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| An E-Newsletter from the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown
January 2016
| Volume VIII Number 1 |
 Happy New Year!
Welcome to the January edition of E-vangelist, a monthly E-Newsletter from the Communications Office of the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown. The new year is in full swing. Besides cold and snow, this month also brings the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. Bishop Mark invites everyone to a Prayer Service on the eve of the March for Life. You can read more in this edition of E-vangelist. The Bishop is also looking forward to the celebration of Catholic Schools Week. You can read his Catholic Schools Week letter to the faithful linked below in this e-newsletter.
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Coming up in the
January 25, 2016, edition of The Catholic Register:
- Reporter Bruce Tomaselli
interviews Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic High School football
coach Justin Wheeler
following the team's second state championship.
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Bishop Mark Bartchak's upcoming Guests on Keeping the Faith, a weekly segment on Proclaim!:
January 24 -- Diane Campagna, a member of Saint Aloysius Parish in Cresson, talks about her efforts to promote a culture of life.
January 31 -- In celebration of Catholic Schools Week, Altoona Central Catholic School teacher Jennifer Crawford and two of her students talk about a book they are publishing.
Proclaim! airs every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on WATM ABC 23 and is rebroadcast on the Altoona Public Access Channel (Channel 14 on Atlantic Broadband) at 9:30 p.m. The live Mass from Saint John Gualbert Cathedral in Johnstown airs at 11:00 a.m. on WATM and is rebroadcast at 9:00 p.m. on Atlantic Broadband Channel 9 in the Altoona area.
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Watch "Answering the Call" every Sunday at 9:00 p.m. on the Altoona Public Access Channel 14 in the Central Blair County area.
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 Prayer Service
The annual March for Life will be held on January 22 in Washington, D.C. Bishop Mark will travel with students from Saint Joseph's Catholic Academy in Boalsburg. Many other individuals and groups from our Diocese will also make the trip. As always, on the eve of the March, Bishop Mark will preside at a prayer service. It will be held on January 21 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona. All are welcome, especially those going to the March the following day. The Bishop will offer a special blessing for those going on the trip.
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 Year of Mercy Reconciliation Opportunity
Observing the Jubilee of Mercy and welcoming the beginning of the Lenten Season, the Local Church will make the Sacrament of Reconciliation, an encounter with the compassionate mercy of God, available throughout our eight counties the day following Ash Wednesday on Thursday, February 11 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. More.
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 A Message from the Vocations Director
Consider this: We currently have 58 active Diocesan Priests in our Diocese (under the age of retirement of 75). We have 88 churches in our Diocese. At the present moment we have six men preparing to become priests for our Diocese. If these men all persevere they will be ordained by the year 2023. However, by that same year at least 14 of our active priests will reach the age of retirement. More.
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 Catholic Schools Week 2016
The Diocese will celebrate Catholic Schools Week January 31-February 6. This theme is "Catholic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge, and Service." In Altoona-Johnstown, there are 20 Catholic elementary schools and four independent Catholic high schools. Each school will mark the observance with its own unique celebrations. Congratulations to our outstanding students, parents, administrators, faculty, and staff. More. |
 Johnstown Quadrant Announces Administration Team
During a meeting with parents on January 11, 2016, the Johnstown Quadrant Regional School Board announced the administration for the regional school scheduled to open in Johnstown in the 2016-2017 academic year. More.
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 Altoona Quadrant Announces School Name
The Altoona Quadrant Regional School Board is pleased to announce that the new regional school scheduled to open in the Altoona/Hollidaysburg areas will be called Holy Trinity Catholic School. Families from the Catholic schools that will be regionalized chose the name among three options. More.
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 Mass for Widows/Widowers
A special way for widows and widowers to remember their spouses. In honor of Valentine's Day, Mass will be celebrated on February 3 at 11:00 a.m. at Immaculate Conception Parish in New Germany followed by a luncheon at Noon and a musical presentation. Spouses will be mentioned and remembered at the Mass. All widows and widowers in the Diocese are invited to attend. A five dollar donation is suggested. Reservations are required by January 26. Call the Diocesan Family Life Office at (814) 886-5551 or email the office at familylife@dioceseaj.org.
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 Retreat Opportunity
Father Richard Tomkosky, Pastor of Saint John the Baptist Parish and Retreat Center in New Baltimore, will conduct an overnight weekend retreat at the retreat center from Friday evening, February 5 until Sunday afternoon, February 7. The topic will be "What the Saints can teach us as we prepare for Lent and in daily life throughout the year." Meals and private room lodging are included. Reservations are required by January 29. Space is limited. Please call (814) 733-2210 for cost and more information.
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Prayer of Pope Francis for the Jubilee Year of Mercy
Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him. Show us your face and we will be saved.Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money; the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things; made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief. Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman: "If you knew the gift of God!" You are the visible face of the invisible Father, of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy: let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error: let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God. Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with its anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord, and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind. We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.
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Contact Information
E-vangelist is published by the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown Office of Communications Mr. Tony DeGol Secretary for Communications 925 S. Logan Boulevard Hollidaysburg, PA 16648 (814) 695-5579 tdegol@dioceseaj.org |
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