Allentown Diocese begins annual blood drive on feast of St. Januarius amid nationwide shortage

The Diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, began its third annual blood drive on Sept. 19, the feast of St. Januarius, the martyred fourth-century bishop whose blood at times miraculously liquefies.

The diocese has partnered once again with the Miller-Keystone Blood Center, which during the 2025 campaign collected 821 units of blood — 40% more than the previous year, according to a diocesan press release. Sixty-three parishes and schools throughout the diocese participated in the blood drive last year.

“Blood cannot be manufactured or replaced,” Allentown Bishop Alfred A. Schlert said in the release. “It can only come from individuals willing to give of themselves for others.”

The Miller-Keystone Blood Center said that because of a national shortage of donated blood, most centers around the country are operating with only a one- or two-day inventory.

“Blood is perishable, and there is no substitute,” said Monika Kotlarska-Gross, director of donor relations at Miller-Keystone. “The only source is the volunteer blood donor.”

Someone in the U.S. is transfused about every two seconds, according to the Red Cross, which said in July that an emergency shortage it had declared the…