Sacraments

Information regarding the reception of the 7 Sacraments at St. Cecilia Catholic Church.

Requesting Mass Intentions and planning for quinceanera Masses are found at the bottom of the page.

Baptism

Baptism is the sacrament of initiation in which are you fully received into the Mystical Body of Christ in which you receive inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:14). This and more about Baptism can be found at Ascension.com.

To request a baptism, contact the parish secretary to begin the process. Note:

A child is typically baptized after a Sunday Mass, arranged 1-4 months before the sacrament.
An adult is most commonly baptized at the Easter Vigil after attending RCIA classes at the parish.
For a necessary emergency baptism, call our sacramental emergency phone: 402-469-9320.
To request your baptismal certificate from St. Cecilia Catholic Church, contact our parish secretary.
Godparents must be in good standing with the Catholic Church, prepared to bear witness to Christ.

Matter: Holy Water

Form: "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit"

Holy Communion

Holy Communion is the reception of the Holy Eucharist, Christ Jesus, truly and fully present, body, blood, soul, and divinity. Often called the "source and summit of the Catholic Faith," the Holy Eucharist is the greatest gift and at the heart of our Catholic Faith. In order to participate in this greatest of mysteries, one must be Catholic and in a state of grace to receive the Body and Blood of our Lord.

Our Mass and Eucharistic Adoration times can be found in our drop-down menu. At our parish:

Children receive their First Holy Communion in the 2nd grade while attending CCD or HCS.
For the homebound, request a Eucharistic Minister of Holy Communion via our secretary.
If you are unable to receive our Lord, join in making a spiritual communion.
If you are homebound, you can watch mass live and access mass resources to best participate.
If you require a gluten-free host, visit our Accommodations page and contact Fr. Clinch.

Matter: Bread and Wine

Form: "This is my body,” and “This is the cup of my blood."

Confirmation

Confirmation is the sacrament in which one is conferred with the seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Knowledge, Counsel, Fortitude, Piety, and Fear of the Lord. Once the recipient is sealed with these gifts, they are empowered to serve the Church with their God-given talents. Read more from USCCB, in English and en Español.

Contact our parish secretary for enrollment. In our diocese and at our parish:

Children receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in the 5th grade while attending CCD or HCS.
The bishop administers the sacrament in spring unless the recipient receives it at the Easter Vigil.
The recipient's sponsor must be in good standing with the Catholic Church and able to attend the practice in the days prior to the Confirmation Mass.
The sponsor must be an adult of legal age and cannot be a parent of the recipient.

Matter: The Oil of Chrism and the laying on of hands.

Form: "N., be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit."

Reconciliation

The Sacrament of Reconciliation gifts the opportunity to be reconciled of our wrongdoings with God and the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church and neighbor. Through God's infinite mercy and goodness, one can be absolved of all their sins and with a contrite heart, live fully in God's grace. In preparation of your confession, it is helpful to reflect and pray with an examination of conscience.

See our numerous Confession times offered at our parish.

Our confessionals are located on either side of the main nave of the church.
Anonymous and face-to-face confessions are available in our confessionals. Orange signifies "occupied," and green signifies "open."
If you have not been in a while or do not know what to do, that is just fine! Enter the confessional and ask the priest for help.
If you would like to schedule a time, contact our parish secretary.

Matter: Act of Confession and Contrition

Form: "I absolve you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Anointing of the Sick

Anointing of the Sick is a chance for our Lord to heal us spiritually, and if it is His Will, physically. The Sacrament can give the grace of peace and courage as one faces physical difficulty or close death. To prepare, it is best to reflect and pray with an examination of conscience if circumstances permit. If you are not ill, a daily contemplation and praying of Night Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours is good preparation for eventual death.

If you are:

in need of a priest immediately, contact the sacramental emergency phone: 402-469-9320
preparing for death, contact our parish secretary or contact Fr. Clinch.
wanting a parish nurse to visit and/or pray for you, contact our parish secretary.
preparing for surgery or undergoing a physical ailment, contact Fr. Clinch to set up a time for a priest to administer the sacrament (often done after Mass).
wanting to be placed on our prayer chain, contact Jo Lemke or Bonnie Peterson (see bulletin for phone numbers).

Matter: Oil of the Sick and laying on of hands

Form: "Through this holy anointing may the Lord in His love and mercy help you by the grace of the Holy Spirit, and may the Lord who frees you from sin, save you and raise you up."

Holy Matrimony

Holy Matrimony is one of two Sacraments of Service which is participates in the greater Wedding Feast of the Lamb. This earthly covenant between man and woman and their offspring are mortal participations in the eternal Holy Trinity.

For those engaged or married,

Contact Fr. Clinch or our parish secretary to schedule marriage prep meetings at least 6-8 months before tentative wedding date.
Ask Father about music and an organist at the time of your meeting.
If you would like your marriage or engagement blessed, contact Fr. Clinch to arrange.
Natural Family Planning (NFP) parishioner resources, Norma Theisen (see bulletin), are available for contact. Additional information about the Creighton Model can be found on the Diocese of Lincoln Family Life Office website.

Matter: The Couple

Form: "I take you…” (spoken as a vow) or “I do” (spoken as an affirmation of the vow).

Holy Orders

Consecrated Life

The Diocese of Lincoln houses over a dozen female religious orders throughout Southern Nebraska, all with diverse missions of serving God through poverty, chastity, and obedience. By committing oneself to God through total service to Him and his Church, consecrated life can be a source of unending joy via an intimate relationship with our Lord.

We are so grateful to have a long history of religious orders in Hastings. The Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George (FSMG) live in the St. Sixtus Covent connected to our High School and Church campus, and they have primarily served as educators in Hastings Catholic Schools for over 30 years. Additionally, we are grateful for Las Hijas de la Pasión de Jesucristo (Passionist Sisters) who primarily serve our Hispanic community in Hastings.

Learn more about male consecrated life with The Knights of the Holy Eucharist, stationed in Lincoln.

Access information and and contacts for all religious orders in the Diocese of Lincoln on the Diocesan Website.

Holy Orders is a Sacraments of Service in which a male is called by God to serve His Bridegroom, the Church, fully and completely through the consecrated, ordained life as a priest. Called to live as the in the person of Christ , priests are great models of endless service, and we are very blessed to have so many wonderful priests in the Diocese of Lincoln!

Male parishioners 4th grade and older interested in altar serving should contact the parish secretary to be placed on the serving list and/or set up with one of our priests for training at our parish. Instituted acolytes ought to do the same.

Male parishioners interested in formally discerning the priesthood can, upon high school graduation, apply to two of our local seminaries, St. Gregory the Great Seminary (Diocesan - Seward, NE) or Our Lady of Guadalupe (FSSP - Latin Rite - Denton, NE). Male parishioners should contact Fr. Clinch to discuss applying before the spring and are encouraged to visit the seminaries while discerning entrance.

Bishop Conley with Seminarians at St. Gregory the Great Seminary

Knights of the Holy Eucharist with St. Cecilia Altar Servers Hastings, NE

St. Mary Xavier at St. Cecilia High School Hastings, NE

Intentions/Quinceaneras

Mass Intentions

Quinceanera Mass

Contact Fr. Clinch or Fr. Nemec to schedule a Quinceanera Mass time at 402-463-1336 (Ext 104) or leave a message for the priest with our parish secretary.

Contact our parish secretary to schedule a Mass time for one of our priests to celebrate a Mass for your intention. An intention is accompanied by a $10 donation, which can be given in cash to the parish secretary or sent in the mail to St. Cecilia Catholic Church.

Note: Our Mass intention schedule is filled up 9 months out. If urgent, notify the secretary.

Parish Secretary

Penny Moritz

Call at 402-463-1336 (Ext 101)

Email at stcbulletin@windstream.net

Visit at 301 W. 7th St. Hastings, NE, 68901

Located at the church rectory on the northeast side of our campus. Available weekdays from 7:30 am - 3:30 pm. The office is closed for Holy Days of Obligation. Knock upon arrival.

Pastor

Fr. Craig Clinch

Call at 402-463-1336 (Ext 103)

or email the parish secratary

CCD Coordinator

Caryn Scott

Call number found in bulletin (final page)

Information about registration is here.