West Branch Catholics & Friends

06/15/2026

PHILIPSBURG KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS MONTHLY BREAKFAST

BRING DAD IN FOR A FATHER’S DAY BREAKFAST!

FREE COMMUNITY PANCAKE & SAUSAGE BREAKFAST

The Knights of Columbus Council #17278 will hold their monthly breakfast on Sunday, June 21st from 8:00 A.M. till 12 noon in the Sts. Peter & Paul Parish Hall in Philipsburg.

There is no cost for the breakfast, however, free-will offerings will be gratefully accepted.

BRING DAD IN FOR A FATHER’S DAY BREAKFAST!
The monthly, FREE COMMUNITY PANCAKE & SAUSAGE BREAKFAST sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Council #17278 will be held on Sunday, June 21st from 8:00 A.M. till 12 noon In the Parish Hall. There is no cost for the breakfast; however, all free-will offerings will be gratefully accepted. All are welcome…and HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

06/15/2026

Dinner Order Form for the 156th Frenchville Picnic, Sunday 19 JULY 2026!

ALL ORDERS MUST BE PAID AND RECEIVED BY 10 JULY 2026!

Additional information on the form!

06/13/2026

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Mike Matsko, Sr.

Mike was a respected member of the Sts. Peter & Paul of Grassflat community.

He was a loving father and grandfather who quietly raised a strong, faithful family.

In my opinion, Mike was the model of a strong, quiet man, who tried to do what was right, but never boasted or complained. He was a rock and role model for his family, who loved him deeply, the Sts. Peter & Paul community, along with the community at large.

His service to his church, community and country is a an example for us all.

Even though Mike will be deeply missed by his family and everyone who knew him, he will be reunited with the love of his life, Marlene, who preceded him in death, just over a year ago.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
Let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen

Michael E. Matsko Sr.

Michael E. Matsko Sr., age 86, a guest of Ridgeview Healthcare and Rehabilitation and formerly of Grassflat, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, June 9, 2026.

Born January 11, 1940, in Philipsburg, he was the son of the late Joseph and Mary (Matella) Matsko.

He wed Marlene (Force) Matsko who preceded him in death on February 11, 2025.

Surviving are his children, Natalie Gormont (Marty); Bonnie Picard (Bernie); Joseph Matsko (Kelly); Michael Matsko Jr (Marleen); eleven grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; his siblings; Genevieve Belko (Rome); Dorothy Kardohely (Fred).

Along with his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by his siblings: Joseph Matsko (Pat); Arthur Matsko; James Matsko (Mary Lou); Mary Koshko (William); Barbara Bako (Richard); Margaret Granite (Donald); Paul Matsko (Donna), and half brothers, John Kolivosky and Ed Kolivosky.

Michael was a member of St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church, Clearfield and Sts. Peter and Paul Roman Catholic Church, Grassflat. He was a 1958 graduate of the former Cooper Twp. High School, Grassflat. Michael was a veteran of the US Army where he served during the Korean Conflict and was a lifetime member of the Clearfield VFW, Post 1785, where he was also a former Quartermaster. He was a heavy equipment operator with Operating Engineers and retired from the Department of Public Welfare.

A special “Thank-you” to the staff at Ridgeview, especially “Dave” (Blake) and “Tassie” (Cassie). The love you both had for him showed through the care you gave him.

A memorial mass will be celebrated on Monday, June 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM at St. Francis of Assisi Roman Catholic Church, Clearfield, with Father Robert J. Horgas as celebrant.

He will be laid to rest at Sts. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Cemetery, Grassflat, next to his beloved wife.

Strange & Weaver Funeral Service, Morrisdale, is in charge of the arrangements.

06/07/2026

Bishop St. John Neumann dedicated the St. Severin’s Old Log Church in Drifting, PA.

This year is the 175th Anniversary of the founding of the Old Log Church.

Stay tuned for more information about the dodransbicentennial celebration with a HOMECOMING LIKE NO OTHER!

He stepped off the boat in New York with one dollar to his name.
He didn’t speak the language well. Nobody was expecting him. And the church back home hadn’t wanted him either — they’d stopped ordaining priests because they already had too many. So this young man from a German-speaking family in Bohemia wrote letters to bishops all over Europe, begging for a chance. Every one of them said no.
America said yes.
John Neumann landed in 1836 with that single dollar and a dream nobody back home believed in. Weeks later he was ordained — one of just 36 priests serving 200,000 Catholics scattered across farms, coal towns, and immigrant slums. He rode a horse from village to village to reach families everyone else had forgotten. People laughed at him because he was so short his feet didn’t reach the stirrups.
He kept going anyway.
By 1852 the immigrant nobody wanted was the Bishop of Philadelphia — a city where anti-Catholic mobs rioted in the streets and immigrants were treated like dirt. He could have lived like a powerful man. Instead he owned a single pair of boots the entire time he was in America. He ate little, slept less, and kept riding out to the poor who needed him. He built over 100 parishes and the first Catholic school system in the country — schools for the children of immigrants who’d been told they didn’t belong.
He collapsed and died on a Philadelphia street in 1860. He was 48. Half the city turned out to bury him.
More than a century later, the penniless immigrant who arrived with one dollar became the first American man ever declared a saint.
Not bad for someone nobody wanted.
👉 Would your family have made it with just one dollar and a dream? Share this if your ancestors came here with nothing and built everything. 👇

06/07/2026

The final results of the 2026 St. Severin’s Lenten Fish Dinners.

We would like to deeply thank everyone who attended the St. Severin’s Lenten Fish Dinners this year for your patronage & support!

In times of economic uncertainty, you all came out to enjoy evenings of fellowship with our community. For that we will be forever grateful, not only for the financial support, but for the chance to share love, friendship, and a meal with you.

God bless everyone, and we will see you Friday 12 FEB 2027!

06/02/2026

“Do not FEAR! Jesus is more powerful than ALL HELL!”
- ST. PADRE PIO