In observance of the 125th anniversary of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, Bishop Mark will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving on May 31 at 2:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona.
During the Mass, the diocese will be blessed by the presence of Monsignor Veceslav Tumir, representing the Apostolic Nuncio in the United States, who is the Pope’s liaison in America.
Also attending will be bishops from other dioceses in Pennsylvania; the Benedictine Archabbot of Saint Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe; the Ministers Provincial of the Immaculate Conception and Sacred Heart Provinces of the Third Order Regular Franciscans; priests and deacons of the diocese; and men and women religious serving the diocese.
The diocese asked pastors to send representatives from every parish so that every faith community throughout the eight-county diocese will be represented at the Mass, and, of course, all parishioners are invited to attend.
A special part of the liturgy will be prayer petitions read by priests, religious sisters, and lay people in various languages, commemorating the ethnic roots and traditions that have enriched parish life over the decades.
“This special Mass is an opportunity for us to give thanks and glory to God for 125 years of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus and connecting Catholics to Christ through the sacraments,” said Tony DeGol, Diocesan Director of Communications. “It is awesome to consider how many lives have been impacted by the good work of our local Church. Our Catholic schools have educated generations of children and nurtured them in their faith; Catholic Charities has supported countless individuals in need regardless of their faith tradition; and family life has been strengthened through many programs and opportunities offered by the diocese. This Mass, and really this entire year, is a time to celebrate those blessings as one Diocesan Church.”
Much has changed in the local Church over the past century-and-a-quarter, including population shifts and a declining number of priests and religious, DeGol noted.
“Despite all that, this diocese continues to provide for the sacramental and other spiritual needs of the faithful, and our parishes and Catholic schools continue to be places of refuge and hope,” DeGol added. “It was just days ago when the Catholic Church celebrated the glorious Ascension of the Lord into Heaven and we heard in the Gospel the Lord’s instruction to His disciples to go out, baptize, and teach. That command of Jesus has surely been fulfilled here in the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown over the past 125 years and will carry on for generations to come.”
