The Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown is mourning the passing of its oldest living priest.
Reverend Sylvester J. Bendzella, passed on October 1, 2025, at Mountain Top Rehabilitation Center in Mountain Top, Pennsylvania.
Born on November 25, 1932, in Barnesboro, the son of the late Joseph and Mary (Tomechko) Bendzella, he attended Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary in Catonsville, Maryland, and Saint Mary Seminary, in Baltimore, Maryland.
He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown on May 23, 1959.
Among his early assignments were Saint Michael Parish in Clarence and Saint Stephen Parish in Johnstown.
He was a part-time instructor at Bishop McCort Catholic High School in Johnstown.
Father Bendzella served as Pastor of Saint John the Baptist Parish in Central City from 1968-1983 and Saints Cyril and Methodius Parish in Windber from 1983-1988.
He was appointed Pastor of Saint Michael Parish in Clarence in 1988 and then Pastor Saint Mary Parish in Snow Shoe in 1991, concluding his tenure at both parishes in 2003.
In his later years of active ministry, he served as a hospital chaplain in Johnstown while residing at Saint Andrew Parish in Johnstown, and he was a chaplain at the Veterans’ Home in Hollidaysburg while in residence at Saint Rose of Lima Parish in Altoona.
Father Bendzella retired in 2008 and resided for many years at Dmitri Manor, a former Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown priest retirement residence in Hollidaysburg.
At the family’s request, there will be no public viewing or visitation for Father Bendzella.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated on October 6, 2025, at 11:00 a.m., at Prince of Peace Parish, 811 Chestnut Avenue, Northern Cambria.
