son, and even his enemies. He is fully present, yet hidden. Only at the right moment does he reveal himself, and everyone realizes he has been with them all along. I was struck by the mystery that he could be so close to his loved ones, and yet they simply could not identify him.
A similar mystery is at the heart of today’s Gospel. Two disciples walk the road to Emmaus with Jesus, but “their eyes were prevented from recognizing him.” (Luke 24:16) He listens, teaches, and eats with them, yet they remain blind until he breaks the bread. Suddenly their eyes are opened — and at that very moment, he vanishes. His disappearance is not absence. Rather, it is revelation. The Risen Lord is now present in a new way, in the breaking of the bread and in the life of His Church.
Faith is this shift of vision. Instead of searching for a visible Jesus as if he were absent, we learn to recognize him unveiled in hidden ways — in Scripture proclaimed, in the Eucharist, in the sacraments, in the very life of the Church. And what is true of him is true of us. Just as he disappear into the mission of his Body, we too are meant to be hidden in him. When we live hidden in Christ, we are seen for who we really are.
EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP
Today’s readings focus on a theme of ‘sojourning.’ As Christian stewards, we know that our lives are a sojourn toward the ultimate destination of heaven. Our second reading instructs us to “conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, realizing that you were ransomed… with the precious blood of Christ.” What a powerful reminder during the Easter season of our ‘why’ for embracing the stewardship way of life – we have been ransomed by our Lord’s saving death and resurrection. Our lives are a gift from Him – as we sojourn through life, we are to make our lives a gift to Him in return.
So, what can we do when we become discouraged – when we need our hearts set on fire once again? We can go to the same sources as the two disciples from our Gospel today on the road to Emmaus – the Scriptures (the living Word of God) and the Eucharist (the very source and summit of our faith). Frequent recourse to these two gifts from our Lord is essential to sustain us in the stewardship way of life.
2026 Catholic Stewardship Consultants
REFLECTION
In today’s Gospel, the resurrected Jesus appears to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus although at first they don’t recognize him. He makes himself known to them through breaking bread. Find Today’s Reading Here
The biggest mistake we can make as Christians is to think that the Resurrection is the end of the story.
Of course we know, logically, that it isn’t — there are whole books of the Bible that come after it, detailing not just the activities and teachings of the Risen Christ, but the development of the early Church and the Gospel’s first baby steps into the wider world. We know this.
But sometimes we don’t act like it.
The thing is, we like stories that can be tied up neatly in a bow. It’s why “happily ever after” is a thing. These tidy endings are especially satisfying following an emotional gut punch and a twist — for instance, let’s say the crucifixion of the story’s hero and a gotcha! moment where it turns out he’s not dead after all. Drinks all around! And…scene. The curtain falls.
But the curtain didn’t fall. It still hasn’t.
Look at Cleopas. He has heard the testimony of people he knew, people he trusted — and yet, he’s in a world of confusion. He’s stumbling along the road, wondering what to believe.
Christ gave us “happily ever after.” But what do you do with “happily ever after?” What do you do with the Resurrection? What do you do with salvation?
The Resurrection left loose ends — not because it was insufficient, but because it was not a final chapter. So being a Christian means embracing the life of a loose end. It means figuring out what to do with the Resurrection, with salvation, with forgiveness — with this hard-won “happily ever after” that is a gift but also a commission.
Because the curtain is still up, and we are all characters in the Greatest Story Ever Told.
So, what’s the next scene?