About Our Lady of the Assumption · Altoona, Pennsylvania
Our Lady of the Assumption is a small Catholic chapel in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood of Altoona, Pennsylvania, that has served as a mission worship site of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish since 1925. It is staffed by the Third Order Regular (T.O.R.) Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate Conception Province, headquartered in Hollidaysburg, who have shepherded the parent parish since 1909. Today the chapel offers a Sunday morning Mass and confessions, giving Pleasant Valley residents a close-to-home alternative to the main Mount Carmel church on 11th Street. As a Franciscan mission church it carries on the same Italian-immigrant Catholic heritage that founded the parent parish at the turn of the twentieth century.
- Established
- 1925
- Patron
- Our Lady of the Assumption (the Blessed Virgin Mary)
- Rector
- Rev. Frank A. Scornaienchi, T.O.R.
- Diocese
- Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown
Why belong here
Assumption Chapel is a small, walkable Sunday Mass in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood — perfect for families and longtime Italian-Catholic residents who want a familiar worship site close to home. Because it is a mission of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, you receive the same Franciscan (T.O.R.) pastoral care, the same bulletin, the same parish ministries, and the same 100+ years of Catholic tradition, all under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The chapel also offers Sunday confessions before Mass and serves as the convenient Vigil-of-Holy-Days site for the parish.
Mass times at Our Lady of the Assumption
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Sunday 9:00 am (Assumption Chapel)
Our Lady of the Assumption Chapel
Tucked into the Pleasant Valley neighborhood on the corner of Hileman Street and Adams Avenue, Our Lady of the Assumption Chapel is the smaller, more intimate worship site of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish. The chapel is a mission church rather than a separate parish: it shares the pastor, parochial vicar, staff, bulletin, and ministries of Mount Carmel, and it relies on the Third Order Regular (T.O.R.) Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate Conception Province for its sacramental life. The site was opened in 1925 to spare Pleasant Valley families the long walk up to the main Mount Carmel church, and nearly a century later it is still offering that same convenience to local Catholics.
- Mission of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, Altoona
- Located at Hileman Street & Adams Avenue, Altoona, PA 16602
- Opened October 4, 1925, the first of its kind in Pleasant Valley
- Served by the T.O.R. Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate Conception Province
History of the Chapel and Parent Parish
The chapel's story is inseparable from the founding of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Bishop Eugene Garvey sent Fr. Raphael Penta to Altoona in 1905 to care for the Italian-immigrant colony; that mission, first called Our Lady of Lourdes, became Our Lady of Mount Carmel under its second pastor. The T.O.R. Franciscans took over in 1909, and in 1925 Pastor Fr. Jerome Zazzara, T.O.R. opened the Assumption Chapel so that Pleasant Valley Catholics could walk to Mass. The parish marked 100 years in 2005 and continues to publish a complete succession of Franciscan pastors on its history page.
- 1905 — Parish founded as 'Our Lady of Lourdes' for Italian immigrants; Fr. Raphael Penta appointed by Bishop Eugene Garvey
- 1905–1909 — Fr. William Cavallo renames the parish Our Lady of Mount Carmel; he dies suddenly March 27, 1909
- 1909 — Fr. Nicolas Capaldo resigns after five months; on Dec. 31, 1909, the T.O.R. Franciscans arrive with Fr. Jerome Zazzara, T.O.R.
- October 4, 1925 — First Mass celebrated at Our Lady of the Assumption Chapel in Pleasant Valley
- 2005 — Parish celebrates its 100th anniversary (Oct. 16, 2005)
Pastor and Staff
Both worship sites — Mount Carmel church and Assumption Chapel — are served by the same parish staff, drawn largely from the T.O.R. Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate Conception Province and supported by a strong lay team. The pastor is also Minister Provincial of his Franciscan province, reflecting the close bond between the parish and the wider order.
- Pastor: Rev. Frank A. Scornaienchi, T.O.R. (also Minister Provincial, Immaculate Conception Province)
- Parochial Vicar: Rev. Patrick Corrigan, T.O.R.
- Parish Executive Assistant: Mrs. Lynn Parson-Musselman
- Director of Music: Mr. Claude Fabinyi
- Choir Director: Mrs. Arlene Huth
- Coordinator of Religious Education: Mrs. Samantha Pope
- Director of Christian Initiation (RCIA): Mrs. Kathi Saller
- Director of Adult Confirmation: Mr. Daniel Spinazzola
- Director of Maintenance: Mr. Jeff Benz
Franciscans of the Immaculate Conception Province
Since December 31, 1909, Our Lady of Mount Carmel — and by extension Assumption Chapel — has been entrusted to the Third Order Regular (T.O.R.) Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate Conception Province, headquartered in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania. The parish's own history page notes that 'most of the friars of the Immaculate Conception Province have served at Our Lady of Mount Carmel as pastors, parochial vicars, or as helpers for preaching, teaching, confession, or liturgy.' The friars shape parish life around the message of St. Francis of Assisi: 'peace, loving respect, and common brotherhood … love for the poor, care of the earth, and always points the way to Jesus.'
- Pastoral care provided by the T.O.R. Franciscans since 1909
- Province headquartered in Hollidaysburg, PA
- Many province friars have rotated through Mount Carmel over the decades
Liturgical Ministries
Parishioners from both worship sites are invited to serve in the liturgical ministries. The parish publishes rotating ministry schedules online (Altar Servers, Ushers, Readers, Readers – Holy Week, Cantors, and Eucharistic Minister) so that volunteers can sign up for specific Sundays. The choir and music program are led by Director of Music Claude Fabinyi and Choir Director Arlene Huth.
- Altar Servers
- Ushers
- Readers (Lectors)
- Readers – Holy Week
- Cantors
- Eucharistic Ministers
Faith Formation and Christian Initiation
Children's religious education, the RCIA process for adults seeking Baptism or full communion with the Catholic Church, and a dedicated Adult Confirmation program are all coordinated parish-wide. Families from Assumption Chapel participate in the same programs as families from the main Mount Carmel church.
- Religious Education (Coordinator: Samantha Pope)
- Christian Initiation / RCIA (Director: Kathi Saller)
- Adult Confirmation (Director: Daniel Spinazzola)
Parish Life, Festival and Fundraising
Beyond the sacraments, the parish is animated by a long-running annual festival (with a dedicated 'Festival' page and YouTube video archive covering 2018, 2019, and 2023), a Mount Carmel Cookbook (order form available on the website), a YouTube channel featuring homilies and the popular 'Fr. Carl and Fr. Frank cooking show,' and an ongoing Pipe Organ Campaign for the parent church's Viscount Hybrid Pipe Organ. A photo gallery and embedded YouTube video archive keep the wider community connected between events.
- Annual Mount Carmel Festival (Festival 2018, 2019, 2023 archived on YouTube)
- Mount Carmel Cookbook (order form online)
- Pipe Organ Campaign for the parent church's Viscount Hybrid Pipe Organ
- Photo Gallery on the parish website
- YouTube Video Archives (homilies, festival highlights, 'Fr. Carl and Fr. Frank cooking show')
Visiting Assumption Chapel
The chapel is easy to find from either downtown Altoona or Interstate 99. The parish website posts explicit turn-by-turn directions: take 17th Street to Valley View Boulevard, then 16th Street, then Adams Avenue. It sits on the corner of Hileman Street and Adams Avenue in the Pleasant Valley neighborhood — a short drive from the parent church at 806 11th Street and just minutes from downtown.
- From Downtown Altoona: 17th St → Valley View Blvd (Left) → 16th St (Left) → Adams Ave (Right)
- From I-99: 17th St → Valley View Blvd (Right) → 16th St (Left) → Adams Ave (Right)
- Corner of Hileman Street and Adams Avenue, Pleasant Valley
Diocese and Wider Catholic Community
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish — and its mission chapel, Our Lady of the Assumption — is part of the Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown, which covers the central Pennsylvania counties served by the cathedral seat in Altoona. The Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown's own clergy directory lists Fr. Frank Scornaienchi, T.O.R. as the current pastor.
- Diocese: Altoona–Johnstown
- Listed in GCatholic as a mission of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Church ID 23808)
- Parent church documented in the Library of Congress HABS survey (PA-2533)
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Raphael Penta (diocesan)1905
Sent by Bishop Eugene Garvey to found the parish (then titled Our Lady of Lourdes); served about six months before ill health.
- Fr. William Cavallo (diocesan)1905–1909
Renamed the parish Our Lady of Mount Carmel; died suddenly on March 27, 1909.
- Fr. Nicolas Capaldo (diocesan)1909
Third pastor; resigned after five months.
- Fr. Jerome Zazzara, T.O.R.1909–1939
First Franciscan pastor; petitioned Bishop McCort to open Our Lady of the Assumption Chapel in Pleasant Valley (first Mass Oct. 4, 1925).
- Fr. Angelo Piacentini, T.O.R.1939–1944
- Fr. John Flannelly, T.O.R.1944–1965
- Fr. Augustine Cestario, T.O.R.1965–1968
- Fr. Aloysius Hankinson, T.O.R.1968–1974
- Fr. Alan Polimine, T.O.R.1974–1982
- Fr. Bonaventure Midili, T.O.R.1982–1990
- Fr. Terrence Smith, T.O.R.1990–1994
- Fr. Gerard Connolly, T.O.R.1994–1996
- Fr. Giles Schinelli, T.O.R.1996–2000
- Fr. Frank Scornaienchi, T.O.R.2000–present
Also Minister Provincial of the Immaculate Conception Province; current pastor.