About St. Catherine of Siena · Mount Union, Pennsylvania
St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church is a Catholic parish located at 203 West Market Street in Mount Union, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown and serves the small communities of Mount Union and the surrounding area in central Pennsylvania. The parish's mission statement describes itself as 'committed to living out the life of faith in Christ through prayer, worship, and service, in the spirit of Prince Demetrius Gallitzin,' the famed 'Apostle of the Alleghenies' who ministered in the region two centuries ago. Daily Mass is offered every morning of the week, with weekend vigil and Sunday Masses, a CCD religious-education program for children, and traditional parish councils.
- Established
- 1912
- Patron
- St. Catherine of Siena
- Diocese
- Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown
Why belong here
St. Catherine of Siena is a close-knit Catholic community rooted in central-Pennsylvania faith since 1912, where parishioners can attend a daily 8:00 AM Mass Monday through Friday, a Saturday vigil, and Sunday liturgy. Children are catechized through the parish CCD program on Sundays from 10:00–11:00 AM, and the parish is served by elected Pastoral and Finance Councils that shepherd its life and mission. Its commitment to prayer, worship, and service — modeled after Prince Demetrius Gallitzin, the 'Apostle of the Alleghenies' — makes it a welcoming parish for Catholics in the Mount Union area.
Mass times at St. Catherine of Siena
Weekly Mass schedule
Confession times
- Saturday 4:30 PM
- Sunday 8:30 AM
- By appointment at any time
Welcome to St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church
St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church in Mount Union, PA, is a parish of the Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown. The parish describes itself as 'committed to living out the life of faith in Christ through prayer, worship, and service, in the spirit of Prince Demetrius Gallitzin.' Located at 203 West Market Street, the parish offers daily Mass and a CCD program for children, and serves the faithful of Huntingdon County and the surrounding central-Pennsylvania region.
- Address: 203 West Market Street, Mount Union, PA 17066
- Phone: (814) 542-4582
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.scosmu.org
- Diocese: Altoona–Johnstown
History of the Parish
The parish traces its roots to 1912, when Bishop Eugene Garvey of the Altoona Diocese authorized the building of a Catholic church in Mount Union. Beginning as a mission of Most Holy Trinity Church in Huntingdon, it grew into an independent parish on July 1, 1921. For more than four decades, St. Mary Parish in Shade Gap was a mission of St. Catherine of Siena before becoming independent itself on June 7, 1962.
- 1912 — Parish established as a mission by Bishop Eugene Garvey
- 1921 — Became an independent parish (July 1)
- 1962 — St. Mary, Shade Gap, separated to become its own parish (June 7)
- 2012 — Centennial celebrated with Mass by Bishop Mark L. Bartchak on April 29
Centennial Celebration (2012)
St. Catherine of Siena opened its 100th-anniversary year with a Mass celebrated by Bishop Mark L. Bartchak on Sunday, April 29, 2012, the Feast of St. Catherine of Siena, at 3:00 PM. Priests and deacons from across the Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown concelebrated, and Bishop Bartchak also dedicated the parish's new wheelchair lift and porch addition. A banquet followed at New Life Fellowship on Croghan Pike, catered by Tops.
- Anniversary Mass — April 29, 2012, 3:00 PM
- Officiant — Bishop Mark L. Bartchak
- Dedication — wheelchair lift and porch addition
- Banquet venue — New Life Fellowship, Croghan Pike
Pastor and Clergy
Fr. Joseph W. Fleming served as pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Mount Union and St. Mary Parish in Shade Gap from 2014 until his death on November 10, 2025. Ordained to the priesthood on May 4, 1974 by Bishop James J. Hogan at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Altoona, Father Fleming previously served as Parochial Vicar at Holy Name (Ebensburg), St. Peter (Somerset), and St. Joseph, before pastoring St. Mary (Snow Shoe), St. Augustine (Dysart), St. Thomas Aquinas (Ashville), and St. Monica (Chest Springs). At the time of his passing he was Dean of the Northern Deanery.
- Fr. Joseph W. Fleming — Pastor 2014–November 2025
- Ordained May 4, 1974
- Served concurrently as pastor of St. Mary, Shade Gap
- Dean of the Northern Deanery (Centre, Clinton, Huntingdon counties)
Parish Staff
The parish is supported by a small team of staff and lay volunteers coordinated from the parish office. Office hours are Tuesday mornings. Day-to-day operations are handled by parish secretaries and a bookkeeper, with a maintenance team keeping the buildings in shape. The Director of Religious Education coordinates the parish's CCD program for children.
- Pastor — Fr. Joseph W. Fleming (2014–2025)
- Secretaries — Lisa Callahan
- Bookkeeper — Ann Gilliland
- Director of Religious Education — Kim Clemens
- Maintenance — parish team
- Office Hours — Tuesday mornings
Parish Councils
Two elected councils share in the pastoral and temporal governance of the parish. The Pastoral Council discerns the spiritual and ministerial direction of the parish, while the Finance Council oversees its temporal affairs and budget. Both include elected parish members, with chairs and youth representation.
- Pastoral Council — Dayton Shugarts, Chair; members include Andrea Christoff, Maria Danish, Kathryn Ross, Robert Gilliland, Beth Lear
- Finance Council — Mary Secrest, Chair; members include Will Crouse, Dennis Drake, Maggie Stiffler, Kathy Lantz
Religious Education (CCD)
St. Catherine of Siena runs a parish-based CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) program for the religious education of its children. Classes meet Sunday mornings from 10:00 to 11:00 AM in the parish facility, immediately following the 9:00 AM Sunday Mass. The program is coordinated by the Director of Religious Education.
- Director of Religious Education — Kim Clemens
- Class time — Sunday 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
- Open to parish children
Sacraments
The parish celebrates the seven sacraments in line with diocesan norms. Baptisms are scheduled by appointment, and couples preparing for marriage are asked to contact the parish at least six months before the wedding date to begin preparation. Confession is offered Saturday and Sunday before Mass and by appointment; the Anointing of the Sick can be arranged through the parish office.
- Baptism — by appointment
- Marriage — contact parish at least 6 months in advance
- Reconciliation — Saturdays 4:30 PM, Sundays 8:30 AM, or by appointment
- Anointing of the Sick — by appointment through the parish office
Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown
St. Catherine of Siena Parish is one of the parishes of the Diocese of Altoona–Johnstown, which serves central Pennsylvania. The diocese's current bishop is Most Reverend Mark L. Bartchak, JCD. The parish is part of the Northern Deanery, which includes the counties of Centre, Clinton, and Huntingdon. The diocese's parish directory lists St. Catherine of Siena alongside neighboring parishes such as Most Holy Trinity in Huntingdon, St. Mary in Shade Gap, and others.
- Diocese — Altoona–Johnstown
- Bishop — Most Reverend Mark L. Bartchak, JCD
- Deanery — Northern (Centre, Clinton, Huntingdon counties)
Visiting and Getting Involved
Visitors and newcomers are welcomed at St. Catherine of Siena. The parish office is open Tuesday mornings and can be reached at (814) 542-4582 or [email protected]. The parish's accessibility was improved in 2012 with the dedication of a wheelchair lift and porch addition. Those wishing to get involved are encouraged to speak with the pastor or any council member.
- Parish office open Tuesday mornings
- Accessibility — wheelchair lift and porch addition (dedicated 2012)
- Contact — (814) 542-4582 / [email protected]
Pastors & rectors through the years
- Fr. Joseph W. Fleming2014–2025
Appointed pastor of St. Catherine of Siena, Mount Union, and St. Mary, Shade Gap, in 2014; also served as Dean of the Northern Deanery at the time of his death on November 10, 2025. Ordained May 4, 1974.